Insights: Estate Planning Services

The long and short of succession planning

June 25, 2021

For many business owners, putting together a succession plan may seem like an overwhelming task. It might even seem unnecessary for those who are relatively young and have no intention of giving up ownership anytime soon. But if the past year or so has taught us anything, it’s that anything can happen. Owners who’ve built…

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Getting a divorce? There are tax issues you need to understand

October 8, 2019

In addition to the difficult personal issues that divorce entails, several tax concerns need to be addressed to ensure that taxes are kept to a minimum and that important tax-related decisions are properly made. Here are four issues to understand if you are in the process of getting a divorce. Alimony or support payments. For alimony…

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Take advantage of the gift tax exclusion rules

October 6, 2019

As we head toward the gift-giving season, you may be considering giving gifts of cash or securities to your loved ones. Taxpayers can transfer substantial amounts free of gift taxes to their children and others each year through the use of the annual federal gift tax exclusion. The amount is adjusted for inflation annually. For…

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The key to retirement security is picking the right plan for your business

September 6, 2019

If you’re a small business owner or you’re involved in a start-up, you may want to set up a tax-favored retirement plan for yourself and any employees. Several types of plans are eligible for tax advantages. 401(k) plan One of the best-known retirement plan options is the 401(k) plan. It provides for employer contributions made…

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Putting together the succession planning and retirement planning puzzle

September 2, 2019

Everyone needs to plan for retirement. But as a business owner, you face a distinctive challenge in that you must save for your golden years while also creating, updating and eventually executing a succession plan. This is no easy task, but you can put the puzzle pieces together by answering some fundamental questions: When do…

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“Innocent spouses” may get relief from tax liability

August 12, 2019

When a married couple files a joint tax return, each spouse is “jointly and severally” liable for the full amount of tax on the couple’s combined income. Therefore, the IRS can come after either spouse to collect the entire tax — not just the part that’s attributed to one spouse or the other. This includes…

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Grading the performance of your company’s retirement plan

June 19, 2019

Imagine giving your company’s retirement plan a report card. Would it earn straight A’s in preparing your participants for their golden years? Or is it more of a C student who could really use some extra help after school? Benchmarking can tell you. Mind the basics More than likely, you already use certain criteria to…

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Thinking about moving to another state in retirement? Don’t forget about taxes

May 23, 2019

When you retire, you may consider moving to another state — say, for the weather or to be closer to your loved ones. Don’t forget to factor state and local taxes into the equation. Establishing residency for state tax purposes may be more complicated than it initially appears to be. Identify all applicable taxes It…

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Your succession plan may benefit from a separation of business and real estate

May 22, 2019

Like most businesses, yours probably has a variety of physical assets, such as production equipment, office furnishings and a plethora of technological devices. But the largest physical asset in your portfolio may be your real estate holdings — that is, the building and the land it sits on. Under such circumstances, many business owners choose…

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Family businesses need succession plans, too

March 26, 2019

Those who run family-owned businesses often underestimate the need for a succession plan. After all, they say, we’re a family business — there will always be a family member here to keep the company going and no one will stand in the way. Not necessarily. In one all-too-common scenario, two of the owner’s children inherit…

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