06

Mar

Grantor Trusts

Why should I want a “Grantor Trust” ? A Grantor Trust is a Trust that is ignored for tax purposes. Back when Federal Income Tax Rates were much higher, wealthy individuals would establish many trusts for their descendants to push income in to the lower brackets. The t...

View More

Category: Estate Planning


06

Mar

What are Conservation Easements?

What would a conservation easement do for me? The conservation easement is an agreement that permanently restricts the future development or use of your land. You may do this to preserve your land and maintain it in its current condition so that it is preserved for future generat...

View More

Category: Estate Planning


06

Mar

Donating Your Body to Medicine

As part of your estate plan, you may want to leave instructions in your will to your loved ones to donate your body to medicine. There are many important reasons to donate your body to medicine. Your donation can be used to: Teach medical students about the human body Allow surg...

View More

Category: Estate Planning


06

Mar

Do I have to file Gift Tax returns for the gifts to my Insurance Trust?

Filing a gift tax return for an ILIT, even if not technically required because all gifts are below the annual exclusion, is a good idea. It starts the statute of limitations for an audit of the gift. It allows you to decide affirmatively whether GST exemption is allocated. The GS...

View More

Category: Estate Planning


06

Mar

No Super Committee Action: Now What?

Now that the so-called ‘super committee' failed to agree on spending cuts and/or revenue gains to reduce the deficit, what’s next? What does this mean for the estate and gift tax law? Under the law that created the super committee, their failure to act means tha...

View More

Category: Estate Planning


06

Mar

Conduit Share versus Accumulation Share: Difficult Choices, Important Consequences

This article originally appeared in the May 2009 issue of Gray Matters (Section Vol. 13, No. 4), a publication of the North Carolina Bar Association Elder Law Section. Once a decision has been made to leave tax qualified assets such as IRAs, 401(k)s or other tax qualified accoun...

View More

06

Mar

How to Protect Qualified Accounts from Creditors, Predators, Youth and Inexperience.

This article originally appeared in the May 2008 issue of The Will and the Way (Vol. 27, Iss. 3), a publication of the North Carolina Bar Association Estate Planning & Fiduciary Law Section. The Problem - and the OpportunityOn a regular basis, estate planning attorney...

View More