Blog - "Altman Speaks"

A Special Needs Trust is a Valuable Estate Planning and Investment Tool

There is much confusion over the function of a Special Needs Trust. Special Needs Trusts (sometimes referred to as Supplemental Needs Trusts) are designed to provide benefits to, and protect the assets of, physically disabled or mentally disabled persons while still allowing them to be qualified for and receive governmental health care benefits, especially long-term […]

Are Debts Inherited? ¿Se Heredan Las Deudas?

In an article with Yahoo! EN ESPAÑOL, award-winning estate planner, Gary Altman, Esq., answers questions about what happens to debts of the deceased. The full article can be viewed (in Spanish) here. Gary's complete responses are below: 60% of Americans will die without having a legitimate will in place. Even more shocking is that, according to a 2004 survey […]

The Death of Baseball Icon, George Steinbrenner

This week, we lost one of baseball’s iconic owners, George Steinbrenner. He bought the New York Yankees from CBS over 30 years ago at a price tag of about 10 million dollars. As a long-term Yankee fan, I, like most New Yorkers, have had a love-hate relationship with George Steinbrenner and his handling of the […]

Three Senators Call For Billionaire Estate Surtax

Three U.S. Senators are calling for a 10% “Billionaire’s Surtax.” In a letter addressed to their colleagues, the three senators who are advocating for the tax write, “According to Forbes Magazine, there are only 403 billionaires in the U.S. with a collective net worth of $1.3 trillion. Clearly, the heirs to these multibillion fortunes should be […]

Alaska Latest State To Pre-Validate Wills

Alaska has officially joined the short list of states (North Dakota, Arkansas and Ohio) that allow people to safe-guard their wills against challenges after death. The law, signed this month by Governor Sean Parnell, allows people to “prove” a will in probate and also have trusts declared valid. The idea is that this will protect […]

"Pay Now, Die Later" - Congress Contemplates a Prepaid Estate Tax

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Congress is contemplating a "prepaid" estate tax. It is unclear exactly how such a model would work, but one scenario would allow people to create “prepayment trusts” in which they'd put assets into the trust for five years and pay a 35% capital-gains tax on the gains of […]

May is Older Americans Month!

Little known fact: May is Older Americans Month. Here's a passage from Administration on Aging's web site, detailing the History of Older Americans Month: When Older Americans Month was established in 1963, only 17 million living Americans had reached their 65th birthdays. About a third of older Americans lived in poverty and there were few […]

A Cautionary Tale - Do Not Put Off Estate Planning

The biggest hurdle facing estate planners is proscrationation. No one expects anything bad to happen. Most figure they can wait one more day, one more week, one more month to do estate planning. Some opt to buy that flat screen TV or go on another vacation rather than to do estate planning. In fairness, most of […]

Hospital Discrimination Against Gay & Lesbian Couples

Last week, President Obama signed a memorandum requiring any hospital that received Medicare or Medicaid funding to permit gays and lesbians to have non-family visitors and to grant their partners medical power of attorney. Prior to this legislation, many hospitals insisted that only family members by blood or marriage be allowed to visit patients - denying gay […]

IRS Misses Out On $4 Billion in Estate Tax Revenues

Houston gas mogul, Dan Duncan, was the 74th richest person in the world when he died last month. His $9 Billion estate might have meant upwards of $4 Billion for the IRS, however, with no federal estate tax imposed this year, they get nothing. This scenario, some believe, could encourage lawmakers to push to retroactively impose an estate tax. Others […]

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Recent Posts

A Special Needs Trust is a Valuable Estate Planning and Investment Tool

Are Debts Inherited? ¿Se Heredan Las Deudas?

The Death of Baseball Icon, George Steinbrenner

Three Senators Call For Billionaire Estate Surtax

Alaska Latest State To Pre-Validate Wills

"Pay Now, Die Later" - Congress Contemplates a Prepaid Estate Tax

May is Older Americans Month!

A Cautionary Tale - Do Not Put Off Estate Planning

Hospital Discrimination Against Gay & Lesbian Couples

IRS Misses Out On $4 Billion in Estate Tax Revenues

« Previous 1 … 66 67 68 69 70 … 77 Next »