Estate Planning

Not All Inheritances Have to Be Equal
Estate Planning

Not All Inheritances Have to Be Equal

Jeffrey L. Condon, JD | May 24, 2024

Baby boomers are expected to pass along $73 trillion to their heirs over the next two decades. Conventional wisdom says…

Time to Revise Your Will?
Estate Planning

Time to Revise Your Will?

Martin Shenkman, CPA, JD | October 18, 2023

Will your will actually do what you want it to do? You might never know—but your heirs could pay the…

Time to Review Your Estate-Planning Tools
Estate Planning

Time to Review Your Estate-Planning Tools

Martin Shenkman, CPA, JD | July 24, 2023

Have your estate-planning tools turned against you? Can you trust your trusts to work as intended? Estate-planning decisions that made…

Create a Lasting Legacy with a Dynasty Trust
Estate Planning

Create a Lasting Legacy with a Dynasty Trust

Michael Gilfix, Esq. | February 5, 2023

An underused estate-planning tool could benefit your descendants down through the generations—or even the centuries. Dynasty trusts, sometimes called perpetual…

Little-Known Tools for Retirement and Estate Planning
Estate Planning

Little-Known Tools for Retirement and Estate Planning

Robert Carlson | February 15, 2022

The upsides of IRAs and living trusts for retirement and estate-planning are widely known, but even savvy savers might not…

The Shrewdest Money Moves You Can Make in 2021
Estate Planning

The Shrewdest Money Moves You Can Make in 2021

May 1, 2021

With interest rates way down and stock prices, as well as car prices, way up, Bottom Line Personal asked five financial experts for some of the shrewdest money moves you can make now.

Prepare Your Finances for an Emergency Handoff
Estate Planning

Prepare Your Finances for an Emergency Handoff

Amanda DesBarres | May 8, 2020

Confusion and costly mistakes can easily occur if you don’t plan ahead for someone to take over handling your finances in an emergency.

How Your Trust Can Avoid Taxes by Changing States
Wealthy and Wise

How Your Trust Can Avoid Taxes by Changing States

Gideon Rothschild, Esq. | October 28, 2019

You can completely avoid state income tax on a trust’s income based on guidelines from a recent US Supreme Court ruling. Here’s how.

The New Rules to Protect Your Online Accounts After You Die
Estate Planning

The New Rules to Protect Your Online Accounts After You Die

Natalie Banta, JD | April 22, 2019

The laws on controlling digital accounts after someone dies have been quietly changing. Here's what you need to know.

The Right Way to Leave a Bequest for the Care of Your Pet
Wealthy and Wise

The Right Way to Leave a Bequest for the Care of Your Pet

Gideon Rothschild, Esq. | March 18, 2019

Here’s what you should and shouldn’t do to provide money for the care of your pet after you die.

Here’s Who You Should Appoint as Your Executor or Trustee—and Who to Definitely Not Appoint
Wealthy and Wise

Here’s Who You Should Appoint as Your Executor or Trustee—and Who to Definitely Not Appoint

Gideon Rothschild, Esq. | December 24, 2018

Defaulting to the easiest or most obvious choice for your executor or trustee can have bad consequences—for your estate and your family.

How To Erase Potentially Giant Capital Gains Taxes
Wealthy and Wise

How To Erase Potentially Giant Capital Gains Taxes

Gideon Rothschild, Esq. | November 5, 2018

There’s a legal technique for giving away, and then receiving back, appreciated assets that wipes out your capital gain exposure. But know the danger, too.

Are You a Trustee of a Life Insurance Trust? Know Your Obligations!
Wealthy and Wise

Are You a Trustee of a Life Insurance Trust? Know Your Obligations!

Gideon Rothschild, Esq. | August 6, 2018

Being trustee of a life insurance trust is not just an honorary title—you really do have some key responsibilities that you must perform.

Questions to Ask a Friend or Family Member You Want As Your Executor or Trustee

Questions to Ask a Friend or Family Member You Want As Your Executor or Trustee

June 6, 2016

Here’s what to ask a family member or friend before naming that person executor of your estate or trustee of…

Questions to Ask When You Select a Professional Executor or Trustee

Questions to Ask When You Select a Professional Executor or Trustee

Douglas D. Wilson, CFP, CTFA | June 6, 2016

Although most people choose friends or family members to be executors of their estates and trustees of their trusts, some…