Here are some interesting tidbits about the annual gift tax exclusion that you should be aware of: 1. No gift taxes are imposed on the first $12,000 in gifts that you make to any person during 2006. This exclusion from federal gift taxes is known as th...

We know that you can give up to $12,000 per person per year and never pay a federal gift tax - thanks to the annual gift tax exclusion. That is fine if you are writing out a check or just giving cash. But, how can you give someone a house or a business or...

With education costs soaring to all time highs, making tuition payments for grandchildren and others can save lots of money in gift and estate taxes down the road - even if the donor is not alive when the tuition money is actually used. By way of some ...

Today's baby boomers want more out of their estate planning than just passing along an inheritance to their children. They also want to pass along their values - and they're using incentive trusts to do just that. Incentive trusts do more than protect ...

In an earlier post, we discussed the annual gift tax exclusion and how it works. In summary, we said that you could give up to $12,000 in cash or property to any one person during 2006 and not have to pay a federal gift tax. In fact, you don't even have t...

I have received a number of emails lately about funding a living trust. It's a question that seems to confuse a lot of people because there appears to be several right answers. And, there are several right answers - depending upon your reasons for establi...

The "rule against perpetuities" is often described as one of the most complicated legal rules ever! It's origin stems from the days of feudal England - some say as early as 1680 - when landowners often tried to control the use and disposition of proper...

It is no secret that people get excited about their pets. And, that feeling does not go away when it comes time to doing some estate planning for the family - because pets are part of the family too! Unfortunately, until recently, there just wasn't a w...

If you haven't taken the time to prepare your estate plan, you're not alone. According to a survey conducted by FindLaw.com, a whopping 55% of Americans haven't even taken the time to have a will prepared, and 67% don't have a living will in case they bec...