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Important IRS Update: Significant Interest Penalty Increase for Tax Underpayments

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has recently announced a critical change that could significantly impact taxpayers who underpay their taxes. This update is particularly relevant as we approach the next tax filing season. Previously, the IRS charged a 3% interest penalty on estimated tax underpayments. However, this rate has now been increased to a substantial

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Will Inflation Hurt Stock Returns? Not Necessarily

Investors may wonder whether stock returns will suffer if inflation keeps rising. Here’s some good news: Inflation isn’t necessarily bad news for stocks. A look at equity performance in the past three decades does not show any reliable connection between periods of high (or low) inflation and US stock returns. Since 1993, one-year returns on

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Maximize Your Charitable Impact with These Four Strategies

As the year draws to a close, it’s a perfect opportunity to rethink how you give to charity. This is important for managing how much tax you pay and how much help reaches those in need. Here are four effective strategies: Need Guidance? Reach Out to Us! These strategies are just a starting point. There

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Should I Put My Child on My House Title?

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Category: Last Will & Testament

Are you thinking about estate planning and real estate and planning to add a child to the house title? Many people may miss out on the possible property tax increases associated with this.

A parent usually would add a child to the title of the parents’ home for estate planning purposes, which means that the parent wants the property to go to a specific child after the parent has passed away. However, failing to consider all of the various estate planning aspects associated with this as well as the tax implications can be especially confusing.

It can be very difficult for parents to handle their estate planning this way since the unintended tax consequences may affect everyone involved. There are other ways to ensure that the title of a person’s home passes down to the children wanted without adding those people specifically to the title. Equality among children seems like a good idea on the surface, such as when a person wants to add multiple children to the title, but there are flaws in this kind of logic. First of all, parents cannot necessarily assume that a child will outlive them. 

A joint ownership of the home could lead one child to become the sole owner of the home. There are often smarter ways for parents to own the property, such as putting the home inside a living trust and determining who will become the owner of the home when the parent passes away.

A living trust takes into account various changes in life that can occur from the day that the trust is structured through when the parent dies. Furthermore, the parent might also put together a will that designates the beneficiaries of his or her estate by naming the individual who will get the home upon the parents’ death. In other cases, you may be eligible to use a transfer on death instrument that designates who is able to receive the home when the parent passes away. Future tax issues should also be considered. A real estate taxing body or your local tax successor officer should certainly be contacted to discuss the relevant issues involved and how to avoid unintended tax consequences that can follow your heirs for years to come.      

Common Reasons A Will Might Not Hold Up In Court

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Category: Last Will & Testament Living Will Trusts Wills

Especially if you have taken it upon yourself to write your will, it’s important to know that you have opened your heirs up to the risk of having your will contested in court later on. Here are three of the most common mistakes that result in a contested will.

Common Reasons A Will Might Not Hold Up In Court
(Photo Credit: 8gr.org)

Disinheriting Family Members Sans Explicit Instructions

The law tends to treat the distribution of assets relatively fairly when there are questions about intention or mistakes in the handling of the will. So, if you’re stipulating that you want to leave an individual out altogether, you need to make sure those instructions are crystal clear. You want to have this written by an attorney to reduce that chances that you have given such an individual room to argue in court.

Using Biased Witnesses During Your Will Signing

In many circumstances, you need to sign your will in front of witnesses in order for it to be valid. These witnesses may later be called I court to state that they were present and to discuss whether the person signing the will (you) had the mental capacity to sign such a document without any undue influence or pressure from other parties.

Potentially Lacking Mental Capacity to Sign the Will

One of the reasons that heirs (or those excluded) will contest a will is under the ground that you did not have the mental capacity to understand what you were doing. You must understand what property you own, your overall plan for passing on property, and who you closest family members are. Furthermore, a Living Trust, which preserves privacy, may be an option for those with a stronger likelihood of a contest in their future.

