Personal Planner Thoughts and suggestions on how to improve your present and future life. Family Business Bailouts June 5, 2026Joe and June started Children's Clothing Company 30 years ago. They are now both age 65 and are interested in retiring. Their daughter Susan is currently the company president and their son Michael is the vice president of marketing... Family Business - Sell and Retire May 29, 2026Bill and Alice started their family business many years ago. The early years were very challenging. Both worked without salary and it was a great struggle to finally get the business on a solid financial base... Loans and Sales to Children May 22, 2026Parents are frequently approached by children who desire loans for various purposes. Parents may make a loan to a child for the down payment on a home, to start a new business, to cover costs for a personal emergency or for education... Gifts with Life Income May 15, 2026Many friends of charity have acquired appreciated property over time. A great way to use this appreciated property is for a charitable gift... Gifts of Homes May 8, 2026Most families purchase their largest personal residence in their mid-forties. Families with children often need the additional space... Gifts of Land May 1, 2026Many friends of charities have benefited from a gift of land or a gift of land with a building or other structure. There are two main benefits for this gift... Gifts of Stock April 24, 2026What will the market do this year? Perhaps the best answer is, "It will go up and down." Stock returns vary to a significant degree each year. However, long-term stock returns have been reasonably substantial... Gifts of Cash April 17, 2026Many people use their annual gift exclusion as part of an overall estate planning strategy... Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) April 10, 2026Susan and Steve have been talking to their tax attorney, Elizabeth, about plans for their family. Susan is very concerned about their family... Life Insurance - Costs and Benefits April 3, 2026Let's look at the "top five" reasons people give for not owning life insurance... 'Wait A While' Trust March 27, 2026Bill and Clara were talking to their attorney Susan about gifts for their family... 'Give It Twice' Trust March 20, 2026A very popular option for a parent with children is called the "Give It Twice" trust. This is a trust funded when the surviving parent passes away... Trusts for Creative Spenders March 13, 2026Trusts can be quite useful for protecting children. However, for some children, the trust serves an additional function: It protects the principal from being rapidly spent by a child... Trusts to Protect Children March 6, 2026Trusts are an excellent way to provide for the support and care of children while protecting them. Two important reasons to create a trust are to care for minor children or for a special needs child... Trusts for Surviving Spouse February 27, 2026There are three different basic types of trusts for a surviving spouse: a qualified terminable interest property trust (QTIP), a qualified domestic trust (QDOT) or a charitable remainder trust (CRT)... Income for Surviving Spouse February 20, 2026Elliot and Alexis were concerned about planning for the future. They had built a substantial estate of $1,600,000. When Elliot was 70, he rolled over his $600,000 qualified retirement plan into an IRA. Because he is now over age 73, Elliot is taking distributions... How to Fund Your Living Trust February 13, 2026A revocable living trust is one of the principal estate planning methods. While everyone should have a will, there are many benefits of a revocable living trust... Living Trust - Life and Death Decisions February 6, 2026In discussing your living trust with your attorney, there are several very important decisions for you to consider. Some of your decisions affect the management of property during life, and others will determine how your successor trustee manages your property for the benefit of family, friends and charity after you... Your Living Trust Choices January 30, 2026The living trust is becoming quite a popular estate planning strategy. It costs more than a will, but includes many features that are helpful during life and in your estate. Let's review some of the basic principles of the living trust... Bequests to Your Favorite Charity January 23, 2026Bequests to charity are the most popular type of planned gift. A donor may retain assets during life and then leave a bequest to a charity... Showing 1 - 20 of 52123Next