Estate Planning Blog Articles

In addition to the federal estate tax, with a top rate of 40 percent, some states levy an additional estate or inheritance tax. Twelve states and the District of Columbia impose estate taxes and six impose inheritance taxes. Maryland is the only state to impose both.

Although most assets in your estate may pass through the probate process, other assets may not. It often depends on the type of asset or how an asset is titled.

In the pre-SECURE Act universe, there were designated beneficiaries. These beneficiaries could be individuals (sometimes called named beneficiaries), institutions, such as charities, or estates.

Ever since a group of philanthropists created the Giving Pledge in 2010, taxpayers have expressed greater interest in potential estate planning strategies that would allow them to leave a significant portion of their assets to charity upon their death.

In addition to deciding who gets what when you die, you have key roles to fill that deserve thoughtful deliberation as part of the estate-planning process, experts say.

Figuring out when to claim Social Security is one of the most daunting challenges of retirement. In some cases, claiming early makes sense. In many other situations, it pays to wait.

Inheriting a residential property like a house marks the end of a life and the beginning of deciding what to do with the property and implementing that plan.

When an estate is named beneficiary of an IRA, what is the method of distributing it to one individual in the most tax-effective way?

While most initial meetings with an estate planning attorney will result in some questions you likely have never considered, there are many ways in which you can prepare for a thoughtful and productive estate planning conference that will result in a better understanding of your goals and more efficient use of time with your attorney.

The type of games that you probably loved as a child offer a great way to keep your brain sharp in old age.