The CapitalWize Q&A column addresses your wealth management questions courtesy of the Capital Formation Group, Inc. I have quite a bit of stock in my company. Should this be used for charitable giving? If your publicly traded stock has been owned by you for more than 12 months and has appreciated a good deal, it [...]
I have quite a bit of stock in my company. Should this be used for charitable giving?
December 14, 2011 by
How can I know how much we should save and invest now to live well later in life?
December 6, 2011 by
The CapitalWize Q&A column addresses your wealth management questions courtesy of the Capital Formation Group, Inc. Both my spouse and I enjoy living well, but I am concerned that we spend too much now and might not be able to maintain this lifestyle once we retire. How can I know how much we should [...]
I have quite a bit of stock in my company. Should this be used for charitable giving?
November 30, 2011 by
The CapitalWize Q&A column addresses your wealth management questions courtesy of the Capital Formation Group, Inc. I have quite a bit of stock in my company. Should this be used for charitable giving? If your publicly traded stock has been owned by you for more than 12 months and has appreciated a good [...]
How is it a good thing, investments to a trust and income taxes?
November 25, 2011 by
The CapitalWize Q&A column addresses your wealth management questions courtesy of the Capital Formation Group, Inc. My CPA told me that giving investments to a trust irrevocably removes them from my estate. She said I could still pay all the income taxes on those investments as though that is a good thing! Why would [...]
Is it possible to remove assets from my estate yet still have my spouse benefit from them?
November 16, 2011 by
The CapitalWize Q&A column addresses your wealth management questions courtesy of the Capital Formation Group, Inc. Is it possible to remove assets from my estate yet still have my spouse benefit from them? Yes, it is possible; and in fact, commonly done. Using a grantor trust where your spouse is neither the grantor (you are) [...]
My attorney talked about a trust that I own for some tax purposes but not for others. Could you clarify?
November 11, 2011 by
The CapitalWize Q&A column addresses your wealth management questions courtesy of the Capital Formation Group, Inc. My attorney talked about a trust that I own for some tax purposes but not for others. Could you clarify? Your attorney was probably talking about a grantor trust. In an estate plan, the trust is designed to be [...]
You have talked about the need for trusts but I have been less than impressed with Trust companies
November 1, 2011 by
The CapitalWize Q&A column addresses your wealth management questions courtesy of the Capital Formation Group, Inc. You have talked about the need for trusts but I have been less than impressed with Trust companies and don’t want them managing my money. Any suggestions? A number of states now have “directed trust” statutes. This means [...]
What is risk tolerance?
October 25, 2011 by
The CapitalWize Q&A column addresses your wealth management questions courtesy of the Capital Formation Group, Inc. What is risk tolerance? No matter what else they may tell you, no one likes to lose money at any time so everyone’s real answer is zero risk tolerance. In reality, all investing, and the search for any [...]
A friend of mine mentioned a family partnership. What are some of the advantages?
October 18, 2011 by
The CapitalWize Q&A column addresses your wealth management questions courtesy of the Capital Formation Group, Inc. A friend of mine mentioned a family partnership. What are some of the advantages? A Family Limited Partnership is very useful in a number of ways. They include: consolidating assets for the family’s investments, protection against creditors and [...]
Why is life insurance used in an estate plan?
October 11, 2011 by
The CapitalWize Q&A column addresses your wealth management questions courtesy of the Capital Formation Group, Inc. Why is life insurance used in an estate plan? In some situations, life insurance is used to mitigate the negative impact of estate taxes. This may be particularly true in business succession planning. More often in our plans [...]
What’s the big difference between paying gift taxes and estate taxes since they are paid at the same rates?
October 5, 2011 by
The CapitalWize Q&A column addresses your wealth management questions courtesy of the Capital Formation Group, Inc. What’s the big difference between paying gift taxes and estate taxes since they are paid at the same rates? You are correct about using the same rates. The difference is in how those rates are calculated. Using the [...]
If I change the beneficiary on my insurance policy to a trust, will my estate pay taxes on the death benefit?
September 27, 2011 by
The CapitalWize Q&A column addresses your wealth management questions courtesy of the Capital Formation Group, Inc. If I change the beneficiary on my insurance policy to a trust, will my estate pay taxes on the death benefit? Many people have made the mistake of simply changing a beneficiary designation and no other “incidents of [...]
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