The bypass trust is a popular estate planning strategy used to reduce a couple's exposure to estate taxes by leaving assets not to the surviving spouse, but to a trust for his/her benefit instead. If ...

When it comes to building an estate plan, trusts are a common tool used to manage assets, minimize taxes and set things up for a smooth transfer of wealth. Two trusts you may come across in the estate ...

Last month I explained the key terms and concepts of trusts and also told you about the seven most-popular estate planning trusts. In this post, I explain seven more trusts that are key to many estate ...

A few years ago, Congress changed the estate tax laws and introduced the concept of estate tax “portability.” This has had a significant impact on estate planning by married couples. The idea behind ...

The rise in the stock market over the past several years, teamed with the passage of the SECURE Act two years ago—as well as the scheduled 50% reduction in the size of the federal estate tax exemption ...

The information in this column is not intended as legal advice but to provide a general understanding of the law. Any readers with legal problems, including those whose questions are addressed here, ...

A once-popular estate planning tool included in many Last Wills and Revocable Trusts may now cost families more in taxes than it saves. Changes in the federal estate tax have made the "bypass trust" ...

Which is better, a living trust or a bypass trust? I own my home and a few stock investments. A. I think what you are really asking is whether a living trust or a will is better. But before I answer ...

When it comes to building an estate plan, trusts are a common tool used to manage assets, minimize taxes and set things up for a smooth transfer of wealth. Two trusts you may come across in the estate ...

The rise in the stock market over the past several years, teamed with the passage of the SECURE Act two years ago—as well as the scheduled 50% reduction in the size of the federal estate tax exemption ...

The bypass trust is a popular estate planning strategy used to reduce a couple's exposure to estate taxes by leaving assets not to the surviving spouse, but to a trust for his/her benefit instead. If ...