Private Wealth
Art and Collectibles After Death: Appraisal, Insurance, and Sale
Inventory, appraise, insure, sell, or donate inherited art under 2026 IRS rules on qualified appraisals, Art Advisory Panel review, basis, and the 28% collectibles rate.
Every guide, newest first
The Archive
300 guides · page 3 of 13
Private Wealth
High-Value Home Insurance: Valuables, Umbrella and Flood
Close the gaps a standard policy leaves around jewelry, silver, art, liability, flood, and household staff, and put every policy in your own name.
Private Wealth
Donor-Advised Fund or Foundation: Control, Cost, and 2026 Tax
Compare a donor-advised fund with a private foundation on control, cost, privacy, payout, self-dealing, deduction limits, and the 2026 charitable deduction changes.
Private Wealth
Qualified Charitable Distributions in 2026: A Widow's IRA Guide
How an IRA gift made after age 70½ can count toward an RMD, stay out of federal income, and fit within the 2026 QCD limit of $111,000.
Private Wealth
Charitable Remainder Trusts: Income, Tax and 2026 Rules
How annuity trusts and unitrusts work, how their payments are taxed, what they cost to keep, and when one suits a low-basis holding better than a gift annuity.
Private Wealth
How to Vet a Charity Before a Major Gift
Verify a charity's status, read its Form 990 and audit, check state filings, negotiate a gift agreement, and meet IRS acknowledgment and appraisal rules.
Private Wealth
A Lifetime Gifting Plan: Exclusions, Tuition, Medical Bills, and Basis
Plan 2026 gifts as a widow: the $19,000 annual exclusion, direct tuition and medical payments, Form 709, carryover basis, trust gifts, records, and fairness.
Private Wealth
Funding a Grandchild's Education: 529 Superfunding and Tuition
How 529 gifts, the five-year Form 709 election, direct tuition payments, the simplified FAFSA, and the 2026 K-12 rules fit together for a grandchild's education.
Private Wealth
State Estate and Inheritance Taxes in 2026: Thresholds and Traps
The 2026 federal exemption is $15 million, but some states tax estates above $2 million or tax heirs directly. How domicile, real estate, and planning change the answer.
Private Wealth
Step-Up in Basis: Rebalancing an Inherited Portfolio in 2026
How the basis reset at death can make rebalancing unusually cheap, and how asset location, loss harvesting and 2026 single-filer brackets shape what comes next.
Private Wealth
Municipal Bonds for a Single Filer: Yield and Risk
How single-filer brackets raise the value of tax-exempt interest, how to compute tax-equivalent yield, and the AMT, credit, call and Medicare questions beneath it.
Private Wealth
Life Insurance in a Large Estate: Ownership, Trusts, Review
Decide whether a policy on your life still has a job, who should own it, how an insurance trust works, and how to review, sell, or finance coverage with care.
Private Wealth
Selling an Inherited Business: Basis, Deal Structure and Tax
A practical guide to valuing and selling an inherited business, including basis, asset versus stock sales, deal terms, installment tax and section 6166.
Life After Loss
What to Say When Someone Makes an Unhelpful Grief Comment
Neutral responses, direct requests, and firm boundaries for clumsy, intrusive, or hurtful comments.
Private Wealth
Inherited Real Estate Portfolios: Basis, LLCs, and 1031 Exchanges
A practical guide to inherited rental and commercial property: authority, insurance, basis and depreciation, 1031 deadlines, DST risks, and passive losses.
Estate
Before Moving Estate Assets, Build the Authority and Ownership Map
A source-led method for separating legal authority, account ownership, beneficiary transfers, estate cash, and records before assets are moved or distributed.
Life After Loss
What a Faith Community Can and Cannot Do
A faith community may offer ritual, companionship, meals, transport, or groups; confirm what exists and where professional care begins.
First 90 Days
The First 72 Hours: A Decision Map, Not a Paperwork Marathon
A calm triage plan for protecting access, recording deadlines, and separating urgent tasks from permanent financial decisions after a spouse dies.
Home
After a Spouse Dies: Test Whether Keeping the Home Still Works
A practical housing decision file for confirming mortgage authority, successor status, carrying costs, cash reserves, and the evidence needed before keeping or selling.
Taxes
After a Spouse Dies: Build the Tax-Year Filing Map
A source-led roadmap for separating the final individual return, a possible estate return, filing status, refund authority, and the records each decision requires.
Life After Loss
Choosing a Financial Adviser After Loss
A practical process for checking registration, reading Form CRS, comparing fees and conflicts, protecting account access, and documenting an adviser decision after widowhood.
Life After Loss
How to Choose a Grief Counselor or Bereavement Support Group
Compare licensed therapy, grief counseling, peer groups, and faith-based support, and evaluate credentials, privacy, cost, and fit.
Money
Social Security Survivor Benefits: Prepare Before You Call
How to organize documents, compare claiming paths, and record the answers that matter before a Social Security survivor-benefit application.
Private Wealth
Inherited Yacht or Aircraft: Registration, Insurance and Sale
A practical guide to inherited yachts and aircraft: preserve insurance, correct FAA or Coast Guard records, control costs, value the asset and prepare a sale.