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

Family Limited Partnerships

A Fresh Look at Family Limited Partnerships

Publication: Retirement Watch Weekly

Family limited partnerships have been a key element in many estate plans, and that is why they have been targets of the IRS for years. The tax law regarding FLPs has fluctuated, but there now are enough court cases decided to develop a road map for securing the benefits of an FLP. An FLP is […]

Power of Attorney

A Shrewd Look at the Power of Attorney

Publication: Retirement Watch Weekly

A Power of Attorney is an essential part of an estate plan. You know that from past visits. The POA ensures that someone can manage your estate when you are unable to. Bills can be paid; investments can be managed; and other actions can be taken. Having a document called a power of attorney does […]

Business Ownership and Succession

Five Myths of Business Succession

Publication: Retirement Watch Weekly

Few small firms survive past the first generation of owners. That is well-known. Most people assume the business failures are due to the inadequacies and mistakes of the succeeding owners and managers. At least an equal share of blame goes to the founding owners who do not properly develop and implement succession plans. With proper […]

Estate Planning Basics

Estate Planning Strategy to Help the Grandkids Buy a Home: Gifts, Loans, or Rentals?

September 1, 2007

Publication: Retirement Watch Weekly

Home prices are down, and inventories of unsold homes are high in many areas. That makes this an ideal time to buy a home, or to help a grandchild buy that first home or move up to a larger home. Despite the decline in prices, buying a home still is a struggle for many young […]