From the category archives:

Estate Planning

I Do. I Don’t. I Do Again.

March 25, 2009
Prenuptial Agreement

A recent Florida case illustrates one big reason why clients need to constantly update their planning.
Although this case is unusual, it really does a great job of showing how life changes can destroy the best of plans or intentions.
Marriage Made for a Soap Opera
When Howard Herpich and Svetlana Ozerova married [...]

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Ailing Tycoon’s After-Death Wishes Bungled by Poor Estate Planning

March 10, 2009
Max Farash

Real estate developer Max Farash is a generous man. His charitable foundation has given away millions to worthy causes over the last ten years.
Long before dementia ravaged the 95-year-old’s once sharp business mind, Farash drew up plans to transfer most of his wealth – valued somewhere between $200 to $500 million – to his charitable [...]

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Rocky Economy is a Good Time to Reduce Your Estate Tax Burden

February 12, 2009

In the past several weeks, I’ve shared some powerful planning strategies with you in hopes of helping you protect and transfer wealth during these tough times.Over the last year, many families have suffered big hits on their stock and real estate portfolios. I can understand why they froze or drastically slowed down their financial dealings. [...]

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Help a Charity, Keep a Deduction & Give the Assets to Your Kids

January 27, 2009

(This is the final installment in a six-part series of powerful planning strategies that will help you take advantage of a down market and protect wealth.)
Here’s one more great strategy that can help protect your wealth during a down economy. The Charitable Lead Annuity Trust (CLAT) pays a set dollar amount annually to a charity [...]

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Sharing The Family Business, Without Giving Up Control

January 14, 2009

Another great way to insulate your assets during a down economy and minimize your estate tax liability is starting a Family Investment Company (FIC).
Who can use this strategy? Families who want to lessen their estate tax burden, increase asset protection, and keep assets in the family.
What are the benefits? By gifting interests in your FIC [...]

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Freeze the Value, Avoid Estate Tax, Give Kids the Benefit

December 17, 2008

With a Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT), you can avoid gift-tax consequences while temporarily freezing the value of an asset that will be worth more later.
The asset can be shares in a company that is likely to go public or beaten down shares of stock that are likely to appreciate.
Like loans, GRATs mature within a [...]

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Defective Trusts – Passing Wealth to Heirs While Eliminating Taxes

December 2, 2008

(This is the third installment in a six-part series of powerful planning strategies that will help you take advantage of a down market and protect wealth.)
Here’s another great technique you can use to transfer wealth in an advantageous and unique way: gifting an asset’s appreciation while keeping its income.
An Intentionally Defective Grantor Trust (IDGT) is [...]

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