To learn more about wills and estate planning documents, contact our professionals at 732-521-9455 or info@lawesq.net.

Put Your Trust in a Trust

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Category: Estate Taxes Last Will & Testament Trusts

Now is a great time to evaluate how using a trust can help you achieve your financial goals. The federal gift tax and estate tax laws give big incentives for using trusts in estate planning. In the pasts, trusts have been used mostly to transfer gifts to children while limiting estate taxes on wealth, but there are numerous other benefits.

Put Your Trust in a Trust
(Photo Credit: marketo.com)

An appropriately funded trust can help ensure that your assets are protected and available in the event that you become incapacitated. When you pass away, that same trust can be used to pass on assets to your beneficiaries. You can also protect your legacy by keeping your assets away from any of the heir’s creditors, too.

There are probate savings and privacy reasons that a trust can benefit you, too. There are potentially large fees for going through probate and your probate records will also be public. Putting your assets into a revocable trust instead can keep them from having to go through probate at death- therefore protecting you and your family’s privacy.

Finally, trusts can be a good tool when you live in a state that has an estate tax. Some states levy estate taxes that are rather substantial, but trust planning is one way to cut down on how many estate taxes will be levied on your death. This can also be a good tool for those who have real estate located in a state that imposes estate taxes.

3 Estate Planning Mistakes From Which To Learn

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Category: Asset Protection Planning Beneficiaries Estate Planning Estate Taxes Inheritance Last Will & Testament Trusts

If you haven’t already done your estate plan, perhaps hearing a few horror stories about people who made common mistakes will prompt you to do it — and do it right.

Last Will And Testament
Last Will And Testament (Photo credit: Ken_Mayer)

An article in the Green Bay Press Gazette, recounts a few cases that detail classic mistakes involving estate planning, or the lack of it.

  • A former Supreme Court justice wrote his own will, using just 176 words. It cost his family $450,000 in estate taxes and court fees because he didn’t take the time to do it right.

    • Lesson: Know what you know, know what you don’t know.

  • A young woman left her assets to her minor son. When she died, she had $1 million in her estate due to a wrongful death claim. Her son died soon afterwards and the money went to his only heir, his father, who was a drug addict.

    • Lesson: She could have put the assets into trust with a contingency plan were he to die, so the money could not go to the father.

  • A father had a stroke and had to go into a nursing home. His children closed his bank account but never went through his mail. After he died, they found a statement for a $1 million life insurance policy. But the premiums had not been paid since the bank account was closed. They didn’t get the money.

    • Lesson: Make sure somebody knows what assets you have, usually the person who has power of attorney, a trustee named in a trust you have set up or the personal representative named in your will.

These are common mistakes that can be avoided if you engage a qualified estate planning attorney to help you with your estate plan.

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Teenager Gets $25 Million Fortune – With One Catch

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Category: Beneficiaries Current Events Distribution of Assets Estate Administration Guardianship Inheritance Last Will & Testament

Actor Paul Walker of Fast & Furious fame, who died in a car accident in November, left his entire fortune of $25 million to his 15-year-old daughter, who had recently left her mother and childhood home in Hawaii to live with him in California.

Paul Walker at the Fast & Furious premiere at ...
Paul Walker at the Fast & Furious premiere at Leicester Square. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Walker did not leave a dime to any other family members or even his girlfriend.

But Walker’s will did have one catch. His daughter, Meadow, will not be able to touch the money until she becomes an adult. Nothing unusual there, except that Walker named his own mother to be Meadow’s guardian.

According to an article on cafemom.com, this is a bit unusual and could be tricky. One wonders why he named Meadow’s grandmother as her guardian rather than Meadow’s own mother, Rebecca Soteros.

However, the matter will be decided by a judge later this month. In the meantime, Meadow is back in Hawaii living with her mother.

Walker was a very private person and not much is known about the circumstances of his breakup or the decision to have Meadow come live with him in California.

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