Category Archives: Estate Planning Questions?

by Barbara Liss, Federal and state taxes are important factors to consider when administrating a trust, going through probate court, or in any stage of the estate planning process. Taxes are so important that even the idea of an estate … Continue reading →

As an estate planning paralegal, I’ve discovered that many folks erroneously believe that the safest place to store valuable items is in a bank safe deposit box.  This is because they think that banks have the best 24 hour security … Continue reading →

As a part of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, P.L. 111-312 (124 Stat. 3302) (the “2010 Tax Act”) and corresponding changes to the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), surviving spouses may elect to … Continue reading →

Year End Planning for 2011 Once again, we have had a year of changes and planning possibilities as to federal estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (GST) taxes.  On December 17, 2010, President Obama signed into law The Tax Relief, Unemployment … Continue reading →

Planning for the New Year. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when Congress quickly passed the two year extension of the Bush tax cuts through 2012. Once again, the federal estate tax exemption was changed from what it was the … Continue reading →

The New Death Tax. Here we are in a new tax structure for estates. All the old estate funding formulas are no longer relevant because Congress actually let the estate tax repeal take effect for this year. For the first … Continue reading →