Estate planning

Leona Helmsley, widely regarded as the “Queen of Mean” before she died at age 87 in 2007, left behind a fortune valued by some to be worth $40 to $80 billion. She earmarked twelve million dollars to take care of her dog, Trouble, until the Judge reduced it to a paltry $2 million.

While Whitney Houston was recently admitted to rehab, she has one other big concern that she still has to face - her no-holds-barred court fight with her late father’s widow.

Irvin Feld was a rock-and-roll promoter who purchased “The Greatest Show on Earth” in 1967. He created a promotion company to manage the Ringling Bros. Circus, along with Disney on Ice and monster truck shows, but none of his shows have been as eventful as what’s happened between his two children the last few years.

Estate plans work great when someone dies—but it's when clients live into old age that planning gets hard.

A defined benefit cash balance plan is ideal for high income business owners.

SEI finds that talking about money may still be taboo.

The Michael Jackson Estate has featured fireworks since very shortly after Michael died on June 25, 2009. His mother, Katherine Jackson, was not happy about non-family members, including attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain, being named as executors of his estate. So she hired lawyers and challenged the executors in probate court. They fought … and fought … and fought.

Investors and advisors are concerned about IRAs and Ed Slott provides the answers.

If your clients want to know the best way to buy gold, the answer may depend on whether they are acting as collectors or investors.

A popular axiom – referred to as Occam’s razor - holds that we should tend towards simpler approaches until we must trade simplicity for increased explanatory power. For estate trustees and beneficiaries considering tax strategies in the disposition of 2010 estate assets, this principle is a sound guideline.

Kevin Batterton will run business development and portfolio management

National Advisors Trust launched a program on Monday to put a dedicated trust officer in registered investment advisor offices in order to create opportunities for more long-term trust business with high net worth clients.

Hershey Trust announced Tuesday that Bryn Mawr Trust will buy its private wealth group.

High-net-worth families can leverage the $5 million exemption.

Looking at the most probable future reduces uncertainties to a more manageable level while not concealing risks.

Estate tax reform in 2010 was marked by significant disagreement from both the House and Senate on whether any changes should be temporary or permanent.

The possibility that there will a $1 million estate-tax exemption, plus a higher tax rate, in two years makes a compelling case for the wealthy to give money to their family now.

A dire diagnosis will drive many people into an advisor's office, whether to free up cash for treatment, finally confront the need for an estate plan or update an existing one.

What you don't know could negatively affect your clients' benefits.

New state laws pave the way for improved strategies and solutions in trust management.