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Ways to Secure Your Estate Plan

Estate planning isn’t just for the rich and famous. For example, you may have family heirlooms (such as jewelry or artwork) or real property that has sentimental value to certain family members. Wills and trusts can help ensure that your estate is divvied up fairly after your passing. But you won’t be around to explain

Time to Check Your Beneficiary Designations

For 2022, the federal estate tax exemption is $12.06 million (effectively $24.12 million for a married couple). With such a generous exemption, you might assume that you don’t need to worry about the federal estate tax if you die. Plus, after taking a beating in the stock market this year, the assets in your estate may

How to Wrap Up an Estate

If you’re an executor or personal representative of an estate – or even an heir – eventually you want closure on the estate. Sometimes, estate proceedings continue to be open for years with no end in sight. There are certain steps that must be taken to close the estate. This article describes the general procedures. The

Estate Planning for Personal Property: Why You Should Sweat the Small Stuff

When planning their estates, most people focus on major assets, such as business interests, real estate, investments, and retirement plans. But it’s also important to “sweat the small stuff” – tangible personal property. Examples include automobiles, jewelry, clothing, antiques, furniture, artwork, photographs, music collections, personal papers, collectibles (such as stamps, coins, or baseball cards), and mementos.

Is it a Good Idea to Name Co-Executors or Co-Personal Reps?

When drafting a will, you need to decide who’ll be the executor or personal representative handling your estate when you die. Individuals who serve in these roles are fiduciaries with a duty to properly administer your estate. When selecting an executor or personal representative, many people gravitate toward individuals they feel should handle the task –

Ten Potential Mistakes to Avoid in Estate Planning

Sometimes people attempt to make an estate plan without consulting legal and financial professionals. Mostly this is because they may have a general understanding of estate planning and believe they can do it themselves without paying for professional services. This may be valid to a point, but it often fails because of the detailed knowledge it

Consider Hosting a Family Meeting about Your Estate Plan

If you’re a business owner and a high-net-worth individual, you may want to gather your family members together to discuss the details of your estate plan. This can be especially important if you own a business that employes family members. These meetings are a little like the Scottish clan gatherings held hundreds of years ago

Estate and Tax Planning Techniques Available

Did you know there are estate and tax planning techniques available to clients that are the wealth creators in their families but whose parents or grandparents do not have significant wealth? A planning technique, commonly known as “upstream power of appointment” or “senior power of appointment” (UPOA), provides for a general power of appointment (GPOA)