On October 14, 2016 Gov. Christie executed a new law that states New Jersey decedents who die during 2017 will not be subject to New Jersey estate tax unless their taxable estates are greater than $2,000,000. Thereafter, beginning with deaths occurring on January 1, 2018, the New Jersey estate tax is repealed. Those New Jersey
The core of Estate Planning is the life of each human being. Do you recall the process that ultimately led to the completion of your estate plan? You asked a question or voiced a concern about estate planning. Do I need a living trust? Will my estate pay a lot in taxes at my death?
A DOZEN DOCUMENTS YOU NEED BEFORE YOU DIE It is no longer enough to just sign some papers establishing an estate plan. You also have to make your heirs aware of your estate plan and advise them where the documents can be located. Also some of the country’s largest insurers are failing to pay out
In today’s world, it is essential that clients plan for both real-life assets, as well as digital estates. This generates many questions: Who is in charge when it comes to digital property? Do family members have the right to access their loved one’s account after a death? Would the individual who has passed want family
Modest estates: New tax planning considerations The landscape has changed for estate planning in the past several years since the gift and estate tax was set at 40% and the lifetime exemption was upped to $5,450,000 in 2016. Now many modest estates will have either no estate tax or a very nominal estate tax, therefore,
ESTATE PLANNING FOR SECOND MARRIAGES In our world of ever-changing laws, estate planning has become increasingly complex. This is especially true in the context of second marriages. Children from a prior marriage, strained family relationships and rights and restrictions imposed by law illustrate why the complexity of estate planning for second marriages is never simple.
There are three basic forms of joint ownership: Tenancy in common; joint tenancy; and tenancy by the entirety. Anyone who owns property jointly should be familiar with the consequences of joint ownership. A tenancy in common exists when two or more persons own an undivided interest in the whole property. There is no right of
Your fiduciary is an integral part of your estate plan. Who should you appoint to coordinate your affairs upon incapacity or death? Consider these questions when making the selection: • What are the responsibilities of my fiduciary? The fiduciary you select should be capable of handling the responsibilities of the appointed role. Personal Representatives and
“Probate” is the process of identifying and gathering a decedent’s assets, paying taxes, claims and expenses, distributing assets to beneficiaries and the wrapping up of a decedent’s affairs in a court supervised setting. Probate provides a means for those interested to make any claims, valid or invalid, in a fair structured process. Properly followed, it
The IRS recently announced the inflation-adjusted items for 2016, including gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax amounts. The following adjustments should be considered in your estate and gift planning: • The gift tax annual exclusion for 2016 remains $14,000 (and is increased to $148,000 for gifts to a non-U.S. citizen spouse). Married couples who elect