We all want to help our kids financially, but how much is too much? Businessman billionaire Warren Buffet was quoted in a 1986 Fortune article that, even if you had ample wealth, one should leave your kids “enough money so that they would feel they could do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing.” Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and other philanthropists in the U.S. and abroad have pledged to give the majority of their wealth to charity. Through their inspiration, more than 200 … [Read more...] about How Much is Too Much?
Planning for the Unexpected
Often, people think they’ll have a warning before death and they’ll be able to plan once they get the warning. They think of life almost like a traffic signal. They think they are born with a green light. When they get old or get a serious illness it turns yellow. When death is imminent, the light turns red and they die. They think they’ll plan once the light turns yellow. Unfortunately, we don’t always get a warning. Sometimes the light can go directly from green to red. Death without … [Read more...] about Planning for the Unexpected
Your Planning Can Help Your Loved Ones
Whether or not we plan to do so, each of us will face death eventually. However, by planning, we can make our passing easier and better in many ways for those we leave behind. This is the second of a series on the ways we can ease the transition through planning. This second article focuses on the importance of the way in which you leave assets to your loved ones. The next article will focus on the importance of communicating your wishes to your family. When we think of leaving assets to our … [Read more...] about Your Planning Can Help Your Loved Ones
The Importance of Communicating Your Plans
Whether or not we plan to do so, each of us will face death eventually. However, by planning we can make our passing easier and better in many ways for those we leave behind. The first article in the series demonstrated how you could gain privacy from the public by planning and using a trust rather than going through the public probate process. The second article in the series focused on how you can make the transition better through the manner in which you leave your assets to your loved ones. … [Read more...] about The Importance of Communicating Your Plans
Many Reasons to Plan
Whether or not we plan to do so, each of us will face death eventually. However, by planning, we can make our passing easier and better in many ways for those we leave behind. This is the first of a series on the ways we can ease the transition through planning. This first article focuses on privacy. The next article will focus on how you leave assets to your loved ones. Let’s look at two people who die in the same car accident. It’s a tragedy for both of them and their families. But, the … [Read more...] about Many Reasons to Plan
Clarity is Key to Planning
When problems arise in an estate plan, often the source is a lack of clarity. Tom Petty died in 2017 and left a fortune estimated by Newsweek to be around $38 million. Petty did some things right, but he could have done better. What did Tom Petty do right? First, he planned. Most people just let nature take its course and fail to plan. There’s an old adage: when you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. That’s usually as true in estate planning as with most things. Each state has a … [Read more...] about Clarity is Key to Planning
Selecting an Agent
A Secret Agent may be very important to protecting the nation. Your Agent is just as important for your protection. An Agent is the person who makes financial decisions for you under a Financial Power of Attorney or makes medical decisions for you under a Health Care Power of Attorney. The Agent under your Financial Power of Attorney may act for you when you aren’t able to act for yourself, for example when you lack capacity. This is called a “springing power.” Alternatively, you also could … [Read more...] about Selecting an Agent
Kiddie Tax is Worse Than Ever
The “Kiddie Tax” is a tax on the “unearned” income of a child. In other words, it applies to the child’s income from interest and dividends, but not from wages from a job like their paper route or McDonald’s. The Kiddie Tax has been around since 1986 and applies to the unearned income of a child over a certain small amount. In 2019, that amount is $2,200. Prior to 2018, if a child had unearned income above that threshold, it would be taxed at the higher of the child’s marginal income tax rate or … [Read more...] about Kiddie Tax is Worse Than Ever
When and Where You Die Matters
The federal estate and gift tax exclusion is set “permanently” to $5 million, adjusted for inflation. However, if you die between now and the end of 2025, the exclusion is doubled to $10 million, adjusted for inflation. Its inflation adjusted to $11.4 million in 2019. But, the federal estate and gift tax is the same regardless of where you live when you die. You could die in Paris, France, or Paris, Texas, and the federal estate tax bill would be the same. However, about 1/3 of the states … [Read more...] about When and Where You Die Matters
Planning is Critical
Sometimes people seem to think that if they don’t plan for death, it just won’t happen. In fact, 58% of American adults have no will, no trust, and no estate plan at all, according to a recent study by Caring.com. Unfortunately, whether you plan for it or not, death is inevitable. If you have no plan, your state of residence has a plan for you, it’s called “intestacy.” With intestacy, your assets go to those the state has pre-determined. They may or may not be the people whom you love and who … [Read more...] about Planning is Critical
