Income tax basis is important in estate planning. This article examines what happens to an asset’s basis when it is gifted. It then examines what happens to the basis of an asset when someone dies with the asset and then bequeaths it to someone. Many people find it surprising that these are treated differently. Income tax basis is an important factor in considering estate planning strategies. Income Tax Basis in Estate Planning … [Read more...]
How Will You Obtain the Care You Need?
What’s the right direction for you in planning for the help you might need in the future? Seven in ten of us will need long-term care at some point in our lives. Here are possible paths for covering the assistance you may need. How Will You Obtain the Care You Need? … [Read more...]
Domestic Asset Protection Trusts
Domestic Asset Protection Trusts are spreading to more jurisdictions. However, their protections may be waning. Read on to learn more about Domestic Asset Protection Trusts. Domestic Asset Protection Trusts … [Read more...]
The Benefits of Funeral Planning
While it is certainly understandable that you may initially balk at the idea of planning your own funeral and burial, there are a number of good reasons to do so. In fact, incorporating a funeral planning component in your estate plan benefits your loved ones as well as offering you peace of mind as the Fargo estate planning attorneys at German Law Group explain. The Cost of Dying Thinking of your death and funeral in terms of the cost may be difficult to do; however, the reality is that dying … [Read more...]
SALT Deduction Limit…Can You Get Around It?
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act increased the standard deduction amount. However, it also limited itemized deductions for state and local taxes (SALT) on the federal income tax return. Read on to learn what works (and what doesn’t work) to maneuver around the $10,000 SALT limitation. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act increased the standard deduction to $12,000 per person and $24,000 per couple (for 2018 and inflation-adjusted thereafter). This was great news for those who don’t itemize their deductions. … [Read more...]
Tax Tips after New Year
The New Year is here. Can you do anything to reduce your tax liability for 2018? This article provides a few tax tips now that we’ve begun another year. The ball has dropped in Times Square and we’ve bid farewell to 2018. But there are still a few things we can do to adjust our tax liability for 2018 before filing tax returns on April 15. First, you’ll need to organize all your tax records. That way, you’ll have some idea of what your tax liability might be. After you’ve organized your … [Read more...]
The Little Things Are Important: Your Tangible Personal Property
Often, the smallest things have the most sentimental value. Your grandmother’s silverware or your grandfather’s railroad watch could connect you to them in a special way. Your mother’s ring or your father’s Boy Scout bugle could hold a special place in your heart. Your sports memorabilia could connect you to one of your children in a unique way. You may want those items to go to particular beneficiaries who will cherish their sentimental value as you have. There’s an easy and flexible way to do … [Read more...]
