Direct Payments of Tuition and Medical Expenses Can Reduce Future Estate Tax Exposure With the gift and estate tax exemption at $5.45 million in 2016, you may be less concerned about these taxes. But if you don’t take advantage of making tax-free direct payments of tuition and medical expenses, [...]
Investing in mutual funds is an easy way to diversify a portfolio, which is one reason why they’re commonly found in retirement plans such as IRAs and 401(k)s. But if you hold such funds in taxable accounts, or are considering such investments, beware of these three tax hazards: High [...]
If you’ve built up a large estate and are eager to share your wealth with your children, you may be concerned about their ability to handle it. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help ensure they won’t blow through their inheritance at a young age. Build incentives [...]
With health care costs continuing to climb, tax-friendly ways to pay for these expenses are more attractive than ever. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs) all provide opportunities for tax-advantaged funding of health care expenses. But what’s the difference between these three [...]
The simplest way to provide financial assistance to a child or other family member is to get out your checkbook and make a gift. But if you’re concerned about gift taxes, a loan may be preferable. Intrafamily loans must be structured and managed carefully to ensure that the IRS [...]
Life Insurance Remains a Powerful Estate Planning Tool for Nontaxable Estates For years, life insurance has played a critical role in estate planning, providing a source of liquidity to pay estate taxes and other expenses. Today, estate taxes are no longer a concern for many families because the estate [...]
Although the kids might still be in school for a few more weeks, summer day camp is rapidly approaching for many families. If yours is among them, did you know that sending your child to day camp might make you eligible for a tax credit? The power of tax [...]
If you’re charitably inclined, age 70½ or older and have a significant balance in an IRA, a charitable IRA rollover — formally called a “qualified charitable distribution” — permits you to annually make up to $100,000 in tax-free IRA distributions to qualified charities. Charitable IRA rollovers also offer estate [...]
A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged and flexible education-savings tool. In addition to generous contribution limits and tax-free withdrawals for college expenses, these plans provide unique estate planning benefits for parents and grandparents. On the plus side . . . First, even though you can change beneficiaries or get [...]
If you’re in a second marriage, or planning another trip down the aisle, estate planning can be complicated, especially if you have children from a previous marriage and your net worth is large enough that estate taxes are a concern. One strategy for meeting this challenge is to set [...]
