August 31, 2009
By Sabrina Winters
As an attorney who has a passion for helping families put their affairs in order and plan for their families future, I am not a proponent of a “do it yourself” Estate Plan. The biggest reason is that so many times they fail because of the lack of counseling that an educated, experienced and caring [...]
August 25, 2009
By Sabrina Winters
It is so tempting to take the easy less expensive way out; we have all done it at one time or another. However, when having legal documents drawn for use in North Carolina, you will want to think very carefully about doing so with LegalZoom and instead seek the guidance of a well educated, skilled [...]
August 21, 2009
By Sabrina Winters
Without getting into the specific provisions of Michael Jackson’s Will (because that is an entirely other story), the biggest mistake (in my opinion) was that Michael Jackson trusted the wrong people. Both his attorneys and his financial advisors failed him in advising him and guiding him. With all the money and assets that he had, [...]
August 20, 2009
By Sabrina Winters
The Gift Tax annual exclusion in 2009 is $13,000. This allows an individual to gift up to $13,000 of cash property per year to each child (or any other person), free of any gift tax. If you are married, you can gift $26,000 per year, per person tax-free. This could be from your property, your [...]
August 19, 2009
By Sabrina Winters
This is probably the most popular type of arrangement for married couples with substantial estates. It provides that at the death of the first spouse, his/her estate will be split into two parts. One part, equal to the estate tax exemption amount ($3,500,000 in 2009) would go into a Trust so it would not be [...]
August 18, 2009
By Sabrina Winters
You may not think you have a “small” estate after knowing the following. Assets that are included in determining the value of your Estate may surprise you. Your gross estate for Federal estate tax purposes is a broad concept. It is not limited to probate property or by state tax exemptions. It includes all your [...]
August 17, 2009
By Sabrina Winters
I wanted to comment on a phone call I received the other day. I received a call from a married mom with two minor children. Both parents work full time and drive to and from work. She and her husband currently did not have any Estate Planning in place. They both had life insurance policies [...]
August 13, 2009
By Sabrina Winters
Life Insurance is a great estate planning tool. It is not only a way to provide for your surviving spouse but also a way to provide for your children after you pass. However, if the intent is to provide for your children you must realize that if they are minors and you do not have [...]
August 11, 2009
By Sabrina Winters
If you are a surviving spouse and need some assistance on where to start and what to do regarding claiming spousal benefits, you may want to consider visiting http://www.aarp.org/family/lifeafterloss/articles/final_details_claiming_benefits.html and reading the article “Final Details: Claiming Benefits” compiled by AARP. It is a good start and should help alleviate a few obstacles or at the [...]
August 9, 2009
By Sabrina Winters
We are all looking to save money where we can. We cut back on the car wash – we wash our own cars now. We cut back on going to the movies – we rent more now. We save on gas – we make more stops in the same trip. Doing all these things will [...]
