Estate Planning Strategies
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Estate Planning Tips for Surviving Spouses
Life can be difficult and complicated for surviving spouses. Contending with some financial rules and procedures in addition to everything else can amount to piling on. Yet, widows and widowers need to make key decisions about their finances, and some decisions need to be made within deadlines. Social Security, IRAs, employer retirement plans, and investments […]
Expand the Scope of your Estate Planning
Estate Planning is not about taxes. There was a time when it was, because relatively modest estates were depleted by taxes. Now, only about 5,600 estates a year are estimated to owe federal estate taxes, at least through the end of 2012. Yet, you need a complete, up-to-date estate plan more than ever regardless of […]
How to Close a Major Gap In Most Estate Planning Strategies
Some people with estate plans do some-thing that is almost as bad as not having a plan. They avoid key decisions in their plans. The result can be the same as having no estate plan: Potential problems for loved ones, including loss of wealth and family disharmony. Once people start on an estate plan, they […]
Writing Family Love Letters for Estate Planning
The typical result of an Estate Planning strategy is a collection of legal documents with sterile discussions of trusts and property distributions. It need not be that way. Your estate planning and your legacy can be enhanced by adding to your plan documents that are more personalized and speak directly to your loved ones. Certainly […]
Solving Couples’ Retirement Problems
Your retirement isn’t all about your finances. I regularly try to stress that point. Financial security and knowing you have a plan increase your options and peace of mind. But how you spend your time is critical to whether you are happy and have a successful retirement. Another key ?soft? aspect of your plan is […]
Estate Planning Strategies That Benefit from Charitable Gifts Now
Most people have estate planning goals beyond leaving a legacy for loved ones. Many also hope to leave something to charity. Unfortunately, they often don’t know about all the tools available to make those charitable gifts, or that there are good reasons to make charitable gifts now instead of waiting to transfer wealth through your […]
The Estate Planning Tricks of Withdrawing Cash from 529 Plans
Tax-saving vehicles never are as straightforward as they seem. Section 529 college savings plans sometimes fall into that category. You need to consider a few Estate Planning tricks when taking distributions from the plans. The basics of 529 plans are simple. Anyone can put money in a plan for the benefit of someone else. There […]
Reconsidering the Role of 401(k)s in Your Estate Planning
Classic Estate Planning advice to youngsters entering the workforce is that they should sign up for the employer’s 401(k) plan and begin saving money for retirement. It’s time to reconsider that advice. I’m not questioning the first part of the advice. Youngsters should begin saving as soon as they start earning money. The question is […]
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