From the category archives:

Estate Planning

How Much Insurance Do I Need to Protect My Family?

August 16, 2010

NB: A version of this post was published in a recent e-newsletter. It got such a positive response, I thought I’d publish it here as well. When discussing factors to consider when selecting a guardian, I wrote that it is your responsibility to ensure that a guardian has the financial means necessary to support your [...]

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How Do I Figure Out the Value of My Estate?

August 9, 2010

In 2010, there is no estate tax. However, the estate tax is scheduled to return next year. Whether you will be required to pay federal estate tax will depend on the value of your gross estate, minus your debts and liabilities. Estate tax is due on the portion of a net estate that exceeds the [...]

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Confidence in Estate Tax Fix is Waning

August 2, 2010

Time is running out. If Congress does not pass new estate tax legislation this year, estates valued at over $1 million will be subject to taxes of up to 55 percent starting on January 1, 2011, which means that many more Americans be affected by the estate tax. When the year began, many estate planning [...]

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Prepare for the Return of the Estate Tax

July 5, 2010

June has already come to an end, and Congress has not yet enacted new estate tax legislation. Although the estate tax is currently dead, it is scheduled to be reinstated on January 1, 2011. Last year, only estates valued at over $3.5 million were subject to an estate tax of up to 45 percent. But [...]

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Where Should I Store My Estate Planning Documents?

June 7, 2010

So you’ve gotten your estate planning done. Great! But now what? Where do you keep these documents so that they can be they can be used to carry out your wishes in the event of your incapacity or death? Here are a few suggestions: Estate planning documents can be stored in your home A secure [...]

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Senate Republicans and Democrats Unable to Reach Agreement on Estate Tax

May 21, 2010

Many in the estate planning community were hopeful in the past couple of weeks with news that Senate was close to bipartisan agreement on new estate tax legislation. With the House having already passed its own version, it seemed like Congress was one step closer ending the uncertainty that has prevailed this year. But earlier [...]

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