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The White House recently released its budget proposal for 2016, and one of the major aspects of the plan is to restrict the use and effectiveness of a common estate planning tool: grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs). The administration has proposed limitations on the use of this estate planning technique…
One of the main challenges for families with wealth is planning for more than a single generation. With the uncertainty of the world, advances of technology, economic upheaval, and more many people are concerned about how to plan for decades or even a century down the line. However, there are…
Most people consider elderly issues as problems with nursing homes, Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security. While these are important problems that need to be addressed with our nation’s seniors, the number of elderly residents in cities is forcing them to rethink everything about their infrastructure. Growing Number of Elderly in…
The House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would eliminate the federal estate tax. The bill is expected to pass in the Senate but be vetoed by the President, thus most likely preventing it from becoming law. However, the bill does bring up an interesting aspect of the federal…
Few people realize that nursing homes can file for guardianship over their elderly or disabled residents in order to collect on unpaid debts. Even fewer experts have done research on how often nursing homes initiate proceedings or track their progress through the courts. However, what research has been completed on…
While the main purpose of an estate plan is to distribute assets to your loved ones after you are gone, it can also serve an important purpose while you are alive – planning for your potential incapacity. An estate plan can provide instructions for the management of your assets, payment…
Small, family-owned businesses make up the crux of our nation’s economy. In 2011, there were 28.2 million small businesses in the United States and they make up 99.7% of U.S. employer firms. Many small business owners hope to create a legacy where their family will take over operations once they…
Many families purchase vacation homes that they and other generations in their family can all enjoy together. However, vacation homes can also lead to some serious family feuds when it comes to estate planning. One of the biggest mistakes in estate planning when a vacation home is involved is to…
In cases of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other issues with cognition, studies have shown that the ability to perform simple math problems and handling financial matters are often the first skills that slip away. Equally important is the research that shows that as people age, even elders that do not…
A lawsuit recently filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas has challenged the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) assessment that a family owes the government millions in taxes for artwork that they claim is actually owned by a company. The estate of Joe Allbritton and his…