Many families hold philanthropy as an important family value and strive to find ways to give efficiently, perhaps accomplishing additional objectives in the process. Investors, having lived with low interest rates for many years, are starting to see signs that rates may gradually rise. That begs a question: are there unique financial planning opportunities worth … Continued
Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 Signed into Law Very rarely big changes sweep the landscape of financial planning but when they do taxpayers are sometimes awarded significant benefit from the change. On December 18, 2015, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act was signed into law. The Act does considerably more … Continued
Many couples going through divorce are opting to pursue a settlement process through mediation. Mediation can reduce the overall cost and the emotional trauma experienced in a more traditional dissolution process in which spouses are separately represented. While every situation is unique, people generally find the neutral mediator and the structured sessions typical to this … Continued
Typically, a regular IRA is not the most efficient asset to use for inter-generational transfers of wealth. If the IRA and estate are large enough, both estate and income taxes will apply. As a result, heirs can end up with only about 20% of the actual value of an IRA. However, if estate taxes are … Continued
One nice feature of the increasingly popular charitable vehicle called the donor-advised fund (DAF) is the ease with which it can be established and managed. An equally important attraction is the ability to accelerate charitable deductions into the year in which any gifts are made to the DAF, even though donors can defer any actual … Continued
Summer’s quickly come to a close, the kids are back at school, football is on television and Halloween costumes are in the stores. I’ve barely put away our beach bag and the holidays are a few short months away. And with that comes the realization of another year’s passing. This is the time of year … Continued
I can now fully understand from firsthand experience what it means to want the very best for your child. As the mother of a 2½-yearold, I am fortunate in that it is still relatively easy to meet all of my daughter’s needs and to make her happy. While raising children in Silicon Valley — or … Continued
As a high net worth individual with a robust balance sheet, you may find yourself the intended recipient of an inheritance and for the purposes of generosity and tax efficiency, would rather pass on to other family members. This may be especially true if you have an asset base in excess of the Federal estate … Continued
The term “robo-advisor” has been getting so much press lately you’d think we were facing the rise of the machines. Images of an “advisor” who looks and sounds like C3PO from Star Wars asking, “When do you plan to retire? I repeat, when do you plan to retire?” run through my mind. Actually, robo or … Continued
Home ownership has long been appealing to families, not only because it fulfills a “dream” but also because home ownership has favored status in the tax code. As with many personal financial matters, purchasing a home cannot be reduced purely to “bottom-line” calculations. Emotions, particularly the heightening sense of economic security, can come from financially-appropriate … Continued