WSFG Blog

If protecting your assets means that you want to keep all of your money, property, and possessions out of your soon-to-be ex-spouse's hands, you're probably out of luck. Any assets acquired during marriage are considered marital property and must be divided according to state law.

By one estimate, a 65-year-old couple who retire in 2019 may need about $300,000 in savings to pay their health-care expenses in retirement. This includes premiums for Medicare Parts B and D, supplemental (Medigap) insurance, and median out-of-pocket prescription drug expenses, but not other health expenses such as long-term care, dental care, and eye care.

A life insurance trust is a trust that has the power to purchase life insurance policies on the person who establishes the trust (the grantor), the grantor's spouse, or the trust beneficiaries. The trust owns the life insurance policy and collects the death proceeds when the insured dies.

You may be counting on funds from a defined benefit plan to help you achieve a comfortable retirement. Often referred to as traditional pension plans, defined benefit plans promise to pay you a specified amount at retirement.

In a word, no. Estate planning allows you or anyone to implement certain tools now to ensure that your concerns and goals are fulfilled after you die. Your objective may be to simply make sure that your loved ones are provided for. Or you may have more complex goals, such as avoiding probate or reducing estate taxes.

Yes. If you already receive Social Security based on your spouse's earnings record, you'll continue to receive it as long as you live (or in some cases, until you remarry). If you don't receive Social Security yet, you can apply for a reduced benefit when you turn 62 or wait until your full retirement age if you want to receive an unreduced spousal retirement benefit.

Answer:

If you're thinking about buying life insurance for your child, consider the decision carefully. The main purpose of life insurance is to replace income lost after someone dies, and there's little doubt that your income could decrease upon your child's death, due to lost time at work or lost productivity.

Generally, life insurance proceeds paid to you because of the death of the insured are not subject to federal income tax. To qualify for such favorable tax treatment, the life insurance contract must meet certain IRS requirements.

Will my beneficiaries have to pay taxes on the proceeds of my life insurance policy?

Answer:

If you mean the death benefits of the insurance policy, then these funds are generally free from income tax to your named beneficiary or beneficiaries.