Estate Planning Vault

Below are links to articles and other helpful Estate Planning resources.

The contents are only intended as general legal information and should not form the basis for legal advice of any kind. Every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information provided; however, laws frequently change and every situation is different, so please contact a experienced elder law attorney before taking action using this information.

To learn more on estate planning, visit John Gosselin's Blog.  As a thought leader in his field, Attorney Gosselin regularly posts his thoughts on current estate planning news and issues, as well as helpful tips and insights into various estate planning matters.

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Charitable Giving

• Charitable Contributions of IRA During Lifetime
• Charitable Gift Annuities: Making Your Generosity Pay
• Charitable Giving Attracts Middle Class
• Deduction Not Allowed When Trust Distributes Proceeds to Both Charitable and Non-Charitable Benefici
• Charitable Donations From An IRA No Longer Taxable
• Will You Owe Gift Tax This Year?

General

• 529 Plan Benefits Made Permanent by the Pension Protection Act
• ABA Study Questions Benefit of Estate Recovery Programs
• 9/11: Pause for a Moment of Deep Thought
• Adjust Your Assumptions
• Are You Saving Too Much For Retirement?
• Asset Protection - Nevada, Delaware, Alaska, Mars?
• Avoiding Probate
• Caregiver Contracts: A Growing Planning Trend For Families
• Choosing a Life Insurance Policy
• Common Misconceptions About Estate Planning
• CRTs and Excess Exclusion Income
• Dealing With Credit Card Debt
• Disinheriting a Relative Can Be Complicated
• Don't Waste Your Estate Tax Exemption
• Emotional Aspects of Estate Planning
• End of Year Money Tip
• Estate Planning - Baby, Baby, Baby
• Estate Planning: Boston Lawyer Battles Disease
• Estate Planning Terminology
• Estate Planning Lessons to be Learned From Anna Nicole Smith
• Estate Planning Pro
• Estate Planning - Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Ask Mitt Romney
• Generic Will Form Leads to Unlawful Practice of Law
• Estate Planning - Trip of a Lifetime, Ready to Leave Tomorrow?
• Exciting New Developments in Buy-Sell Planning
• Handicapped Adults Are Outliving Their Parents
• How to Contest a Will
• How Will The New Congress Affect Key Elder Law Issues
• Is It Better to Remarry or Just Live Together?
• Is It Time For a Life Insurance Audit?
• Is My Will Still Valid If I Move to Another State?
• Keeping Track of Your Will
• Make Sure Your Plan Beneficiary Choices Are Up To Date
• Make Your Estate Planning Appointment Efficient
• Making It Simple - Wills, Probate, Power of Attorney
• Managing a Windfall in Massachusetts: An Estate Planning Approach
• Microcredit
• New Planning Opportunities with Non-Spouse Rollovers
• Nursing Home Assessed Damages for Failing to Honor Patients Living Will
• "Parenting" Our Parents
• Planning for Disability
• Planning for Unmarried Couples
• Planning Is Particularly Important for Singles
• Preventing a Will Contest
• Redo Your Estate Plan Before You Remarry
• Romeo & Juliet at 84: Tragedy at Playful Acres of Verona
• 'Split-Level' Families Face Unique Estate Planning Challenges
• State Estate Planning Laws
• When Should You Take Your Social Security Retirement Benefits
• Structured Sale Annuity
• Tailoring a Will and Power of Attorney for Multiple States
• The Continuing Need for Life Insurance
• The Pension Protection Act - New Opportunities for Retirement Planning
• Understanding Educational Savings Vehicles
• Watch Your Money
• Web Site Aims to Take the Rancor Out of Dividing Up an Estate
• What's Holding You Back?
• What is a Health Care Proxy and Why do I Need One?
• Why Do We Do Estate Planning?
• Why Not Just Use an Off-the-Shelf Power of Attorney Form?
• Why Plan Your Estate?
• Claim Against for Accepting Attorney-in-Fact is Dismissed
• Estate Planning
• Estate Planning for Mere Mortals - Become a Super Hero for Your Family
• Gifts to Grandchildren
• Life Settlements: Understanding the Opportunity for Your Clients
• New Law Creates Exciting Planning Opportunities

