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 | 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...
