Back in 2010 there was a lot of uncertainty within the estate planning community. During that year the estate tax was repealed because of a provision contained within the Bush era tax cuts. But the tax relief act that provided this repeal was scheduled to sunset at the end of 2010. At that time the estate tax was going to return according to existing laws. The maximum rate of the tax was set at 55% and the exclusion amount was to be $1 million. These figures represented a step backward from … [Read more...] about As Year Progresses Clouds Of Uncertainty Gather
Don’t Let Misconceptions Lead To Asset Erosion
You have to be careful about believing everything that you hear, and this is especially true when it comes to matters of estate and financial planning. There are some urban myths circulating out there, and if you buy into them you could wind up failing to take the appropriate actions. This could ultimately lead to asset erosion as your resources are being passed along to your loved ones someday. The misguided notion that we would like to highlight here is the assertion that the federal estate … [Read more...] about Don’t Let Misconceptions Lead To Asset Erosion
Why Should Dying Be A Tax Trigger?
The federal estate tax is much maligned in some quarters because when you go looking for logic to support the tax you tend to come up empty. As a result, many people feel as though they are being asked to part with hard-earned money that would otherwise have gone to their loved ones unfairly. Some individuals call the estate tax the death tax, and though proponents of the tax feel as though this is a sarcastic and dismissive distortion of the levy there is literal truth in this … [Read more...] about Why Should Dying Be A Tax Trigger?
Estate Planning & Tax Free Gifts
One simple and straightforward way that you can reduce the overall value of your estate for estate tax purposes is by giving gifts to your loved ones while you are still alive. Unfortunately, the powers that be are well aware of this simple logic so there is a gift tax in place and it carries the same 35% rate as the estate tax. There is a lifetime gift tax exemption of $5 million, but it is unified with the estate tax. So as an example, if you were to give $3 million in gifts throughout your … [Read more...] about Estate Planning & Tax Free Gifts
Estate Tax: Are You Exposed?
One of the most extreme sources of asset erosion that must be taken into consideration when you're planning your estate is the federal estate tax. You may hear it said that the estate tax is not something that ordinary people have to worry about because it is only levied on "the rich." The reality is that you don't have to be someone who was born with a silver spoon in your mouth to be exposed to the estate tax, especially given the fact that the parameters are scheduled to change in the … [Read more...] about Estate Tax: Are You Exposed?
A Look At Current Estate Tax Parameters
One of the primary objectives of estate planning is to position assets in an optimal manner in an effort to avoid asset erosion. One of the most significant sources of asset erosion is the estate tax, so it is important to understand whether or not you are exposed to it so that you can take the necessary steps to mitigate that exposure if necessary. This is a little bit easier said than done because the estate tax parameters are always changing, so we would like to take a look at the present … [Read more...] about A Look At Current Estate Tax Parameters
