Glitches on credit card receipts are getting companies in trouble

A new federal “identity theft” law prohibits merchants from printing more than the last five digits of a credit or debit card number on a customer’s receipt. The law is triggering a lot of class-action lawsuits against companies that haven’t updated their receipt systems. For instance, many companies still print credit card expiration dates on […]

Good news for shareholders in closely-held corporations

Shareholders in closely-held corporations have won an important estate tax battle with the Internal Revenue Service. The issue is how to place a value on a corporation that has a lot of “built-in” capital gains-meaning that if the company’s assets were liquidated, it would owe a hefty capital gains tax.  In this case, a man […]

Six Ways to accidentally disinherit your children

It’s hard to imagine that someone could accidentally disinherit their own children, but it happens all the time to people who don’t regularly update their estate plan. It’s important to update your estate plan with a professional every few years, or whenever there is a significant change in your circumstances or in the tax laws. […]

Does your college student need a will?

When you send your son or daughter off to college, the last thing you’ll probably think of getting for him or her is a will.  But there are a few simple legal documents that any young adult should have.  Getting them takes a short time, and is definitely worth the effort.  One such document is […]

‘Identity Theft’ a growing problem after someone dies

The latest wrinkle in “identity theft” involves criminals opening accounts in the name of people who are recently deceased.  If a relative has recently died, you might want to take steps to avoid this problem.  For instance, you should immediately notify the Social Security Administration of the death, to prevent someone from using the deceased’s […]

Is it time to review your ‘power of attorney’?

A “power of attorney” is an important part of almost any estate plan.  This document allows someone else to take over your day-to-day financial affairs if you become incapacitated but like any element of an estate plan; a power of attorney needs to be reviewed occasionally to see if it still meets your needs.  If […]

Do you need more than one trustee?

In the old days, trusts tended to be pretty simple.  Typically, a trustee was expected to invest the funds conservatively and pay interest to a beneficiary at regular intervals.  That was about it. Today, however, trustees are often expected to invest aggressively and successfully in a much more complex market.  They may be subject to […]

Some issues to consider when you create a trust

Here’s another story that shows the importance of picking a good trustee – someone who will adhere to your wishes and prevent disputes down the road. It’s also proof that just because someone has died, that doesn’t mean they cant be the source of a lawsuit – so carefully drafting your document can save a […]

Avoiding the gift tax

Once a year, you’ll transfer to the ILIT enough money to pay the policy premiums.  This transfer to a trust would ordinarily be subject to the gift tax.  But there’s a way around that problem too. Under the gift tax laws, you can give $12,000 per person per year to any individuals you want before […]

Why share your life insurance with Uncle Sam?

If you own life insurance, you probably bought it to protect your family if something happens to you.  But did you know that half of your life insurance proceeds could end up going to the U.S. Treasury, rather than to your heirs? The proceeds themselves will go to your beneficiaries.  But the amount of the […]