Personal Finance – Page 3 – Safe Retirement Income

January 6, 2016 by Tim Barton Leave a Comment

2015 and 2016 Federal Income Tax Rate Tables for Individuals

Welcome to Tax Year 2016. To prepare for the upcoming tax preparation season download these handy PDF Federal Income Tax Rate Tables for Individuals.

2016 Federal Income Tax Rates for Individuals

2016 Federal Tax Digest

The 2016 Tax Digest Includes:

Income tax rates, deductions, credits.
Kiddie tax, child tax credit
E education deductions and credits
Social Security/Medicare
Retirement Plan Contribution/Benefit Limits

2015 Federal Income Tax Rates for Individuals

2015 Federal Tax Digest

The 2015 Tax Digest Includes:

Income tax rates, deductions, credits.
Kiddie tax, child tax credit
E education deductions and credits
Social Security/Medicare
Retirement Plan Contribution/Benefit Limits

December 30, 2015 by Tim Barton Leave a Comment

What Is the Marital Deduction?

The marital deduction (I.R.C. Sections 2056 and 2523) eliminates both the federal estate and gift tax on transfers of property between spouses, in effect treating them as one economic unit. The amount of property that can be transferred between them is unlimited, meaning that a spouse can transfer all of his or her property to the other spouse, during lifetime or at death, and completely escape any federal estate or gift tax on this first transfer. However, property transferred in excess of the unified credit equivalent will ultimately be subject to estate tax in the estate of the surviving spouse.

The 2010 Tax Relief Act, however, provided for “portability” of the maximum estate tax unified credit between spouses if death occurred in 2011 or 2012. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 subsequently made the portability provision permanent. This means that a surviving spouse can elect to take advantage of any unused portion of the estate tax unified credit of a deceased spouse (the equivalent of $5,000,000 as adjusted for inflation; $5,450,000 in 2016). As a result, with this election and careful estate planning, married couples can effectively shield up to at least $10 million (as adjusted for inflation) from the federal estate and gift tax without use of marital deduction planning techniques. Property transferred to the surviving spouse in excess of the combined unified credit equivalent will be subject to estate tax in the estate of the surviving spouse.

If the surviving spouse is predeceased by more than one spouse, the additional exclusion amount available for use by the surviving spouse is equal to the lesser of $5 million ($5,450,000 in 2016 as adjusted for inflation) or the unused exclusion of the last deceased spouse.

What Requirements Apply to the Marital Deduction?

To qualify for the marital deduction, the decedent must have been married and either a citizen or resident of the U.S. at the time of death.

In addition, the property interest:

Must be included in the decedent’s gross estate,
Must pass from the decedent to his or her surviving spouse
Cannot represent a terminable interest (property ownership that ends upon a specified event or after a predetermined period of time).

August 25, 2015 by Tim Barton Leave a Comment

Paying the Estate Tax Bill

The federal government will not accept a percentage of your estate as payment for your estate tax bill. Instead, your estate tax bill must be paid in cash, and it must be paid within nine months after your death.

If your estate is subject to the federal estate tax, there are FOUR ways to provide your estate with the cash needed to pay your estate tax bill:

1. 100% METHOD

You could accumulate enough cash in your estate to pay your estate tax bill outright. Rarely, however, does a successful person accumulate such large sums of cash. Instead, the reason for financial success is usually due to the investment of cash in appreciating assets, rather than accumulating it in a bank.

2. 100% PLUS METHOD

Your estate could borrow the cash needed to pay your estate tax bill. This, however, only defers the problem, since the money will then have to be repaid with interest.

3. ASSET LIQUIDATION METHOD

Your estate could liquidate sufficient assets to pay your estate tax bill. This choice may make sense if your estate owns considerable assets that can be readily sold for a gain following your death. Keep in mind, however, that if a forced liquidation is necessary, it may bring only a small fraction of the true value of your assets. In addition, sales expenses are bound to be incurred.

4. DISCOUNT METHOD

Assuming you qualify, you can arrange now to pay your estate tax bill with life insurance dollars. For every dollar your estate needs, you can give an insurance company from approximately one to seven cents a year, depending on your age and health. No matter how long you live, it is unlikely you will ever give the insurance company more than 100 cents on the dollar. In addition, the life insurance policy can frequently be structured to accommodate your unique premium payment requirements.

January 25, 2015 by Tim Barton Leave a Comment

What is Trust?

The word “trust” is applied to all types of relationships, both personal and business, to indicate that one person has confidence in another person.

For our purposes, a trust is a legal device for the management of property. Through a trust, one person (the “grantor” or “trustor”) transfers the legal title of property to another person (the “trustee“), who then manages the property in a specified manner for the benefit of a third person (the “trust beneficiary“). A separation of the legal and beneficial interests in the property is a common denominator of all trusts.

In other words, the legal rights of property ownership and control rest with the trustee, who then has the responsibility of managing the property as directed by the grantor in the trust document for the ultimate benefit of the trust beneficiary.

A trust can be a living trust, which takes effect during the lifetime of the grantor, or it can be a testamentary trust, which is created by the will and does not become operative until death.

Also, a trust can be a revocable trust, meaning that the grantor retains the right to terminate the trust during lifetime and recover the trust assets, or it can be an irrevocable trust; one that the grantor cannot change or discontinue the trust or recover assets transferred from the trust.

Trusts are used:

To provide management of assets for the benefit of minor children, assuring the grantor that children will benefit from trust assets. They will not have control of the trust assets until the child is at least age of maturity.
To manage assets for the benefit of a disabled child, without disqualifying the child from receiving government benefits.
To provide for the grantor’s children from a previous marriage.
As an alternative to a will (a “revocable living trust”).
To reduce estate taxes and, possibly, income taxes.
To provide for a surviving spouse during his/her lifetime, with the remaining trust assets passing to the grantor’s other named beneficiaries at the surviving spouse’s death.

Trusts are complex legal documents and are not appropriate in all situations. Before establishing a trust, you should seek qualified legal advice.