15

May

National Grandparents Day: Three Things to Consider Before You Make a Gift to Grandchildren

As grandparents, you likely love the opportunity to shower your grandchildren with gifts. In most cases, these gifts are given on holidays and birthdays and commonly consist of an item that may have been at the top of your grandchild’s wish list. While experiencing the joy on yo...

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15

May

Maximize the Benefits of Giving to Your Loved Ones

Working hard and sharing your wealth with loved ones is a great goal. But, it’s essential to be aware of the tax implications when you give gifts or plan your estate. With a well-crafted estate plan, we can help protect your wealth and your loved ones. Let’s explore three types...

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15

May

The Importance of Reviewing Legal Documents When Relocating

A Lesson from Holographic Wills As we navigate through life, there may come a time when we have to relocate to a different state. Moving involves many considerations, and it’s important not to overlook the impact on legal documents, especially those related to estate planning. E...

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15

May

What Does “Devise” Mean in an Estate Plan?

When creating an estate plan, you may encounter unfamiliar terms that can be confusing. Adding to the confusion, some of these terms may sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. For instance, “heir” refers to someone who receives money or property through a will...

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15

May

What Not to Include in Your Estate Planning Documents

One important purpose of estate planning is to facilitate the transfer of ownership of your money and property to your family and loved ones when you pass away. For this transfer to be as stress-free and efficient as possible, it is crucial that estate planning documents be thoro...

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15

May

Secure Act 2.0—Boon to Charitable Gifting?

Congress recently passed the Secure 2. 0 Act of 2022 (the “Act”); it became law on December 22, 2022. The Act is designed to encourage retirement saving and really has very little practical effect on estate planning in general, but it does contain some advantages to those who are...

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15

May

Important Things to Do As You Begin 2023

January is National Mentoring Month: Three Creative Ways to Use the Estate Planning Process to Be a Mentor From Iron Man and Spiderman to the relationship between Hopper and Elle in Stranger Things, the value and importance of mentor relationships is everywhere we look. And this...

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15

May

Decanting: A Powerful Tool for Disgruntled Trust Beneficiaries

“I’m the beneficiary of several trusts and I would love to be able to combine them into a single trust. ” “The trustee of my trust and I are not getting along. We’d like to go our separate ways, but the trust doesn’t provide enough flexibility in appointing a new trustee. ” “The i...

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15

May

New IRS “Clawback” Regulations Have Limited Applicability to Gift Transactions

The Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) doubled the exemption amount available during lifetime or at death from $5 million to $10 million, inflation adjusted, until January 1, 2026. The 2022 exemption amount is $12. 06 million and will decline under current law, subject to further...

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15

May

Proposed New Tax Bill Impact on Life Insurance Trusts

One of the most common tools in the estate planner’s toolbox is an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust, or ILIT for short. The ILIT is useful for clients who have a life insurance policy that, if included with their other assets, would be subject to the estate tax. Consider this exa...

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