by Ethan Okura | Jun 9, 2020 | Estate Planning
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 | Estate Planning
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 | Estate Planning, 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 | Estate Planning
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 | Estate Planning
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...
by Ethan Okura | Jun 7, 2019 | Estate Planning
FRAUDULENT STUDENT LOANS AND IDENTITY THEFT By: Ethan R. Okura Sometimes you can do everything right, but have everything go horribly wrong. Sometimes you do nothing at all, and still have everything go very wrong. In the United States, you’re supposed to be innocent...
by Ethan Okura | Apr 11, 2019 | Estate Planning
Many of my past columns have focused on how to structure your estate plan to protect your home. I’ve discussed protecting your primary residence and other real property from probate through the use of revocable and irrevocable trusts, through joint ownership or...
by Ethan Okura | Mar 11, 2019 | Estate Planning
By: Ethan R. Okura Back in December of 2009, my father, Sanford K. Okura, wrote an excellent article titled “Tenants by the Entirety.” It explained the pros and cons of holding property as “tenants by the entirety” as opposed to holding them in revocable trust(s). At...
by Ethan Okura | Feb 20, 2019 | Estate Planning
By: Ethan R. Okura It’s that time of year again. No, not Valentine’s Day…and I’m not even talking about President’s Day. I’m talking about Taxes! Your personal income tax return isn’t due until April 15th, and if you’re like many people, you might file for an...
by Ethan Okura | Jan 5, 2019 | Estate Planning
By: Ethan R. Okura Hawai‘i Herald Columnist Happy New Year! The following is a 2019 update on important numbers used in estate planning and Medicaid planning in Hawai‘i. How much money and property can a person have at death without paying estate taxes? At the end of...
