The Wealth Counselor The new Pension Protection Act of 2006 (signed into law on August 17, 2006) creates significant planning opportunities for advisors and their clients who understand it. This newsletter focuses on two key provisions: (1) non-spousal rollovers from a qualified plan to an inherited IRA and (2) charitable contributions of IRAs during lifetime.…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor Planning for tax-qualified plans, which includes IRAs, 401(k)s and qualified retirement plans, requires a careful examination of the potential taxes that impact these assets. Unlike most other assets that receive a “basis step-up” to current fair market value upon the owner’s death, IRAs, 401(k)s and other qualified retirement plans do not step-up…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor This issue of The Wealth Counselor explores many of the common misperceptions about trust owned life insurance – plus a process for you to add significant value for your clients by incorporating policy reviews of trust owned life insurance. Although trust owned life insurance (TOLI) is a common planning vehicle for high net worth…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor This month’s issue of The Wealth Counselor examines the unique planning requirements of families with children, grandchildren or other family members (such as parents) with special needs. There are many misconceptions in this area that result in costly mistakes in planning for these special needs beneficiaries. It is therefore incumbent upon us…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor Last month’s issue of The Wealth Counselor examined the various educational savings vehicles available to clients, including 529 plans, UGMA/UTMAs, Coverdell Education IRAs and life insurance. Using life insurance as an education savings vehicle prompted several questions about other uses for life insurance. Therefore, this issue of the Wealth Counselor examines some…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor Last month’s issue of The Wealth Counselor examined the many benefits of 529 Plans, including the income tax and gift and estate tax benefits of these popular educational savings vehicles. There are, however, several other educational savings vehicles that clients should consider; this issue examines some of these other vehicles – and…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor Whether your client is a parent with future educational obligations for young ones, or perhaps a loving aunt, uncle, grandparent, or stepparent, now more than ever 529 plans are an attractive tool for the escalating costs of education, as well as for income and estate planning purposes. This is because one of…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor The new Pension Protection Act of 2006 (signed into law on August 17, 2006) creates significant planning opportunities for advisors and their clients who understand it. This newsletter focuses on two key provisions: (1) non-spousal rollovers from a qualified plan to an inherited IRA and (2) charitable contributions of IRAs during lifetime.…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor Estate planning is not only about having a plan in place to deal with what happens at your death, it is also about having a plan in place to deal with what happens if you become mentally incapacitated. In this issue you will learn: What happens without an incapacity plan. The essential…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor Your estate plan undoubtedly includes trusts that will continue for the benefit of your spouse’s lifetime and then for the benefit of several generations of your family. Implementing and maintaining trusts that will cover the administration, investment, and distribution of trust property over the span of multiple decades is challenging and generally…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor A will or trust contest can derail your final wishes, rapidly deplete your estate, and tear your loved ones apart. But with proper planning, you can prevent a disastrous will or trust contest. In this issue you will learn: What a will or trust contest is Who can contest a will or…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor Studies have shown that 70% of family wealth is lost by the end of the second generation and 90% by the end of the third. Don’t let your loved ones become part of these statistics. You need to understand, and work to overcome, the disconnect that occurs between generations regarding the transfer…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor With the end of the year approaching fast, now is the time to consider ways to reduce your 2014 income tax bill. In this issue you will learn: How charitable trust-based planning can be used to reduce your taxable income. If you are the Trustee or beneficiary of an irrevocable, non-grantor trust…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor You don’t have to make your family’s assets easy for creditors to reach. Protecting your hard-earned assets for the benefit of yourself and your family can be accomplished through careful planning. These seven trust-based asset protection strategies can put significant (and often insurmountable) obstacles in the way of a creditor. In this…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor If you’re like most people, when you hear “estate planning” or “asset protection planning,” you think of someone like JR Ewing of the 1978 show Dallas, Bill Gates, or the Kennedys. WARNING: Common Misconception A very common misconception is only wealthy families and people in high-risk professions need asset protection planning. But…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor In a landmark, unanimous decision handed down on June 12, 2014, the United States Supreme Court held that inherited IRAs are not “retirement funds.” This ruling is important to you and your family because it means you need to take action to insure your retirement funds are protected when they pass to…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor Income tax basis may not be the most exciting topic to read about. However, it is a critically important topic to anyone who owns significant assets. Gaining an understanding of the basics of basis is a way to avoid costly mistakes. The Real Meaning of Basis According to IRS Tax Topic 703,…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor Asset Protection Philosophy 101 The Most Important Parts of Estate Planning Can’t Get Legislated Away Matthew T. McClintock, JD, Vice President, Education, WealthCounsel There is always a media swarm around the death of a celebrity, especially when they’re young, active in their careers, beloved, and tragic. The death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman in…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor Make this your top New Year’s resolution — update your estate plan this year. If you didn’t update your estate plan last year when the federal tax laws changed, 2014 is the year to make some important changes in it. Alterations to tax laws can definitely impact your estate, plus addressing two…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor Financial planning has become a generic term. You find it mentioned across media channels from banks to brokerages to accounting firms to personal finance. While the term itself may be diluted, planning is the first step in securing your long-term security. But this security is only realized when the plan is implemented.…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor The aging, healthcare and special needs conversation is vitally important to you and your family. Except for government employees and Social Security, retirement plans that pay benefits until death are pretty much a thing of the past. Plus, people today are living longer. Yet retirees’ need for income that is sustainable and…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor Did you know that April is National Financial Literacy Month? This is the perfect time to sit down with your loved ones to discuss your financial and estate planning objectives. To help you move the discussion forward, we would like to suggest three action items: (1) Gather around the computer monitor with…
DetailsPlanning for the New “Zero Percent” Tax Bracket There was a recent change in the tax law that you might not be familiar with – yet it may entitle you to significant tax savings. Beginning January 1, 2008 and continuing through December 31, 2010 (unless extended by Congress), a zero tax rate may apply to…
DetailsThe Wealth Counselor The law passed to deal with the so-called “fiscal cliff” included revisions to estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (“GST”) tax laws and income tax laws that will affect estate planning for the foreseeable future. In this edition of The Wealth Advisor, we will take a first look at those changes and what…
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