No matter the time of year, taxes are always a hot topic. While we usually think about taxes in terms of how they affect us today, it can be equally important to understand the history of tax laws that impact estate planning. The Estate and Gift Tax   Taxation of property transfers at death dates […]

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May marks the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Each day, the sun inches higher in the sky, bringing warmer temperatures, blooming flowers, and a hopeful mindset as thoughts turn to the promise of long days and warm nights ahead.  The next 100 days, which blend spring’s fresh start and summer’s […]

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Since Franklin Roosevelt, who moved with unprecedented speed to address the nation’s Depression-era problems, the first 100 days of a president’s administration have been viewed as a benchmark of their top legislative aspirations and early success.  President Trump, as promised, hit the ground running in his second term. In a show of executive force arguably […]

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Evidence suggests that many people are establishing trusts as part of an estate plan. Some motivations for creating a trust include avoiding probate, preserving privacy, planning for incapacity, protecting a beneficiary’s inheritance from creditors, minimizing estate taxes, and charitable giving. Financial advisors are intimately familiar with a client’s financial situation and goals. You may have […]

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Advisors often focus on big-picture and long-term planning. However, the devil is in the details, and even seemingly straightforward aspects of a plan—such as beneficiary designations—can have profound implications for our clients’ financial objectives and legacy goals.  Beneficiary, transfer-on-death (TOD), and payable-on-death (POD) designations promise a smooth, probate-free handoff of assets that can save time […]

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