Tag Archives: estate

July 13, 2011.  Big Assets: What Married Same-Sex Couples Don’t Get In Federal Benefits (San Diego Gay and Lesbian News).  With Pride season in full swing and the recent victory for same-sex marriage in New York, it’s a good time …

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July 13, 2011.  How To Pass On Your Frequent Flyer Miles (Forbes).  As far as we know, you can’t take frequent flyer miles with you to use in the next life. (Nor do you earn mileage points on that trip.)  …

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July 7, 2011.  Read This Before You Die (Wall Street Journal).  Don’t die before leaving your heirs access to a list of your online user names and passwords, your military discharge papers and proof of any copyrights, trademarks and patents …

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July 6, 2011.  Beware The Beneficiary Form (Wall Street Journal). Think your estate planning is done once you’ve gone to the trouble of making a will?  Think again.  All your hard work can be undone with a stroke of a …

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July 5, 2011.  Top Tax Pro To IRS: Get Moving On Same Sex Marriage (Forbes).  If you’re an ordinary taxpayer, you’ve probably never heard of William Stevenson, president of National Tax Consultants in Merrick, N.Y.  But for years, he’s had …

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July 2, 2011.  The 25 Documents You Need Before You Die (Wall Street Journal).  It isn’t enough simply to sign a bunch of papers establishing an estate plan and other end-of-life instructions.  You also have to make your heirs aware …

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June 30, 2011.  Will(ing) Or Not: 3 Reasons To Revisit Your Estate Planning (Reuters).  My husband, Neil, and I recently planned a trip for the two of us to celebrate his 50th birthday in Anguilla.  Because we were leaving our …

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June 29, 2011.  New York Marriage Equality-Tax Implications (Forbes).  I’ve been agonizing over what my first post on the Forbes platform should be.  Fortunately, Governor Cuomo and the New York State Senate have bailed me out.  New York now has …

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June 28, 2011.  A GRAT Opportunity: Taking Advantage Of Low July 2011 AFRs (Forbes).  The IRS published the applicable federal rates for July 2011 in Rev. Rul. 2011-14: Section 7520 Interest Rate: 2.4%; Applicable Federal Mid-term, Annual Rate: 2.00%.  The …

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June 27, 2011. Estate Planning Urged For Small-Business Owners (Las Vegas Business Press). Small-business owners may not take estate planning as seriously as they do other aspects of their enterprises.  But observers say they should.  “It’s not as common as …

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June 27, 2011.  To Give Or Not To Give?  The 2-Year Estate Planning ‘Opportunity’ (Fox Business).  Much is being made in financial and estate planning circles about last year’s 11th hour passage of the 2010 Tax Relief Act(1), the first …

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June 25, 2011. The Tax Law That Could Make Your Grandchildren Super-Rich (Washington Post).  Sometimes Congress hands out a break that is so generous it seems it must be a mistake. This one’s a doozy: the ability to receive a …

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June 22, 2011.  Your Smartest Estate Planning Move Ever: Give Away Your House—Now! (Forbes).  As most of us know, the Tax Relief Act of 2010, essentially, extended the original “Bush tax cuts” for two years with some added wrinkles.  One …

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June 21, 2011.  Estate Planning For Pets Easier Than Ever With How-Tos, Retirement Homes, Legal Specialists (Washington Post).  You don’t have to be Leona Helmsley to want the best for your pet after you die. She’d left her dog Trouble …

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June 12, 2011.  Financial Planning For Special Needs Relatives (Forbes).  Are you a relative of someone with special needs?  If you are, then preparing to protect their financial future takes extra thought, planning, and legal advice.  Gifting funds or providing …

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June 8, 2011.  The Good, The Bad, But The Never Ugly (Forbes).  Everyone knows Suze Orman, but many do not know her background.  She went from being a waitress in Berkeley (1973), to becoming a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch.  She …

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June 8, 2011.  The Marriage Trap (Forbes).  For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,” goes the classic wedding vow.  Nothing in that vow requires you to file a joint tax return with your spouse. Yet 95% of married couples …

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June 7, 2011.  ‘Know Your Goals,’ Estate Planners Say (The Star-Ledger).  My cousin, 60, is disabled and I help him out a lot.  He said he left me his house and property in his will.  Now he wants to sell …

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