One of your biggest concerns, as you do your estate planning, is fighting among your children. You know that sibling disputes over a will and inheritance can drag on for months and get very expensive, and you also know that they often push people apart emotionally. In...
Month: May 2018
For a select few families, a dynasty trust is just the ticket
There is likely a debate at the ready in response to an estate planning professional’s recent comment that “a lot of clients want to take advantage of this new law.”The referenced enactment concededly applies only to a notably small demographic,...
If in doubt re estate planning, one timely step after another
If you’re a would-be estate planner who continually procrastinates while knowing that it’s important to put things in place, it might be useful for you to evoke a metaphor or image that can help you get started.Consider painting, for example. It’s a...
What is a spendthrift trust, and how can it benefit you?
In today’s above-cited blog headline, the referenced “you” refers to the individual who establishes a trust. The legal designations for that person are actually several and liberally substituted. Trust creators are sometimes called trustors, grantors...
Words of advice as overseas tax disclosure program winds down
We commented on a major IRS announcement in a recent blog post, noting in our March 20 entry that the agency’s Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program launched back in 2009 will officially terminate on September 28 of this year. We stressed that many Americans...
Unequal bequests: A recipe for disaster
When creating your estate plan, you decide that you do not want to split things into thirds for your three children.After all, your oldest daughter is quite well off. She became a surgeon and then married another surgeon she met at work. Together, they make over...
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Even a fortune can disappear without sound estate planning
Some figures baffle.Like the speed of light. Like the age and size of the universe. And like estimates pegging the personal fortunes of America's richest families.Consider this imagery relevant to the storied Vanderbilt family for a moment: a pile of money equaling...
Broad, measured thinking out of the box promotes sound estate planning
"You own this." Those words might sound frightening to a would-be California estate planner, but they are actually meant to promote a feeling of empowerment rather than intimidation. It is no secret that legions of...
Remarrying couples unquestionably need to focus on estate planning
Many remarrying California individuals fail to timely consider and update existing estate plans to reflect new realities.Don't be one of them. Many remarrying California individuals fail to timely consider and update existing estate plans to reflect new...
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