IRA

• Charitable Contributions of IRA During Lifetime
• Charitable Donations From An IRA No Longer Taxable
• IRA to Roth: To Covert or Not To Convert

Long Term Care

• 9 LTC Questions
• Feds Launch New Website Promoting LTC Planning
• What a Good Long-Term Care Policy Should Include
• Guide to Long Term Care Planning
• How Much Long-Term Care Insurance is Enough?
• Insurers and the Government Endeavor to make LTC Policies More Attractive
• Long Term Care Benefits for Veterans and Surviving Spouses
• Long-Term Care Insurance A Better Bet For Women, Study Finds
• Long Term Care Insurance Information
• LTC Insurance Partnership Will Allow More Policyholders To Exceed Medicaids Asset Limits
• Medicaid Rules for Long Term Care Planning
• Most Misunderstand LTC Costs and Coverage, AARP Survey Finds
• New Insurance Offers Coverage In Case of Long Life
• Tightening Medicaid Rules Will Not Increase LTC
• Veterans Long Term Care Benefits
• Long-Term Care Insurance

Medicaid

• It's Official: Draconian New Medicaid Transfer Rules Enacted
• Judge Dismisses Suit Challenging Constitutionality of DRA
• LTC Insurance Partnership Will Allow More Policyholders To Exceed Medicaids Asset Limits
• Medicaid Planning
• Medicaid Recovery Of Home Catches Many Families By Surprise
• Medicaid Rules for Long Term Care Planning
• Medicare & Medicaid Use Computer Software to Detect Potential Abuses
• What Do The New Medicaid Transfer Rules Mean To You
• Tightening Medicaid Rules Will Not Increase LTC

Medicare

• Beware of Medicare Part D Scammers
• Coordinating Medicare and Employer Coverage
• Democrats Plan to Tackle Part D
• Medicare Continue to Reduce Improper Claims Payments
• Medicare Drug Plan Prices to Increase After All
• Medicare Handbook Controversy
• Medicare & Medicaid Use Computer Software to Detect Potential Abuses
• Medicare Part D Enrollment Begins November 15
• Part D Recipients Must Repay Mistaken Refunds, Court Rules

Reverse Mortgages

• For Seniors Finally Something They Can Really Reverse: Their Mortgage
• Reverse Mortgages: Helping Seniors Improve Their Quality of Life or the Road to Financial Ruin?
• Reverse Mortgage Loans

Special Needs

• 10 Tips for Helping Families with Special Needs
• Special Needs Trust Distribution Is Considered Income

Taxes

• Election Results and Taxes
• Entire Annuity Death Benefit is Subject to Inheritance Tax
• Fixing Estate Tax at 2009 Level Appears to have Senate Support
• Gifts and Taxes
• Income Tax Planning
• New Tax Break Helps Surviving Spouses
• Planning for the New "Zero Percent" Tax Bracket
• Practical Applications of Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation
• Senate Affirms Support for $3.5M Estate Tax Exemption
• Seniors Need to File Tax Return to Get Rebate Check
• Simplifying the Taxation of Trusts
• Tax Credits
• Tax Deductions for Home-Based Businesses
• Taxes Are Not the Only Concern with Estate Plans
• Taxes on Gifts Made During Lifetime Versus at Death
• Temporary Capital Gains Tax Break Can Help Seniors
• Things to Remember at Tax Time
• Will You Owe Gift Tax This Year?

Trusts

• A/B Marital Trusts Still a Good Option for Some
• Choosing a Trustee: Don't Mix Fiduciary Responsibility and Family!
• Consider Putting Gifts to Grandchildren in a Trust
• Deduction Not Allowed When Trust Distributes Proceeds to Both Charitable and Non-Charitable Benefici
• Opportunities for Planning for Pets
• Policy Reviews of Trust Owned Life Insurance (TOLI)
• Providing for Your Pet with a Trust
• Rudkin Trust: Are Investment Advisor Fees Fully Deductible?
• State Estate Tax Laws
• States Go After Living Trust Scams
• Termination Clause Renders Irrevocable Trust and Available Resource
• Trusting Trusts
• Trusts as an Estate Plan Component
• Understanding the Significance of Trusts
• Widow May Reach Assets in Revocable Trust for Payment of Spousal Allowance