Category

Estate Planning

• Estate Planning

  Minimizing Estate Taxes in Family Owned Businesses

  Posted by Derek Rowley on 04.08.09 | Permalink | Comment?

  The goal of estate planning is to reduce how much the government gets from what you leave behind. This can be a real challenge to small business owners who generally live their lives in the mode of building and growing. It can be very difficult for the entrepreneur to minimize his or her [...]

• Estate Planning

  Marlon Brando and trust privacy

  Posted by Cort Christie on 01.30.07 | Permalink | Comment?

  I stumbled on an interesting blog today, written by Francis Foster, professor of law at Washington University School of law on the topic of Trust Privacy.  In her post, Professor Foster describes how Marlon Brando was able to maintain the one thing he sought most in his life, privacy, through the use of his estate planning [...]

• Estate Planning

  Charitable Remainder Trust

  Posted by Cort Christie on 01.20.07 | Permalink | Comment?

  What can you do when you own highly appreciated assets and your estate value exceeds the Federal Estate tax equivalent exemption?
  A Unitrust, also called a Charitable Remainder Trust or CRT, allows taxpayers to reduce estate taxes, eliminate capital gains, claim an income tax deduction, and benefit charities.  It also requires that a fixed percentage (minimum [...]

• Estate Planning

  Estate Tax Conundrum: Fed vs. State

  Posted by Cort Christie on 11.29.06 | Permalink | Comment?

  When it comes to death and taxes, most of the focus lately centers on Congress’ ongoing battles over the federal estate tax. But many states impose their own taxes and costs when residents die. Estates too small to trigger the federal tax can easily rack up thousands of dollars in state death taxes and probate [...]

• Estate Planning, Strategic Thinking

  Family LLCs: Sharing the Wealth

  Posted by Derek Rowley on 10.31.06 | Permalink | Comment?

  For years promoters have touted the use of Family Limited Partnerships (FLP) as a tool for owning and protecting assets and providing a mechanism for passing them on to the next generation.  The FLP has been used so frequently that it could lead one to the impression that the FLP is a separate kind of [...]

• Estate Planning

  What is a Charitable Remainder Trust?

  Posted by Cort Christie on 10.23.06 | Permalink | Comment?

  A charitable remainder trust (CRT) could address many of your personal financial goals while providing the ability for you to make a significant gift to the qualified organizations of your choice.  CRTs are planning tools that allow you to take control of your social capital —  the portion of your wealth that is customarily paid [...]