by Ethan Okura | Jul 13, 2021 | Articles
When you sign an estate planning document such as a revocable living trust or a will, you appoint someone to handle your assets for you. The person you choose to handle things for you is called a “fiduciary.” A “fiduciary” is in a position of great trust and...
by Ethan Okura | Jan 8, 2021 | Trusts and Wills
For most couples who do not have trusts, if one dies, everything goes to the spouse. If a married couple will have more than $5.49 million of assets (including life insurance death benefits), then having everything go to the spouse could cause an estate tax problem....
by Ethan Okura | Dec 11, 2020 | Trusts and Wills
Although a Revocable Living Trust is good for avoiding probate (and for married couples, an A-B Trust can reduce or eliminate estate taxes), it cannot protect your home from nursing home costs. Some years back, the State of Hawaii passed a Medicaid rule: If your home...
by Ethan Okura | Nov 12, 2020 | Trusts and Wills
Last month we shared information on funding your Revocable Living Trust. This month we decided to go back to the very beginning and explain what a Revocable Trust is and how they started in the first place. What is a Revocable Living Trust? Trusts began in...
by Ethan Okura | Oct 12, 2020 | Articles
If you have an existing estate plan, you are probably already familiar with the benefits of creating a Revocable Living Trust. One of the biggest advantages of a Revocable Living Trust is the ability to avoid probate. Probate is a court process when a...
by Ethan Okura | Jun 9, 2020 | Articles
During the past two and a half months of lockdown, I’ve had a fair amount of time while walking the neighborhood or taking breaks from working at home to ponder life, and I’ve come to some interesting realizations. Here in Hawaii we’ve been fortunate...
by Ethan Okura | Feb 11, 2020 | Articles
On December 20, 2019, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act was signed into law by President Trump. The SECURE Act makes some really big changes to the way that retirement accounts must be distributed—especially after the original...
by Ethan Okura | Jan 15, 2020 | Articles, Estate Taxes and Gift Taxes
2020 ESTATE PLANNING UPDATE By Ethan R. Okura Happy New Year! Here is the 2020 update on important numbers used in Estate Planning and Medicaid Planning in Hawaii. How much money and property can one have at death without paying estate taxes? At the end of 2017,...
by Ethan Okura | Aug 5, 2019 | Articles
Last month I wrote my column on the basics of International Estate Planning. I explained the definitions of US Citizen, Non-resident Alien, and Resident Alien. The definition of a Resident Alien is different for Income Tax purposes than it is for Gift and Estate Tax...
by Ethan Okura | Jul 15, 2019 | Articles
The world today is increasingly interconnected. Global travel is commonplace these days, as is moving to another country for work or other opportunities. International marriages are also more commonplace. So, what do these facts have to do with estate planning? All of...
