While none of us want to contemplate our death, or that of our spouse, we all need an estate plan. If you need motivation to reach this decision, remember that every dollar you keep from the folks in Washington or your state capital goes to someone you like a heck of a lot better such as your kids, your younger [...]
Taxes incurred after death can be quite costly. For example, Helen Walton received $5.1 billion in stock at the death of her husband Sam Walton (founder of Wal-Mart Stores). At this value, these shares could eventually cost her heirs as much as $2.8 billion in taxes at her death- $2.2 billion to the U.S. government and $640 million to the [...]
A trust is created by the conveyance of assets to a fiduciary (or trustee) who manages the assets and ultimately disposes of them to one or more beneficiaries. The trustee may be an individual or an organization such as a bank or other financial institution. Over the years, trust funds have become quite popular in this country for a number [...]