Table of Contents
Preface v
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction: What This Book Means and Why You Should Read It ix
1 The Development of an Estate Plan 1
2 Selecting Who Receives the Benefits of Your Estate 7
3 Wills 13
4 Understanding the Probate Process and the Administration of an Estate 27
5 Co-ownership of Property 37
6 Trusts 47
7 The Role of Trusts in Estate Planning 59
8 The Living Trust 71
9 Gifts 93
10 Charitable Contributions 107
11 Grits, Grats, and Gruts 113
12 Life Insurance 119
13 The Significance of Your Domicile 131
14 The Power of the Survivor 135
15 The Subsequent Marriage: Premarital and Postmarital Agreements 143
16 Planning for Minors 151
17 Estate Planning for Families with Children Who Have Special Needs 157
18 Persons with the Risk of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) 179
19 Surrogate Planning for the Senior Citizen 187
20 Retirement Benefits 195
21 Medicare and Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income 209
22 The Protection of Assets 223
23 Family Limited Partnerships and the Limited Liability Company 233
24 Estate Planning for the Business Owner 247
25 Estate Planning for the Surviving Spouse 259
26 The Cutting Edge: Value-Reduction Strategy in Discount Planning 267
27 Overview of the U.S. Estate and Gift Taxes as Applied to Nonresidents Not Citizens 279
28 Generation-Skipping Tax 285
29 The New Estate Tax Relief Act 293
Appendixes
I Net Worth Worksheet 315
II Glossary of Terms 317
Index 326