A charitable remainder trust (CRT) in the form of an annuity is an effective means to provide a significant gift to a charitable cause that you support while at the same time providing an annuity income for life for yourself. Potential Tax A CRT potentially reduces taxes paid during your lifetime or eventually on your estate. This type of trust is especially useful for highly appreciated assets such as stocks, mutual funds or real estate holdings that have risen in value over a long … [Read more...]
The “Health Care” Debate
Speaking of health care…. We have to talk about this. Caution: some may be offended by the following. So, before you go forward, be aware that the content is strong. Some may not like it. If you’re open minded, want some facts and new ideas, tune in. Health care costs are spiraling out of control. We know there are problems with our current system. We’re told if they are left untended, the current system will bankrupt us. We hear there are 40 million uninsured people in the U.S. By the … [Read more...]
Bad Behavior Can Ruin A Good Plan!
My clients tire of me telling them this. Yet, too often it seems a well designed estate plan goes awry. Here’s an example I picked up from a post by Lou Ann Anderson in a report she wrote. Pay attention to this. This concerns a large estate. That’s not the point. It happens to estates of all sizes. In New York City a trial is underway in which Anthony Marshall, son of New York socialite and philanthropist Brooke Astor, and estate planning attorney Francis Morrissey, Jr., face charges of using … [Read more...]
Why The Most Important Things In Life Aren’t Things
Most people think about Estate Planning as a way to protect your money and stuff, passing it on to whom you want, when you want and how you want. Although traditional Estate Planning can certainly handle this, there are much more important things to think about than just financial assets. Passing on your Legacy is a revolutionary approach that plans for the monetary and emotional aspects of death. Listen in as Jerry Shiles, an Attorney with the Estate Planning and Elder Law Firm of Parman … [Read more...]
