The Tax Relief Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act was signed into law in December 2010. This made significant changes to federal estate taxes, generation skipping transfer taxes, and gift taxes. This was the first time that the potability of an estate tax exemption was introduced. Portability is a concept that is only available […]

If you are looking ahead to your future estate taxes and looking for a strategy to minimize them, a consultation with an estate planning lawyer can help you to address many of the most common issues and concerns that come up in connection to this. Savvy planning can make things easier for your loved ones […]

There are many different kinds of trusts and you might use one or more to accomplish the goals in your estate plan. Because trusts can be complicated and minor mistakes can prove very problematic in the administration of the trust, you should use the support of an estate planning attorney to create yours. You can […]

When you pass away, your estate could be taxed above certain thresholds established on an annual basis. This has risen to $11.7 million in 2021 with an exemption that is set to expire at the end of 2025. However, it is possible that legislative and fiscal pressures could push a change to occur sooner rather […]

Many people often make the mistake of assuming that their will controls the distribution of their full estate. It’s easy to forget that certain aspects are automatically excluded under the terms of your will. There are three common methods by which assets might be transferred to your beneficiaries after your death outside of what’s named […]

A recent study completed by Greenwalt Research and the Employee Benefit Research Institute determined that employees are facing significant anxiety and stress when it comes to their financial futures. Over 1,000 workers in the United States between the ages of 21 and 64 were interviewed for this study. 2 out of 3 employees cited concerns […]

You want to keep administration and tax costs as low as possible but there are other items that should be important to you as part of your estate plan. These include yourself, your family and your philanthropic interests. You might assume that your estate planning actually doesn’t have anything to do with you except that […]

If a loved one has been diagnosed with a debilitating illness or dementia, there is a good chance that they will need care in a nursing home or the support of a skilled nurse in their own home at some point in the future. Turning to Medicaid to pay for these bills is often the […]

Having an addict in your family can be a very difficult situation and this can prompt numerous concerns around the process of estate planning and naming someone as a beneficiary who might not be in a good position to receive or use funds. Creating a written revocable living trust, naming the person in question as […]

An executor is appointed to close out the affairs of a deceased person. The last will and testament is used to name the executor, but if one has not been named or no will exists, the court needs to appoint a person in this role.  An executor has what is known as a fiduciary duty. […]