When a person dies, what happens next depends on whether the deceased person had any foundational estate planning documents such as a last will and testament (otherwise known as a will) or trust, who the living relatives are, and their relationship to the person who died. If the deceased person did not have a trust [...]
As estate planning attorneys, we work hard to set up estate plans that fit a client’s needs and ensure that everything works together for the client and their loved ones. Estate plans effectively do this as long as they accurately reflect a client’s circumstances and current state and federal tax law. However, circumstances often change. [...]
May is National Etiquette Month, and the goal is to encourage all people to act with consideration, respect, and honesty in their interactions with others and in their everyday lives. Etiquette can also play a role in estate planning. A well-crafted estate plan ensures that your wishes are respected and that your loved ones are [...]
Estate planning involves deciding how to plan for the management of your money, property, and well-being before your death and how to distribute your money and property after your death. A comprehensive estate plan should consider the impact that taxes can have on your estate and ensure that your estate is distributed in a tax-efficient [...]
Test your tax knowledge with this short quiz about our tax system. Did You Know? The most misused Social Security number of all time was 078-05-1120.7 In 1938, as part of a promotion to sell wallets through Woolworth and other department stores, wallet manufacturer H. Ferree Company wanted to demonstrate how a Social [...]
When people begin getting their affairs in order through the creation of an estate plan, they often face a delicate balancing act between saving on income and estate taxes, protecting their hard-earned savings from their ultimate beneficiaries’ creditors, and providing maximum benefit to their loved ones. Finding the right balance requires careful consideration of the [...]
What? You didn’t know that March 14 (3/14) is National Pi Day? We didn’t either until recently, but now we know this celebratory day was established (you guessed it!) by a physicist (Larry Shaw) to recognize the mathematical constant (𝛑) whose first three digits are 3.14—probably as an excuse to devour lots of pie. National [...]
In 1987, Congress passed a law recognizing March as Women’s History Month—a time to honor the contributions and achievements of women throughout American history in a variety of fields. Women have played a vital role in building the United States into a strong and prosperous nation. Likewise, women are often the backbones of their own [...]
We associate March with St. Patrick’s Day and Irish traditions such as searching for four-leaf clovers, which are thought to bring good luck. One thing that parents should never leave to luck is providing for their minor children. Young parents work hard to create a wonderful life for their children and pass on wealth to [...]
Spouses often work together to build wealth for themselves and their children. Congress recognized this by enacting the gift and estate tax portability election in 2010, and making it permanent in 2012, providing married couples with a relatively simple way to potentially shield much more of their wealth from federal gift and estate taxation. If [...]
