Portability of Applicable Exclusion Amount between Spouses
Transfers of property during life or at death are generally subject to federal gift or estate taxes. However, each taxpayer has an amount of property that can be sheltered from federal gift and …
Ask the Experts: Can my self-directed IRA invest in real estate?
Yes. Your IRA can invest in virtually any form of real estate. That includes direct ownership in property as well as indirect ownership through limited partnership interests, REITs, and …
Ask the Experts: What’s a self-directed IRA?
A self-directed IRA isn’t a different type of IRA. Rather, the term refers to any individual retirement account (traditional or Roth) that gives you more investment control by allowing you to direct your …
Combining Term and Permanent Life Insurance
There are two basic types of life insurance: Term and permanent. Term life insurance provides temporary insurance coverage for a specific term. There is no cash value in the policy, and the policy’s death …
Figuring Out the College Payoff
If you have a child or grandchild approaching college age, you may be wondering if an Ivy League education is really worth the steep price of admission. Will a diploma from an elite college guarantee …
Estate Protection Plan / 2007 Tax Tips
We are pleased to announce an exciting new employee benefit program we are making available to employers, business owners, community organizations, and business associations in the Coachella Valley.
The Estate Protection Plan (EPP) …
Ask the Experts: What is a postnuptial agreement?
A postnuptial agreement is a legally binding contract between a husband and wife. It’s similar to a prenuptial agreement, but it’s signed during the marriage, not before. Its primary purpose is to …
Ask the Experts: Should I have a prenuptial agreement?
Although no one gets married with plans to divorce, the sad truth is that many marriages do end that way. For some couples, it can be prudent to have a prenuptial …
Grandparents Help with Ever-Rising College Costs
As the cost of a college education continues to climb, many grandparents are stepping in to help. This trend is expected to accelerate as baby boomers, most of whom went to college, become grandparents …
The Power of a Dynasty Trust
Early in the twentieth century, the United States began taxing wealth transfers under the gift and estate tax system. This system was designed to impose tax on each and every generation (father to son, …