Darla Mercado writes about retirement issues and products, including taxes, annuities and 401(k) plans. She welcomes feedback and tips from readers on interesting topics. Outside of the newsroom, Darla spends her time inline skating, biking, running and swimming. She Tweets at: @Darla_Mercado
Don't celebrate just yet: financial planning pitfalls still abound.
They're a great way to save on federal taxes, but state treatments differ widely
With the estate tax exclusion being set at $5.25 million per person, it's easy for affluent clients whose estates don't quite hit that level to write off creating estate plans or building trusts. But even those in-between clients benefit from establishing trusts in select scenarios.
But B-D is looking to purchase asset managers, he says
Details are incomplete, but it is clear that the filing point to the growing bifurcation in the variable annuity pool of offerings: There will continue to be traditional variable annuities with living benefits, but more and more, carriers will be bringing out products that are largely investment-focused.
Moving a trust to another state can extend its life or reduce your income taxes.
Moving a trust to another state can extend its life or reduce a client's income taxes
Advisers need to watch that clients do not inadvertently inflate their income and Medicare costs
