An ILIT is the standard acronym in the industry for Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust.  An ILIT is one of the most dynamic estate planning tools available and that’s why I mention them from time to time. The key on this blog post is the idea that an ILIT need not have anything to do with […]

We estate planning attorneys have been waiting for a new law since the “old” law went into effect in 2002.  Surely the smart people in Washington DC will come up with a new law prior to the sunset of this law at the end of 2010… surely… and time kept ticking on toward December 31, […]

Did you know life insurance is a taxable asset in your estate?  It’s true. A lot of people think life insurance is “tax free” and that’s simply not the case. It does, generally, build in value without income tax.  However, at death it is an asset of the deceased’s estate and subject to estate tax […]

We still don’t know what the laws will be on January 1, 2011.  However, you should remember there IS a tax law in place for January 1, 2011 and it is a one million dollar exemption.  Today there is no estate tax and January 1st there is a big tax (up to 55%) with only […]

Not sure how to demonstrate SILENCE but go back and re-read the title of this post and then pretend you are sitting in the cone of silence from the TV show (no, not the movie) Get Smart.  Oh boy, not the movie!  That thing was painfully bad.  The silence of the cone of silence (or […]

I almost posted this post with no words in it. Frankly, nobody on earth knows what the tax laws are going to be once the governemnt sorts it out.  However, let’s talk about some possibilities. What is the state of the law as of TODAY?  Luckily today is a holiday (Martin Luther King Day) so […]

Ok, maybe it’s not exactly a “resolution” but I think it’s akin to it.  Many people go into the new year with a list of self improvement goals, including the thought to get their estate plan done.  The list might be something like this: – Go the gym at least 5 days a week; – […]

How many people would be so excited if you foundsome brand new lawyer willing to prepare their trust for $500?  What a deal, right?  An experienced attorney like myself might charge $2,000, or more, for a living trust package for a husband and wife.  Some charge $5,000 and up… but of course they have fancy offices and […]

Are you one of the people (or child of a person) who has “too much” money?  Some of my clients go as far as to call it “the problem” of having too much money.  Yes, it’s true many people just have too much money and Uncle Sam is waiting for you to die!  As I […]

Most of us make them, right?  For the new year I will go to the gym every day, not miss a single of my kid’s soccer practices and…, for many people, FINISH MY ESTATE PLAN!  It is amazing how many people tell me that they talk about doing their estate plan every year around New Year’s […]