Tag Archives: Estate Planning

What is a Pour-Over Will? – Estate Planning Basics

  It is time to get back to basics. A Living Trust takes the place of a Will. The Trust specifies how the estate is going to be disposed and who has the responsibility for carrying out its instructions. See … Continue reading






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The Bottom Line for Estate Plans

Lynn Balou, a financial planner in the San Francisco Bay area, published an update of important points to consider in estate planning. Her final exhortation summarizes well the purpose and effect of a good estate plan: Bottom line: Each of … Continue reading






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Mistakes to Avoid in Beneficiary Designations

Many conscientious estate planners, who prepare careful and complete estate plans, give little thought to beneficiary designations for retirement accounts or life insurance policies. Sandra Feingerts of the Fisher & Phillips law firm has prepared a useful list of mistakes … Continue reading






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Adding Your Child to Your Bank Account is Not Such a Great Idea

A common means of avoiding probate is to put your child’s name on all of your accounts. This can create some serious problems, not least of which is if a creditor goes after your child’s assets and is able to … Continue reading






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Birthdays and estate planning

You’re another year young. After all, birthdays are just a number, just a box on the calendar. Right? But sometimes birthdays start us thinking. Thinking about the past and the future, thinking about how old we are getting. Rather than … Continue reading






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Think Twice Before Giving It All Away

Whether assets are inherited at death or given away while you are still alive, the federal estate tax exemption is essentially the same, currently $5,340,000 per person. But the effect of capital gains tax may be the deciding factor. The … Continue reading






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Not All Deeds Are Created Equal: An Estate Planning Vocabulary Tip

  “Great acts are made up of small deeds.” Lao Tzu In the legal world, the word “deed” is confusing. Used by itself, it usually refers to a document transferring title to real estate. There are different types of such … Continue reading






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