Moving to New York to avoid state death taxes? “When your bordering state is telling you, ‘Come on over!’ the pitch is compelling,” McManus says. “If New York has a more welcoming tax scheme, then people will say, ‘Let’s call me a New York resident.’” McManus says that he and…
Even though many gifts no longer make tax sense, 529 plans remain viable options for both estate tax exclusion and income tax reduction, without much complexity and cost. Which gifts make sense for taxes these days? Consider your options. Before recent changes to the federal estate tax exemption amount (i.e.,…
Schwab-Pomerantz and Cuthbertson, who is publishing director at Schwab, have put together a comprehensive guide that will help you plan for retirement. If you need to plan for your retirement, you may feel overwhelmed to even start the process. What steps do you need to take first? What type of…
On September 4, 2014, comedy icon Joan Rivers passed away. It's no secret that Rivers hoped for a funeral that rivaled her lifestyle: big and over the top. Craft services. Paparazzi. Meryl Streep crying in five different accents. These are just a few of the wishes the late Joan Rivers…
After nearly 20 years of litigation and fighting in the press, the conflict between the estates of Anna Nicole Smith and her billionaire husband J. Howard Marshall has been resolved. A celebrity estate battle that held center state in Houston gives us another valuable estate planning lesson. A recent WealthManagement.com…
In a decision issued September 30, 2013, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia agreed with AARP and told HUD to find a way to shield surviving spouses from foreclosure and eviction. A recent Elder Law Answers article, titled "Feds Move to Protect Some Surviving Spouses of Reverse Mortgage Holders,"…
Today, ordinary income plus various other taxes could boost the effective tax rate on those second-level RMDs well over 40%. Who knows what tax rates might be in effect when current clients eventually pass their IRAs to future generations? Some individuals choose to have partial Roth IRA conversions so they…
Manziel is living in the moment and enjoying himself, which is something that Namath did throughout his career, continued Mr. Beatrice. We see a potential problem, however, with his outgoing and festive behavior, and it is not directly related to his abilities on the field. Let's talk about the possibility…
Some people decide, as Robin Williams apparently did, that it's better to hand down wealth to adult children while you, the parent, are still alive. (Of course, you have to have more than enough assets for yourself to be able to do that.) One benefit is that you will have…
Why would parents procrastinate on something that it so important to their family’s well-being? The fact of the matter is that life insurance and estate planning are two topics that most people just don’t want to talk about. It is no fun to think about your own demise and picture…