Who’s going to inherit on the death of one of the re-marrieds? Will this be the surviving spouse? If so, where will those inherited monies go on the second-to-die’s death?
It’s true that if your child is on your deed as a joint tenant on your home, your home will not have to go through probate if your child survives you. At your death, your surviving child would immediately become the sole owner of your home without probate and with minimal transfer costs.
Children and grandchildren motivate us to think about a will and life insurance. However, it is problematic to name minor children as beneficiaries.
Tax rules on individual retirement accounts (IRAs) are different for inherited IRAs. Some differences are positive.
Many estate executors focus on estate taxes and forget about income taxes. That can be an expensive mistake.
A will is first. In essence, a will spells out who will get your stuff, in what proportions they will get it and in some instances at least, upon what conditions.
Once more hesitant to plan ahead, clients in today’s environment are much more proactive and willing to take action in the near term, rather than waiting and risking having to pay higher taxes down the line.
Your estate planning is done, but is it? A periodic review is an important ongoing step to your planning.
Estate planning is not a requirement. No one can force you to make your will, create a power of attorney or to own your property in a way to avoid probate. As a result, people too often let common estate planning excuses stand in their way.
A competent elder law or estate attorney can discuss and use, where appropriate, such provisions as the family exemption, benefits to prepaying inheritance tax, even where the tax return is not yet complete and a listing of itemized deductions.
