Memorial Day is a time to remember those who died serving our country. Its history dates back to 1868 when sacrifices made by soldiers in the Civil War were commemorated. It follows an tradition of decorating (originally called Decoration Day) the graves of loved ones...
They become a part of the family and often stay at home longer than the human children. Whether one of the most popular breeds such as a Labrador retriever, German Shepherd or a mixed rescue, the ASPCA estimates that 44 percent of households have a dog. And cats,...
Individual charitable gifts play an important role for most nonprofit organizations. Luckily people in Colorado are generous. In a 2014 study conducted by the Colorado Nonprofit Association 80 percent reported giving to a charity within the previous year. Planned...
Ask around and you will find that many people don’t have an estate plan. They may not even know what makes up an estate plan. This was just the case today at a Starbuck’s. A question about an estate plan was met with question of “what is an estate plan?” This was...
If you’ve just gone through a divorce, the last thing you might want to do is drag up old memories by revising your estate plan. Trust us, though, if you don’t take the time to do this, you could seriously regret it. Once the proverbial ink has dried on your divorce...
Estate tax rules are constantly discussed by politicians. In this election cycle, one of the candidates has suggested doing away with what he calls the "death tax." Thus, it may not come as a surprise that tax rates and exemption levels on estate have changed 20 times...
We haven’t covered estate taxes frequently in this blog, because the federal threshold for 2016 is $5.45 million per individual. That means that couples can pass $10.9 million without Federal gift and tax consequences. The yearly gift exclusion remains $14,000. But...
Many Colorado families have aging family members, adult children who have a disability or a spouse with a disability. Individuals want to ensure that their loved ones are cared for after their deaths, but they also want to be sure that these special needs family...
If you have a trust involved with your estate plan, it is likely that you have utilized a revocable trust. When you create a revocable trust when you are alive, it is called a "living trust." This type of trust is a tremendous tool that can help protect your estate...
We have talked about trusts quite a bit in the past, and one of the more common (and important) types of trusts is called the "living trust." A trust is an arrangement between the grantor, a trustee and a beneficiary. The grantor gives wealth, assets and/or property...
