The Stretch IRA: A Simple Yet Powerful Estate Planning Tool

The IRA’s value as a retirement planning tool is well known: IRA assets compound on a tax-deferred (or, in the case of a Roth IRA, tax-free) basis, which can help build a more substantial nest egg. But if you don’t need an IRA to fund your retirement, you can use it as an estate planning […]Continue reading

Does Your Business Have too Much Cash?

From the time a business opens its doors, the owner is told “cash is king.” It may seem to follow that having a very large amount of cash could never be a bad thing. But, the truth is, a company that’s hoarding excessive cash may be doing itself more harm than good. Liquidity Overload What’s […]Continue reading

Make Sure Your Company is Prepared for Any Disaster

What could stop your company from operating for a day, a month or a year? A flood or fire? Perhaps a key supplier shuts down temporarily or permanently. Or maybe a hacker or technical problem crashes your website or you suddenly lose power. Whatever the potential cause might be, every business needs a disaster recovery […]Continue reading

The Business Judgment Rule: Protect Your Management Decisions

Most people – even lawyers – choose to do business in some corporate form, rather than individually, in order to protect personal assets from business liabilities. The most common forms of business entities are corporations and limited liability companies. The choice of entity often depends on which entity offers the best tax attributes for the […]Continue reading

Piercing the Corporate Veil: An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth A Ton

Every person has skin and bones that protect their body from bumps and bruises from the outside world. A corporation or other business entity is no different. In short, a corporation (or limited liability company or partnership) is a legal “person.” The corporate body is supposed to protect the owners from bumps, bruises and liabilities […]Continue reading

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Planning For the Wealthy and Non-Wealthy Client

Not everyone is lucky enough to have an estate tax problem, which is a good problem. As a practical matter, the vast majority of individuals in this geographic region are well below the net worth that Congress has deemed to be “rich” (currently $5.49 million per person). For individuals fortunate enough to have wealth issues, […]Continue reading

ABLE Accounts Can Benefit Loved Ones with Special Needs

For families with disabled loved ones who are potentially eligible for means-tested government benefits such as Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), estate planning can be a challenge. On the one hand, you want to provide the most comfortable life possible for your family member. On the other hand, you don’t want to jeopardize his […]Continue reading

Fine-Tuning Your Company’s Compensation Strategy

As a business evolves, so must its compensation strategy. Hopefully, your company is growing — perhaps adding employees or promoting staff members who are key to your success. But other things can spur the need to fine-tune your compensation strategy as well, such as economic changes or the rise of an intense competitor. A goal […]Continue reading

IRS Simplifies Procedure for Obtaining Extension to Make Portability Election

Earlier this month, the IRS issued a Revenue Procedure that allows certain estates to make a late portability election without first filing a ruling request. Portability is a tax law provision that permits a surviving spouse to take advantage of the deceased spouse’s unused combined gift and estate tax exemption (currently $5.49 million). But portability […]Continue reading

5 Things to Know When You Hire an Estate Planning Attorney

Once you’ve decided that it’s time to hire an attorney who specializes in estate planning, how do you go about doing so? It can be challenging to know where to start! “Where should I look? What questions should I ask initially? How do I know when I’ve found the right attorney for my legal needs?” […]Continue reading

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