Estate Planning

Estate Planning is the process of determining how your wealth and assets should be transferred to the heirs of your choice: your children, grandchildren, friends, families, charitable causes, etc. and then deciding which legal tools and structures to use to best meet your estate planning goals.

Estate planning is not simply reducing or eliminating taxes and avoiding probate.  Only after establishing how you want your estate’s assets to be distributed should you consider ways to reduce taxes and avoid probate. From there, good estate plans deal with a host of other issues. Now, with all but a few estates exempt from the federal estate tax, those other issues are, or should be, at the forefront of estate planning.

An estate plan is to ensure that you are taken care of the rest of your life and that your wealth is transferred to the people you want to have it. A good estate plan ensures these goals are accomplished with as much efficiency and as little cost as possible. An estate plan addresses the management and distribution of an individual’s property and financial obligations after he or she dies with financial tools such as wills, revocable living trusts and power of attorney.

For a comprehensive overview of Estate Planning, please start with our article:

• What is Estate Planning – A Comprehensive Overview

Estate Tax, Income Tax Planning in Retirement

The Estate Tax Marital Deduction – Dos and Don’ts

Publication: Retirement Watch Weekly

The marital deduction is perhaps the best-known estate tax reducer. It also is among the most misused planning devices. While powerful, the mari-tal deduction also can trigger higher taxes or other headaches. The marital deduction is straightforward. The estate executor totals the value of all assets owned by the deceased to arrive at the gross […]

Estate Planning Checklist

Four Overlooked Estate Planning Moves

Publication: Retirement Watch Weekly

Most Estate Planning discussions involve big picture issues, such as trusts, gifts, and how to handle a business. Too often, however, the success or failure of a plan depends on small details that seem unimportant. Shortchanging these issues could mean shortchanging your heirs. Carefully consider all of your non-probate assets. They avoid the probate process, […]

Building a Legacy

How to Leave a Legacy that Lasts Generations

Publication: Retirement Watch Weekly

Many people hope to leave some wealth to help their children and perhaps their grandchildren. Others want to see the wealth benefit even more generations. Instead of leaving it all to one or two generations, they want to spread income and emergency funds beyond the family members who know them. This goal can be accomplished […]

Income Tax Planning in Retirement, Trusts

Trusts that Save Taxes and Families

Publication: Retirement Watch Weekly

The family residence often is one of the most valuable assets in a person’s estate. Despite recent price declines in numerous markets, many people own homes worth far more than they paid for them. The residence often accounts for a significant portion of a person’s net worth. The personal residence can create both estate tax […]

Estate Planning Basics

The Multi-State Estate Plan

Publication: Retirement Watch Weekly

Readers with homes or other property in more than one state should take special care in their estate plans. There are lawyers who advise drafting separate wills and other Estate Planning documents for each state involved. You shouldn’t need to do that much work. The estate plan, however, does need to recognize that multiple states […]