As many of you know, the new Democratic Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, was engaged in a recent budget showdown with members of his own party. A last minute government shutdown was avoided, however, as the legislature and the Governor came to terms on a variety of tax increases and spending priorities. For more […]
It’s official. According to NJ.com, Governor Christopher Christie has signed a bill to repeal the New Jersey Estate Tax. The new law is part of a larger package deal that increases the gas tax, reduces the sales tax slightly, gives the working poor a larger tax credit, gives a tax cut on retirement income and gives a tax […]
According to NJ.com, effective October 7, 2016, the New Jersey Legislature has approved a bill that will repeal the New Jersey estate tax. We are only awaiting the signature of Governor Christopher Christie before the law is enacted, and rumor is that he has promised to sign the bill. Under current New Jersey law, a […]
I tend not to get too excited about any legislation until it is actually signed, but there is a fair amount of rumbling from both Republicans and Democrats about repealing the NJ Estate Tax. The NJ Transportation Trust fund is running out of money, and Governor Christie has refused to sign any deal to increase […]
A colleague of mine, David Saltzman, has written a nice article on the Basics of Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts. As he points out, setting up a life insurance trust is a great way to minimize your estate tax liability and it can be especially important in New Jersey. Dave is a great resource and knows […]
One of the questions I frequently get is: What is involved with probate in New Jersey? In some jurisdictions, I know attorneys go out of their way to help their clients avoid the probate process by creating trusts and titling assets so that they can be transferred automatically on death. In New Jersey, probate usually is […]
In New Jersey, tax planning and estate planning can be very important. I’d like to show you a good representation of what a plan can do for a married couple with $2,000,000 in assets. Let’s assume that the couple has $800,000 of life insurance, a house worth $400,000, retirement accounts of $200,000, brokerage assets of $350,000, and […]
One of the biggest misconceptions people have about life insurance is how it should be taxed. Most people think that they can receive the proceeds completely tax free. Upon the death of the insured, the beneficiary of a policy can almost always receive the proceeds without paying an income tax. However, estate taxes and inheritance […]
Often times, a person who is on his or her deathbed will make gifts to family members in an effort to reduce the potential taxes owed. For transfers to anyone other than a charity, making gifts in a way that minimizes taxes is actually a very complex process. In deciding whether to make a gift, […]