FLORIDA ESTATE PLANNING AND PROBATE LAW BLOG

The Florida Estate Planning and Probate Law Blog is focused on recent federal and state case law and planning ideas.

DO NOT FORGET TO COLLECT YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY SURVIVOR BENEFITS

♠ Posted by Marc J. Soss in ,,,,,,,,
There are few upsides (maybe relief from pain and suffering) to the death of a spouse. In order to ease the burden, the U.S. government offers a few Social Security survivor benefits. Survivor Benefits: The main benefit for a surviving spouse is that they may be able to receive Social Security payments if their deceased spouse met the requirements to qualify for Social Security retirement benefits. If both spouses are collecting Social Security benefits, the surviving spouse will only receive the larger benefit.  Others eligible for benefits include: spouse of the deceased,...
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CHARITABLE PLANNING WITH YOUR RETIREMENT ACCOUNT

♠ Posted by Marc J. Soss in ,,,,,,
    For the past several years, Congress has employed a last minute temporary rule that allowed IRA owners to exclude their required minimum distributions (RMDs), from their adjusted gross income, by making a direct contribution of the funds to a qualified charitable organization. However, this last minute action made planning difficult for taxpayers. Finally, in December 2015, the Qualified Charitable Deduction (“QCD”) provision became a permanent part of the U.S. Tax Code.  This allows taxpayers to comfortably utilize the provision and establish long-term planning...
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