Tag: inheritance

  • The Good & Bad News About Estate Tax

    The One Big Beautiful Bill, now a law, “permanently” increased the maximum lifetime exclusion amount that any US citizen or resident can use to shelter gifted assets or assets passing at death from the federal gift or estate tax. The new estate and gift tax exclusion beginning in 2026 is $15 million per US citizen…

  • Managing Aging Parents’ Finances

    Making financial decisions takes time, attention and energy at any age. In the case of elderly adults, it may become increasingly difficult to manage finances, particularly if their health is declining or they’re experiencing a cognitive issue. If you’re providing support to aging parents—or plan to in the future—here are some tips on how to…

  • Documenting Your Hopes & Values

    Parents have their own unique perspective on how to raise their children, and what values and lessons to instill. They also have personal beliefs about how their children should manage money. Most parents would prefer that an inheritance serve to enrich and support their child’s life rather than replace the need to work or find…

  • I’m a Trustee… Now What?

    Inheriting property can be both a gift and challenge. As a trustee, you’re not just receiving real estate, you’re inheriting family responsibilities, property maintenance and tax implications. In Hawai‘i, the complexity increases given the unique real estate landscape. So what options can maximize the potential of your inheritance? Consider the 1031 Exchange, which permits trustees…

  • Passing on Keepsakes

    Passing on keepsakes to those we care about and who we know will cherish them can be a meaningful experience. We hope that the recipient of these items will continue to find value and meaning in the keepsake long after we are gone.

  • Seniors Assess Lifelong Collections of Heirlooms & Valuables

    How have seniors changed their perspective on aging over the years? We seem to be working many more with seniors than ever before. As we get to know them, they share that they seem to be more involved than ever in helping their children financially, and also support their children and grandchildren by offering childcare.

  • Meaningful Legacies

    What are you leaving behind? This is a question that all too many of us fail to address before it’s too late. It’s not just a question about money, but about the entire heritage that you want to pass on to future generations—to those in your family and even to society as a whole.

  • Who Gets My Stuff?

    You may have heard the old joke, “where there’s a will … I want to be in it.” That may be true, but is estate planning really all about “who gets my stuff?” Who gets your stuff is important, but when you sift through the reasons for doing estate planning, you may find that identifying…

  • Adequate, Equal, Equitable, or Fair?

    We often struggle with the concepts of equal, equitable, fair, and adequate when it comes to the distribution of our assets among our children. Understanding the meaning of each term helps us make the decision that most closely reflects our intention.

  • Blessing or Curse?

    Receiving an inheritance is like winning the lottery. What could possibly be wrong with that? Callie Rogers, age 16, won $3.1 million in a British lottery. By the  age of 22 she was broke, living with her mother, and working three cleaning jobs. William Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania Lottery in 1988…