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Guides & Whitepapers

Apr 12 2018
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account beneficiaries

Naming Account Beneficiaries

By and Guides & Whitepapers
Don’t Overlook this Important Planning Opportunity Before she passed away, Jade was diligent in making sure her will was in order, which left her entire estate to be equally divided between her two sons, Samuel and Benjamin. However, instead of naming them joint account beneficiaries on her brokerage and bank accounts, she named Samuel as sole beneficiary on her large brokerage account and Benjamin as sole beneficiary on her modest savings account. When Jade passed away, nearly all her assets passed to Samuel and Benjamin outside of her will according to her beneficiary designations. However, Samuel received much more than…
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Mar 26 2018
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GRAT

A Primer on the Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (“GRAT”)

By Guides & Whitepapers
Objective The objective of the Grantor Retained Annuity Trust is to remove appreciation on the transferred assets from the grantor’s estate. The structure of the GRAT also allows this removal of appreciation to be done at minimal or no gift tax cost. Operation of the GRAT The grantor transfers an asset with high appreciation potential to the GRAT, which is an irrevocable trust. In return, the grantor retains a qualified annuity interest for a specific term of years. Common terms of years for annuity trusts range from 2 to 10 years. The initial term must be at least 2 years,…
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Mar 26 2018
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dynasty trusts

A Primer on Dynasty Trusts

By Guides & Whitepapers
Why is it called a “Dynasty Trust”? Some are surprised to learn that most trusts are temporary. Unlike a corporation, partnership, or other artificial legal entity, most trusts cannot be perpetual. A rule of law called the “Rule Against Perpetuities” terminates most trusts automatically, and cuts them off at a few generations. As a result, even the most careful trust planning will eventually be unwound, because these temporary trusts will terminate and the property will be distributed outright into the hands of the trust beneficiaries. This limitation can be avoided by using a Dynasty Trust, because it is a perpetual…
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Feb 07 2018
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cryptocurrency

The Cryptocurrency Question

By Guides & Whitepapers
A very common financial question that we have been asked before relates to Bitcoin1 (or any type of other cryptocurrency). Is it real? How is it valued? Should we invest in it? Can it keep going up in price? The answers to these questions are not easily answered, are complex, and are dynamic over time. To start, Crypto comes from the Greek Kruptos, which means “hidden.” Because of the complexity of the subject matter, we would prefer to hide from making an opinion on cryptocurrencies in general. However, they (and the technology surrounding them) are increasingly relevant in our world…
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Oct 25 2017
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cybersecurity

Keep Your Identity to Yourself!

By and Blog, Guides & Whitepapers
With all the recent headlines from the hacking of consumer data at Equifax, combined with data breaches over the years at Target, JPMorgan Chase, Yahoo!, Sony, and many more, it is probably safe to assume that your personal financial data is not completely secure in our cyber world. Per a recent study by Javelin Research out of Pleasanton, California, about one out of every sixteen US consumers were a victim of identity theft in 2016, with damages close to $16 billion. Further, most victims are not even aware that they have been hacked for many months. Fraudsters using your basic…
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Oct 17 2017
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investment goals

Reaching Your Long-Term Investment Goals: Get Started with a Roadmap

By Blog, Guides & Whitepapers
You are interested in a Long-Term Investment Strategy but not sure where to start. Good! This is for you. Throughout the journey of our professional careers, we will encounter many major decisions, some of which we are more prepared for than others. Depending on your background and interests, you may understand that you need a plan for long-term investment goals, but do not know where to start. If so, know that you’re not alone. To build confidence in your plan, it is important to understand that building wealth through a long-term investment strategy is a journey with many options, detours,…
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Jun 14 2017
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donor advised funds investing

Optimize Your Charitable Giving with Donor Advised Funds

By Guides & Whitepapers
In addition to the personal fulfillment many individuals find by supporting charitable causes special to them, a thoughtfully planned and implemented charitable giving strategy can result in greater tax savings and after-tax results. For investors who own appreciated assets such as publicly-traded or privately-held stock, mutual funds, real estate, or a sizeable IRA, there are significant benefits to gifting those assets to qualified charities, instead of writing checks or using a credit card (far beyond credit card rewards!). There are many different vehicles for charitable giving, including direct transfers to a charity, donor advised funds, private foundations, qualified charitable distributions,…
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Jun 10 2017
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On Your Own: Financial Advice After Losing Your Spouse

By Guides & Whitepapers
It’s a day you hoped would never come. Your spouse has died. Your world is turned upside down, leaving you vulnerable and bereft. And as you are dealing with your grief and the loss of your spouse, you will be required to make critical legal and financial decisions in the coming days, weeks and months. It can be overwhelming, especially if your spouse was the one who managed your financial and legal affairs. It’s a familiar scenario. According to U.S. Census data, hundreds of thousands of Americans are widowed each year, most of them women. Although there are some things…
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Jun 07 2017
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401k contributions

Going Through Divorce and Over 50? Make Finances Your Top Priority

By Guides & Whitepapers
Divorce is a reality for a growing number of aging couples, a phenomenon commonly referred to as “gray divorce”. According to a study at Bowling Green State University, the divorce rate among adults ages 50 and older doubled between 1990 and 2010. Now, one in four Americans getting divorced is 50 or older.1 The study also found that the divorce rate is 2.5 times higher for those in remarriages compared to those in first marriages. Those in the Baby Boomer generation, people born between 1946 and 1964, were the first to divorce and remarry while they were young, and may experience…
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