From the category archives:

Taxes

Estate Tax Hokey Pokey

September 24, 2009
Photo by goldberg

The future of the Federal Estate Tax remains clouded. We have been keeping our ear to the ground (actually we have been calling people and searching the Web for clues) to help our advisors predict what will happen with the Estate Tax. As most of you know, under the 2001 Economic Growth and Tax Reconciliation [...]

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A Stake in the Heart of Small Business

July 15, 2009
Photo by mugley

It is undisputed that the majority of job growth comes from small businesses. Logically, one would think that the best strategy in the current economic environment would be to help the small business owner. However, the TARP bailout funds have been lavished upon major banks, who used the money to improve their balance sheets and [...]

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Cut Benefits or Jobs? You Pick!

May 27, 2009
Photo by Stephen Edmonds

Check out another trend that our small business owners are suffering under.  Do you cut jobs or do you cut benefits? The recession is pounding on the small business community.  It is ugly, and will get uglier this summer. The newspapers are not reporting it. I doubt you will ever see this in the New [...]

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Defective Grantor Trusts Get More Attractive

April 9, 2009
Economic Recession

The Wall Street Journal has published an excellent analysis of the effectiveness of Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts during an economic recession. Unusual Trusts Gain Appeal in Unusual Time – WSJ.com. While these trusts carry risks and are often scrutinized by the IRS, estate planning lawyers are seeing an increased interest in them this year. With [...]

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What Parents Need to Know About Joint Tenancy

April 3, 2009
Joint Tenancy

When most of you bought your first home, you probably signed a deed as a joint tenant next to your spouse’s signature. That’s the way your parents and grandparents did it, and the real estate agent told you it would to protect the surviving spouse from probate court after one of you dies. It’s not [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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