Estate Planning Articles

1). Legality of Offshore Investments By : Ronald Hudkins
Copyright 2006 Ronald Hudkins Having an offshore banking account, corporation or trust are common themes in legal thrillers, spy novels and eastern European politics. There is a reason to be concerned about the legality of such accounts, for although many people would like to include them in their estate planning, a legal misstep regarding the use.
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2). What To Do When Someone Dies: Tips On Organising A Funeral By : Sharon Hurley Hall
When loved ones pass away, you'll want to make sure that they have the funeral they deserve. Here are the main aspects you need to consider when planning a funeral. 1. Viewing When someone dies, family members and friend may wish to view the body of their loved one. Viewing can assist with the resolution of grief. It can help people accept that death has occurred.
Article Related to: funeral planning, estate planning, prepaid funeral plan, bereavement

3). How a Living Trust Can Help You Disinherit Uncle Sam By : John Erik Fraker, Esq.
Copyright 2006 Ainer & Fraker, L.L.P. A living trust can help you reduce your estate tax liability to Uncle Sam. To see how this tax reduction works, let’s examine the following hypothetical case: Client Family has an estate of $4 million. The husband dies in 2006, leaving his entire estate to his Wife. Under the 2006 tax rate, each spouse is entitled to an exemption of $2 million (known as Unified Credit Amount), which is not subject to Federal Estate Tax.
Article Related to: living trust, will, estate plan, estate planning, tax, estate tax, probate, trust

4). Estate Planning and Insurance Concerns When You Divorce By : Thomas McNally
If you are getting a divorce from your spouse, you have a lot of planning to do. You will need to name your own beneficiaries, organize your divided assets, and set up your individual estate. It is important that you meet with a qualified attorney to discuss the specifics of planning your estate to ensure that your wishes are carried out as you desire.
Article Related to: estate planning, estate planning attorney, living wills, beneficiaries, trust, assets, plan, will

5). An Easy Way Out: Eight Reasons Why You Should Pre-Plan Your Funeral By : Sharon Hurley Hall
Most people want to put off thinking about their funerals. However, you can save your loved ones a good deal of hassle by doing some of the planning in advance. Here are eight reasons why it's a good idea to have a prepaid funeral plan. 1. Your wishes will be carried out. What you want to happen will take place. This is vitally important to most people.
Article Related to: bereavement, funeral planning, estate planning, prepaid funeral plan

6). Is Your Special Needs Child Included in Your Estate Plan? By : Thomas McNally
You have undoubtedly made provisions for how your beneficiaries or guardians will handle your finances in the event of your death or disability. You’ve appointed a guardian for your young children and you’ve outlined instructions for how to handle your child’s education, finances and other expenses. Sure, you have a plan in place to provide for your child – but have you thought about special provisions for your Special Needs Child? Special Needs Children require special care when planning your estate.
Article Related to: estate planning, estate planning attorney, living wills, beneficiaries, trust, assets, plan, will

7). Estate Planning - The Life Estate By : Ronald Hudkins
Copyright 2006 Ronald Hudkins The life estate is something every first year law student learns about when they study the arcane and often bizarre history of property law that harkens back to the days of English knights, lords and serfs, and the transfer of property through the ceremonial throwing of dirt clods with oaths of duty to accompany. The life estate is about as old as they come as instruments of wealth transfer go and students love it, because it is relatively easy to understand.
Article Related to: the life estate, estate planning, asset management, asset, estate planner

8). Estate Planning -Intent to Disinherit or Oversight? By : Ronald Hudkins
Copyright 2006 Ronald Hudkins Sometimes family and estate planning begins before the family is complete, particularly in an age where people (generally) are waiting until later to have children. In that case there could be grandchildren named in a will and others not, who are all in the same family. The reason may simply be that the children who were left out were not born when the will was made and it is too late to remake it.
Article Related to: estate planning, testator, will, attorney, no contest clauses, intestate

9). Estate Planning - Real Property Disbursement Problems By : Ronald Hudkins
Copyright 2006 Ronald Hudkins Many parents want to give an equal share of the family home or some other sentimental form of real property (actual land usually) to their surviving children in equal shares. As an estate-planning attorney, one often sees the strange problems created by such plans. In particular if there are an even number of children, this may create hardships as voting blocks of family members eventually have to resolve votes that are evenly split in court or at least face the hardship of that choice among their siblings.
Article Related to: real property, estate planning, estate planner, estate planning strategies

10). Real Estate Owners Should Plan Now Before Tax Breaks Expire By : Fox Realtor
Few can say that the U.S. income tax code is easy to navigate. To complicate matters further, taxpayers need to plan ahead to take advantage of recently enacted tax breaks that are scheduled to sunset at some point between now and December 31, 2010. Below are some of the current tax savings opportunities set to expire soon, starting with those scheduled to expire at the end of 2007.
Article Related to: taxes, estate planning, capital gains, 1031

