Estate planning

Finding a way to keep clients safe while generating more income in the markets.

The professor of law and taxation at the University of Virginia discusses the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

This year's tax deal could radically shift the way your clients handle tax and estate issues. Here are some strategies to consider.

Chicago businessman Urooj Khan jumped for joy when he learned he had the winning numbers for a million-dollar lottery drawing last summer. Too bad he never had a chance to enjoy it.

Jenni Rivera was a singer-songwriter, actress and Telemundo TV star who died tragically and now her estate will be as rocky as her life.

“It’s a good time to be an advisor,” said IRA Expert Ed Slott. “There’s a tremendous opportunity now because you have certainty.”

The impact of last week’s tax accord in Congress -- officially known as the American Tax Relief Act of 2012 -- is likely to be far wider and more complex than many have imagined. And many of these complexities will directly impact financial advisors.

In the wake of the newly-passed American Tax Relief Act of 2012, it’s likely many wealthy clients will continue to make large family gifts. If they are giving away hard-to-value assets, they might consider following a tactic from the Wandry case, decided by the Tax Court in 2012.

The last-minute tax deal cobbled together in Washington contained several key elements for estate planning. Now advisors can break the good news to wealthy clients:

The Internal Revenue Service released new income tax withholding tables for 2013 late Monday to reflect the expiration of the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts and the more recent payroll tax cuts of 2011 and 2012, but noted that the guidance would be modified if Congress acts.

What advisors can still do to protect business owners' assets even though last year is gone.

A portion of the health care law could carry some unpleasant surprises for high-income taxpayers.

With little more than a day remaining to avert tax increases for almost every U.S. worker and to halt federal spending cuts, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell worked to bridge gaps over income tax rates, the estate tax and other issues.

Small businesses may be facing a variety of regulatory changes after January 1.

Abraham Lincoln is one of the most notable examples of someone dying without a will. This begs the question, what happened to Lincoln’s estate after he died?

Billionaire investors Warren Buffett and George Soros are calling on Congress to increase the estate tax as lawmakers near a decision on tax policies that expire Dec. 31.

Self-settled trusts seem to offer the impossible: They remove assets from an individual's estate while still allowing them to benefit from them.

The annual gift tax exclusion, which has been $13,000 since 2009, will be $14,000 in 2013, the IRS has announced.

It’s no surprise the middle class bore the brunt, but what steps can they take?

One could only imagine what George Jefferson — the wise-cracking character who was “movin’ on up” on the 1970's TV hit, The Jeffersons — would have said about this predicament. The body of actor Sherman Hemsley, who played George Jefferson, has been kept on ice for the last 3 1/2 months.