Wealth Planning

In October 2005, Google.org -- the philanthropic arm of the audacious search engine company -- announced it would give not only to nonprofits, but also to companies that accomplish some social good. Google, whose corporate motto is "Don't be evil...

It just got harder to be old and anything short of wealthy. Chapter 2 of the new Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) focuses exclusively on long-term care under Medicaid and seeks to make it much harder for elders to protect any assets if they are...

Most grant-making foundations in the United States operate on very modest budgets, are largely unstaffed and are run by unpaid trustees. But that's where their similarities end. A fierce, slow-motion debate has been raging about how much is...

Even the most sophisticated estate planners may be missing the point of grantor trusts. It's a risk-free, transfer-tax free, effortless wealth transfer tool that is much more powerful than most advisors realize. It amplifies the benefit of any...

From David T. Leibell and Daniel L. Daniels, partners of Cummings & Lockwood in Stamford, Conn., we have this update: IRS extends indefinitely the safe harbor date for obtaining spousal waiver of right of election for CRUTs and CRATs. Responding...

Virtually all of us in the estate-planning community regularly use life insurance trusts and dynasty trusts to achieve huge estate tax savings. And these savings can be compounded for future generations if the trust accumulates some of its income...

Most brokers squander their inherited clients. Diligent advisors can build a practice out of them

Abusive 412(i)s led to an Internal Revenue Service crack down, leaving a taint on the reputation of this type of defined benefit plan. But legitimate versions of the 412(i) can prove quite useful to small business owners and partners in...