11). Estate Planning And The Revocable Living Trust By : David G. Hallstrom, Sr.
What is a revocable living trust? According to Plan-My-Estate.com - With a Revocable Living Trust, you transfer the title of any of your assets (such as a house) from yourself as an individual, to yourself as Trustee of the Trust. Then you, as the Trustee of the Trust, manage the assets of the Trust for the benefit of the beneficiary, which is you.
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12). Putting your estate in order By : RichardREvans
Estate planning for business owners. For business owners, an effective estate plan addresses a number of concerns over and above the desire to care for surviving family members. Control over who will run the business, conservation of the owner's assets in the face of legal expenses and taxes, and the liquidity to pay estate taxes due shortly after death are just some of the most pressing issues.
Article Related to: estate planning, life insurance trust, business owners, life insurance, buy-sell agreement, self employed

13). Life Insurance: A Product That Cannot Be Bought When Needed By : Clive Green
Life Insurance: A Product That Cannot Be Bought When Needed
Article Related to: life insurance, insurance, death insurance, estate planning

14). Living Wills and Healthcare Power of Attorneys Help to Make Sure Your Wishes are Met By : Thomas McNally
No one can foresee problems that may arise should he become incapacitated. Yet, you can avoid negative consequences of unforeseen problems by creating Living Wills and Healthcare Power of Attorneys (HCPOA). Setting up a Living Will or HCPOA is a relatively simple task. The first step it to consult with an attorney that specializes in estate planning to ensure that your documents are clear.
Article Related to: estate planning, estate planning attorney, living wills, beneficiaries, trust, assets, plan, will

15). Planning for the Intangibles By : Ronald Hudkins
Copyright 2006 Ronald Hudkins Every state has statutes and mechanisms in place that deal with disposal of tangible assets whether the deceased had a will or not. Families might fight over who gets the house, the cars, the stocks and the cash, but there is generally no question about where such property is located. On the other hand, many of the questions surrounding intangible digital assets are just beginning to be asked, much less answered.
Article Related to: tangible assets, intangible digital assets, estate planning, digital holdings, attorney, estate executor, heirs, creditor, legal challenges

16). Estate Planning: An Introduction to your Legacy By : Robert Valentine
Estate planning can be difficult and confusing. Here are the four basic ways to plan.
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17). The Woeful Inadequacies of Traditional Estate Planning: The Four Critical Questions You Need To Ask Yourself By : Mark Kaizerman
When I mention the words, estate planning, most people think of meeting with an attorney and drafting legal documents. Traditionally, those documents include a will, durable power of attorney, health care proxy and perhaps a trust. After you draft these documents, you meet to sign them, then you put them somewhere “safe,” cut a check to the attorney and breathe a sigh of relief because you finally have things covered.
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18). The Basics Of Estate Planning By : Robert Thatcher
Estate Planning may be a word that is encountered by many citizens especially the elderly. What is Estate Planning? What benefits does it provide to people? Estate Planning is a method of arranging and considering alternatives that will satisfy specific wishes and goals to prepare for things that may happen to a person and the people he finds special to him.
Article Related to: estate planning

19). Asset Protection - Who Needs to Protect Their Assets? By : Thomas McNally
America has often been referred to as a litigious society, meaning that we are prone to engaging in lawsuits for even the most frivolous of offenses. Ordinary people have been sued for anything and everything including: having wireless internet in their homes, not raking their front walkways, coughing in public, and giving bad reviews of former employees.
Article Related to: estate planning, estate planning attorney, living wills, beneficiaries, trust, assets, plan, will

20). Estate Planning - Rules and Trustees By : Ronald Hudkins
Copyright 2006 Ronald Hudkins If you are wisely attempting to put some assets into a trust (inter vivos) in your lifetime, then you have been paying attention to the important differences between wills and trusts. A trust created during your life will be far more secure with respect to its ability to withstand challenges to how your assets are to be distributed during estate planning than a will.
Article Related to: assets, trust, inter vivos, wills, estate planning, contest, estate planning attorney, trustee, beneficiaries, defense, settlor

21). The Estate Plan You Wish Your Parents Had! By : Mark Walters
Protect your assets from probate
Article Related to: linving trusts, estate planning

22). Your Business and Your Estate - Succession Planning By : Dave Kauppi
Things don't always turn out fairly when the business owner leaves the family business to the next generation.
Article Related to: estate planning, succession planning, minority shareholder discounts, business broker

23). Estate Planning: The Gift that Keeps on Giving By : Robert Valentine
Gifting is one of the many estate planning tools available.
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24). Estate Planning: Supporting a Noble Cause By : Robert Valentine
Charitable trusts are a handy tax-saving tool. But they can also greatly benefit a charity of your choice.
Article Related to: estate planning, noble cause, charitable remainder trust, (crt), charity article, story, gifting

25). Estate: How Do You Like These Odds? By : Jeffrey Voudrie
Are you a gambler? Do you like to play the odds? Here are some real-life odds for you to consider: 90% of people become incompetent before they die!
Article Related to: estate planning, financial planning, last will and testament, free financial planning advice