Do You Need a Trust?: Estate Planning Q&A
July 6, 2023
According to the 2023 Wills and Estate Planning Survey by Caring.com, only 34 percent of Americans have an estate plan. The primary reasons respondents gave for not participating in estate planning are: An estate plan is a comprehensive set of legal documents and strategies that organizes assets for a person’s death or disability. Trusts are legal arrangements […]
Don’t Wait Until You’re Sick to Create an Estate Plan
June 2, 2023
In the wake of the pandemic, rising inflation, mass shooting tragedies, and other events, more people recognize that they need to plan for the future. Yet while financial planning has been at the top of many Americans’ minds, a vast majority of people have stalled in creating an estate plan. According to a new study […]
What Does the Term “Decedent” Mean?
April 13, 2023
“Decedent” is a legal term that refers to a person who has died with unsatisfied legal obligations. At the end of their life, a decedent has some legal duties that must be fulfilled through a representative. For example, decedents remain obligated to satisfy certain debts incurred during their life and file their last income tax […]
How to Deal with an Estranged Child in Your Estate Plan
July 19, 2022
Unfortunately, not all families get along. If you are having problems with one of your children, you may not want them to benefit from your estate. There are several strategies for dealing with an estranged child in your estate plan. Depending on the level of estrangement and the reasons for the estrangement, the following are […]
Using an Intentionally Defective Grantor Trust to Transfer Assets
July 12, 2022
An intentionally defective grantor trust (IDGT) is a common estate planning tool that is used by wealthy families to transfer assets from one generation to the next while achieving significant tax savings. IDGTs are especially useful if you have assets that will appreciate significantly over time. An IDGT is “intentionally defective” because it purposely […]
“How can I get senior community to release assets to this trust?”
April 11, 2022
Steven Holt, Esq., Chair of the Tax Law and Trusts & Estates departments at Mandelbaum Barrett PC was recently interviewed by NJ.com to answer this question. “The solution here is to reach out to the community and have them explain why they are asking for this and alert them to the fact that the unit is held […]