Add Spendthrift Language to a Trust to Safeguard Assets BY THEUS LAW OFFICES Protecting assets from creditors is a critical aspect of estate planning, but you need to think about more than just your own creditors: You also need to consider your heirs’ creditors. Adding spendthrift language to a trust benefiting your heirs can help safeguard [...]Continue reading

Estate planning for single parents requires special considerations BY THEUS LAW OFFICES Here’s a fast fact: The percentage of U.S. children who live with an unmarried parent has jumped from 13% in 1968 to 32% in 2017, according to Pew Research Center’s most recent poll. While estate planning for single parents is similar to estate planning [...]Continue reading

Does your estate plan include a formula funding clause? BY THEUS LAW OFFICES The gift and estate tax exemption is higher than it’s ever been, thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which temporarily doubled the exemption to an inflation-adjusted $10 million ($20 million for married couples who design their estate plans properly). This year, the [...]Continue reading

Make health care decisions while you’re healthy BY THEUS LAW OFFICES Estate planning isn’t just about what happens to your assets after you die. It’s also about protecting yourself and your loved ones. This includes having a plan for making critical medical decisions in the event you’re unable to make them yourself. And, as with other [...]Continue reading

Beware if your estate plan leaves specific assets to specific heirs BY THEUS LAW OFFICES Planning your estate around specific assets is risky and, in most cases, should be avoided. If you leave specific assets — such as homes, cars or stock — to specific people, you may inadvertently disinherit them.Illustrating the problem Illustrating the problem [...]Continue reading

Leave your mark with a dynasty trust BY THEUS LAW OFFICES If a prime objective of your estate plan is to leave a lasting legacy, a dynasty trust may be the right estate planning vehicle for you. And, thanks to the substantially increased generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemption amount established by the Tax Cuts and Jobs [...]Continue reading

Charitable lead trusts offer philanthropic and family benefits BY THEUS LAW OFFICES Affluent families who wish to give to charity while minimizing gift and estate taxes should consider a charitable lead trust (CLT). These trusts are most effective in a low-interest-rate environment, so conditions for taking advantage of a CLT currently are favorable. Although interest rates [...]Continue reading

Ease itemized deduction limitations using a nongrantor trust BY THEUS LAW OFFICES The record-high exemption amount currently in effect means that fewer families are affected by gift and estate taxes. As a result, the estate planning focus for many people has shifted from transfer taxes to income taxes. A nongrantor trust can be an effective option [...]Continue reading

4 negative outcomes of jointly owning property with a family member BY THEUS LAW OFFICES A common estate planning mistake that people make is to own property jointly with an adult child or other family member. True, adding a loved one to the title of your home, bank account or other property can be a simple [...]Continue reading