This article by Bob Carlson at Investing Daily details some of the issues that are frequently overlooked during the estate planning process. Some of the questions: Is there enough cash? Who pays the taxes? Have beneficiary designations been addressed? Are there creditor problems? Who will serve as trustee/executor? Has the trust been funded?
Joseph T. Hahn
All posts in category Living Trusts
Overlooked Estate Planning Issues
Posted by Joseph Hahn on April 21, 2011
http://hahnestateplanning.com/2011/04/21/overlooked-estate-planning-issues/
Role of Bypass Trusts Changing?
Has the recent estate tax reform changed the role of "bypass trusts," long a fixture of married couples' estate planning strategies? This article from MSN Money argues yes. With the exemption increased to $5 million per person and that exemption made "portable" to the surviving spouse, the primary reason for the bypass trust has now [...]
Posted by Joseph Hahn on February 2, 2011
http://hahnestateplanning.com/2011/02/02/role-of-bypass-trusts-changing/
Your Basic Estate Plan
Ashlea Ebeling writes an excellent article in Forbes detailing the issues that you should be considering when putting together your first estate plan. Just gotten married or had children? Inherited some property? Been a while since you've updated your old will? You need to be meeting with an attorney to put in place your will, [...]
Posted by Joseph Hahn on January 27, 2011
http://hahnestateplanning.com/2011/01/27/your-basic-estate-plan/
Do A/B Trusts Still Make Sense For Married Couples?
In this article from AdvisorOne, Michael Fischer explores some issues relating to A/B trusts in the wake of the recent estate tax reforms. Standard estate planning for married couples has typically included a living trust that splits into an A trust (frequently called the "survivor's trust") and a B trust (the "bypass trust" or "credit [...]
Posted by Joseph Hahn on December 28, 2010
http://hahnestateplanning.com/2010/12/28/do-ab-trusts-still-make-sense-for-married-couples/
Ways The Emerging Estate Tax Deal May Affect You
This article from Marketwatch.com explores five ways the emerging estate tax deal may affect the general public. First, if the $5 million personal exemption is made "portable" to the surviving spouse, many have wondered whether the common use of "bypass trusts" by married couples will go by the wayside. This article takes the position that [...]
Posted by Joseph Hahn on December 9, 2010
http://hahnestateplanning.com/2010/12/09/ways-the-emerging-estate-tax-deal-may-affect-you/
Low Cost Estate Planning
This article from Forbes discusses options for low cost estate planning. While many people initially think of online services like Legalzoom.com, the author actually recommends avoiding the pitfalls of "do it yourself" options by finding an attorney who uses software to generate estate planning documents and is willing to pass the savings on to the [...]
Posted by Joseph Hahn on November 18, 2010
http://hahnestateplanning.com/2010/11/18/low-cost-estate-planning/
Prepay Your Estate Tax Liabilities Today, Save Big Tomorrow?
If some on Capitol Hill get their way, you might have the option to prepay your ultimate estate tax liability at a dramatically reduced rate while you are still alive. Why? As this Forbes article reports, some in Congress see prepayment trusts as a way to accelerate revenues from the future to the present to [...]
Posted by Joseph Hahn on October 29, 2010
http://hahnestateplanning.com/2010/10/29/prepay-your-estate-tax-liabilities-today-save-big-tomorrow/
Learn From Celebrity Estate Planning Mistakes
This article from Housing Watch discusses several important lessons that can be learned from celebrities and the mistakes they made in estate planning. Dennis Hopper, Sonny Bono, Brittany Murphy, Ray Charles, Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson are some of the celebrities whose tales have lessons to teach. In a nutshell: sit everyone down and talk [...]
Posted by Joseph Hahn on October 19, 2010
http://hahnestateplanning.com/2010/10/19/learn-from-celebrity-estate-planning-mistakes/
Great Time for GRATs and Family Loans
With IRS-established minimum interest rates at all time lows, this Forbes blog article makes the point that the time has never been better to use a grantor retained annuity trust (GRAT) or family loan strategy to reduce estate taxes down the road. For GRATs established in October 2010, any growth in the trust assets above [...]
Posted by Joseph Hahn on September 29, 2010
http://hahnestateplanning.com/2010/09/29/great-time-for-grats-and-family-loans/
No Time Like The Present To Reduce Estate Tax
This article from the Wall Street Journal details an estate tax reduction strategy commonly known as a sale to an intentionally defective grantor trust. The author attempts to make the point that many estate planners are sitting on their hands doing nothing while the estate tax laws are up in the air, telling clients to [...]
Posted by Joseph Hahn on August 31, 2010
http://hahnestateplanning.com/2010/08/31/no-time-like-the-present-to-reduce-estate-tax/
