Estate planning

TOPICS / PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLANNING

March 1, 2002

Going, Going, Gone?

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY WITH UNCERTAINTY ABOUT WHETHER THE ESTATE TAX will actually be repealed in 2010 and the possibility it will return in 2011, CPAs need to help their clients plan carefully to make sure they take maximum advantage of all of the estate tax changes. THE ESTATE TAX EXEMPTION INCREASES

January 1, 2002

Smart Stops on the Web

PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLANNING SITES A Free Plan for the Future www.atlanticfinancial.com Investors can get a free financial plan by filling out a short online questionnaire at this site. For a thorough analysis, they can download a comprehensive form and mail it to Atlantic Financial, an independent investment firm in Westboro,

July 1, 2001

When the Client Wants to Leave It to the Cat

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE CPA WHOSE CLIENT WANTS TO ensure that companion animals will be properly cared for in an estate trust has to have sensitivity to the client’s feelings as well as know where to steer him or her. Extreme emotions are involved when people talk about death—and money.

July 1, 2001

The Right Philanthropic Vehicle

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A SURPRISING NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS SET UP PRIVATE foundations and other philanthropic entities without considering if they are the best option to meet their charitable inclinations. Income and estate tax savings are not the only consideration. A PRIVATE FOUNDATION IS THE CHOICE OF THOSE who want to

July 1, 2001

Smart Stops on the Web

Links, Links and More Links www.estateplanninglinks.com This site offers both the consumer and the professional planner links to estate planning and related sites. The home page is organized under headings such as Charitable Planning, Elder Law, and Probate and Living Trusts. The Understanding Estate Planning section offers links to glossaries

February 1, 2001

Estate Planning Strategies

iven the complexity of the Internal Revenue Code, many estate planning techniques can be used to lower (or eliminate) the tax burden over the course of an individual’s life. One method taxpayers can use is simply taking advantage of lifetime-giving opportunities through the annual exclusion amount, the applicable estate and

September 1, 2000

Facing a Hobson’s Choice.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY MANY MARRIED COUPLES FACE A CLASSIC ESTATE planning dilemma. They have combined estates large enough to require them to pay estate taxes, but each spouse has insufficient separate assets—other than retirement plans—to fund the bypass trust that could cut their estate tax bill. Funding a bypass trust

July 1, 1998

Postmortem Estate Planning

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS DEATH can create a severe cash crunch as well as other problems stemming from federal estate tax rates that reach 55%. Postmortem planning can help such clients and may save hundreds of thousands of dollars even if lifetime estate planning was inadequate, erroneous or

October 1, 1997

Providing Guidance to Executors and Trustees

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS, EXECUTORS AND trustees will be responsible for managing the transfer of more than $4.8 trillion in wealth from one generation to the next. With more individuals being named as executors and trustees, many are turning to CPAs for help in carrying out their

August 1, 1997

The Best Online Tax Sites

The Internet is an especially rich field for CPAs specializing in tax; even accountants with minimal online experience have probably visited the Internal Revenue Service Web site (http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/). However, experienced CPA Web surfers have been accessing the many quiet but useful sites that continually pop up on the Web with