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Gifts and Gift Giving

Found 31 Articles.
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Making Smarter Estate Planning Gifts to Family Members

October 1, 2014

Giving gifts isn’t as easy as one might think. It’s not easy, that is, if you want to maximize the value and impact of your gifts. Watching every gift is the tax man, looking to take a piece of it. Even if your estate isn’t likely to be taxable, you should be looking for ways […]

Estate Planning

When a Gift Tax Return is Required for Estate Planning

November 1, 2013

Don’t think making a tax free gift means a gift tax return isn’t due. The general Estate Planning rule is you need to file a gift tax return for any gift that exceeds the annual gift tax exclusion ($14,000 per recipient in 2013). A gift that exceeds the annual exclusion either reduces your lifetime estate […]

estate planning

Wise Estate Planning Ways to Make Family Gifts

November 1, 2013

We’re entering the traditional gift-giving season. The tax rules still are important. Too many people believe that with the estate tax exemption set at $5 million per person, they don’t need to worry about shrewd, tax-wise ways to give wealth. (The exemption is indexed for inflation; it is $5.25 million in 2013.) They couldn’t be […]

Estate Planning

Don’t Overlook Filing Gift Tax Returns for Your Estate Planning

February 1, 2013

You might need to file a gift tax return for your Estate Planning, even when no taxes are due. It might seem like a technicality, but the IRS penalizes people for not filing returns even when no tax was due. It’s been searching public records in some states, such as real estate title records, and […]

estate plan

Estate Planning Shrewd Gift-Giving Strategies

October 1, 2012

Regular people have been left out of most Estate Planning discussions this year. Estate planners and financial media are pounding the table for people to give away a lot of money by Dec. 31 because of the scheduled end of the $5.12 million estate and gift tax exemption on Jan. 1, 2013. If the expiration […]

estate planning

Maximizing Tax-Free Gifts for Estate Planning

September 1, 2011

Stock prices are down. Real estate still is on the floor in many areas. Family members probably could use some financial help. The estate and gift tax exemptions are higher. Add those facts, and you find this is a great time to do spme Estate Planning and give away assets to loved ones, avoiding estate […]

estate planning

Knowing How Much to Give Away and How to Give It to Optimize Estate Planning

May 1, 2011

Use it or lose it. That’s what many Estate Planning specialists are saying in the wake of the new estate and gift tax law enacted last December. You should act now, they say, to make large gifts and put other estate planning strategies in place. Give as much away as fast as you can. It’s […]

estate planning

Reviewing Gift Tax Return Estate Planning Basics

April 1, 2011

Your estate may need to file gift tax returns even when gift taxes aren’t due. The IRS is cracking down on failures to file gift tax returns, with help from state databases. The IRS is checking state records of real estate transfers and matching those with gift tax returns, or the lack of them. Over […]

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