New Jersey Estate Planning & Probate Law Center

Your Information source for wills, trusts, estate tax minimization, powers of attorney, living wills, health care directives, special needs trusts, asset protection, charitable giving, guardianship, succession planning, retirement and estate administration.

Dying in 2010: Chaos

Inaction by Congress has left the dying/inheritance process in chaos! Uncertainty reigns! No one knows what to do! Although in 2010 ONLY there is no limit on the amount of money and other assets a person can leave to heirs without having to pay federal estate taxes, there are a number of critical caveats. CAVEAT [...]

Estate Tax Pitfalls Seen In Court Case

Few things get people madder at their estate planners than fights over who must pay taxes when someone dies. A big source of trouble: the patchwork of state rules that apply. Most states say those who inherit have to share the tax burden for an estate. Many wills include provisions designed to take care of [...]

2010 Estate Tax Repeal and New Capital Gains Regime

Congress instead substituted a new system of taxation that will potentially collect more taxes from many of our clients than the estate tax.

Pointers on the Yearly Gift Tax Exemption

When you give money or property to another person as a gift, you may have to pay a gift tax. The tax is paid by the donor. The person receiving the gift does not have to pay the tax The exemptions for gifts and the gift tax rates are established by the IRS. In 2009 [...]

Year End Estate Planning Tips – Make Annual Exclusion Gifts

This year the annual gift tax exclusion is $13,000 per person and in 2010 the exclusion will remain the same.

Estate Planning Discussions: difficult, emotional and stressful

Delaying these discussions can lead to significant family hardship and a loss of highly prized and hard-earned assets.

Non-Resident Estate Tax Trap

If you aren’t a citizen or resident of the United States, and want to own U.S. shares, don’t hold them in your own name.

Estate tax future unclear

Many commentators do not believe that a permanent fix for the federal tax will emerge anytime soon.

Six Estate Planning Myths

The most time-consuming aspect of estate planning is educating clients and dispelling common misconceptions that most people have regarding Wills, Trusts, Estate Taxes and Probate. Over the years, we have identified six recurring misconceptions which many of our clients carry with them into our first conference: MYTH #1 – “I DON’T HAVE A WILL” New [...]