I am a resident of Florida. I would like to leave my condo in Florida to my friend’s daughter, who I consider my stepdaughter, after my death. She is a resident of New Jersey and they would use the condo as a vacation home. Will she be considered my daughter for tax purposes, and which state’s tax laws will count?
It is also important to realize that it isn’t merely “why” you are updating your will, but “when” you are updating that can make all the difference. Acting too late (or too early) may mean your changes are no longer appropriate or even immediately invalidated.
Bitcoin has gone in value from less than one cent in 2010 to a high of $20,000 in 2017, to a value at the end of July 2020 of nearly $11,000. Now the U.S. Congress is holding hearings on the digitization of the dollar, so cryptocurrency has become an increasingly important financial tool for individuals and businesses.
The saying goes that anyone who does not learn from mistakes in the past, is doomed to repeat them. In estate planning, if you do not learn from other’s mistakes, you are likely to repeat them.
Usually, when you make a simple change in the title from tenants in common to joint tenants, the taxing authorities will ignore that change.
For example, did you name someone as an heir who is no longer in favor with you or—worse yet—has died? Who should get what they would have gotten? Are there now new people in your life—be they family members or not—whom you might wish to share in what you may have?
I am currently married but I purchased a home from my mother before my marriage. I added my younger sister to the deed at the time of purchase, so the house would remain in the family if something happened to me. I have been paying the mortgage and bills myself for three years now. However, now that I’m married to a great woman, who would get the house when I die?
By discussing finances with your children early and often, you can set them—and future generations—up for success, when it’s time to receive the wealth you’ve accrued.
All real estate investors need to consider what to do with all of their real estate assets when estate planning. After all, the last thing you want is to have your will end up in probate court, where it could be years before your estate settles. With that in mind, here are some options on how to include real estate investments in your will.
James Brown died on Christmas Day 2006. However, almost 15 years later, litigation over his estate rages on. The Godfather of Soul had bequeathed the majority of his assets to underprivileged students in South Carolina and Georgia, but not a single scholarship has been given, pointed out Donald W. Beatty, Chief Justice of South Carolina’s Supreme Court.