When it comes to estate planning, there are various key issues that people must consider when creating or making changes to an existing estate plan. Taxes play a critical role in the way in which assets are distributed and it is important for people to recognize that...

An estate is frozen the moment that a federal estate tax return is received by the IRS. This means that assets cannot be transferred, and other transactions cannot be initiated or completed until the return is accepted. When that happens, the IRS will send an estate...

Estate planning is not always easy in Georgia. While some people may have complicated assets, others might need to ensure heirs get their share of an inheritance. However, one problem is more universal. In general, estate plans are often not updated when they need to...

Estate planners in Georgia may have heard of something called upstream planning. Those who implement this strategy will first give an asset that has significantly appreciated in value to someone who is older than they are. The asset is then given back to the...

Georgia residents who are thinking about buying a property overseas for either investment or retirement purposes should be aware that foreign real estate holdings are considered part of an individual's gross estate by the government. This means that the value of these...

Although the current federal exemption is more than $11 million, some Georgia residents may still need additional protection against estate taxes. Annual gifting is one way to do this. Individuals can gift $15,000 per year per recipient, and this means couples can...

Just as it is important to plan for retirement, it is possibly even more important that people in the Georgia area carefully plan for the manner in which their estates will be handled upon their death. While there is no question that provisions should be made for...