by Arthur Geffen | Sep 10, 2012 | Estate Planning, Estate Planning Solutions, LGBT, LGBT Issues
Several challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act could reach the Supreme Court within the next year, but only one involves the estate tax that surviving same-sex spouses are forced to pay when a partner dies. The consequences can be severe, as Edith Windsor,...
by Arthur Geffen | Sep 10, 2012 | Estate Planning, Estate Planning Solutions
For married couples with total assets (including insurance benefits) totaling $2-$5 million, a disclaimer trust (otherwise known as a “wait and see” trust) may prove to be the simplest way for you to retain control over your assets and limit paperwork and tax...
by Arthur Geffen | Aug 20, 2012 | Estate Planning, Estate Planning Solutions
Keeping tabs on the estate-planning rules during the past few years has been a little like watching Olympic-level table tennis: The action moves quickly, and it’s difficult to keep up. The amount of assets that could pass estate-tax-free drifted upward...
by Arthur Geffen | Jun 30, 2012 | Estate Planning, Estate Planning Solutions
Good Article The past several months have seen a torrent of articles, newsletters and bulletins summarizing the present situation concerning estate planning. It is time to step back, simplify (to the extent possible) and clearly analyze the present and future estate...
by Arthur Geffen | Jun 28, 2012 | Estate Planning, Estate Planning Solutions, Estate Tax
To hear estate planners and “death tax” opponents tell it, a crisis looms. Unless Congress acts by Dec. 31, the amount exempt from the federal estate tax will drop from $5.12 million to $1 million and the number of estates subject to the tax will jump 16-fold...
by Arthur Geffen | Jun 18, 2012 | Estate Planning, Estate Planning Solutions
TIME IS RUNNING OUT! This may seem like an odd time to bring up President Obama’s proposed budget for 2013, released last February, but a recent blog post on Nerd’s Eye View reminded me that there are only a few months to go before a popular trust strategy — the sale...
