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 Tax
Estate plans do not last forever
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...
Why upstream planning can be beneficial
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...
Determining the gross value of an estate
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...
Strategies for reducing estate tax
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...
Discernment is key when estate planning with adult children
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...