Personal Finance and Investing

Wealthy American families have been passing their fortunes down through the generations, and continue to do so.  The government is getting a bite from these estates, but probably not as much as it hopes to get.  Why not?  Because the lawyers and tax experts these families hire are very well versed at how not to allow their client’s fortune from being crushed by estate taxes.  All this information is there for you as well, as you consider how to plan your estate.

Read and learn as much as you can about estate transference and estate taxes as they apply to your estate transference.  You want to be sure to protect your assets from the government so you can have them dispersed as you see fit.  Don’t trust this to happen if you do nothing at all.  If you do not at least have a will, the government will raid your holdings and all your hard work to amass what you have now will go for nothing.

You must do your due diligence in research and consider that your assets may be subjected to taxes based upon what your physical holdings include.  Do you own a lot of real estate?  Do you own a business?  Are you heavily invested in stocks?  Is your wealth managed through mutual bonds?

All of these forms of wealth, individually, may require particular, strategic planning as part of your overall holdings.  You will want to know how each of these assets will affect the entire estate, and what planning you can due to reduce the tax liability of these assets.

You will want to carefully consider who to appoint executor and/or co-executor of your estate.  This should be a person you trust completely and who will have some knowledge of the intricacies of your wealth.  Usually, you will want to appoint a family member or trusted friend.

You will want to determine how you wish to distribute your assets upon your passing.  How much will be left to your spouse, your favorite charitable organizations, your church, and your family members?  What percentage of your holdings is best left to charity for tax purposes?  How much inheritance tax, if any, will your loved ones have to pay against whatever you bequeath?

These are all issues related to avoiding high taxes against what you leave behind.  It is never too early to begin framing your plans for your estate.

The internet has transformed the Christmas shopping experience – no crowds, no rain, and no traffic jams. So it’s little wonder that British shoppers spent £4.6bn online in the run-up to Christmas last year. But a third of internet users are still too worried about scams to shop online. You needn’t be – as long as you follow these three simple rules.

Use secure websites

Before you start buying, make sure you are shopping on a genuine, safe website. There are two easy ways to do this. First you can use Shopsafe, which has vetted over 4,000 shops and star rated them according to security, delivery, range of goods and price. Also, lo

Read more…

There is one battle that continues to divide the sexes – the argument about whether men or women are safest on the road. Well, moneysupermarket.com knows better than to wade into that particular debate but we can bring you some statistics that show what the car insurance companies believe.

Analysis of more than six million motor insurance quotes made throughour website during the 12 months to June 2009 shows that men are paying an average of 71% more than women for their cover.

Why is this the case?

Insurance companies price for risk, and claims data shows that male drivers make more car insurance claims than their female counterparts.

Read more…

You’ve always played by the rules. You dutifully pay on your credit card each and every month, and are proud to say you’ve never missed a payment or a due date.

So, why in the world have you just noticed that your credit card’s interest rate is set to go through the roof?

Unfortunately, many banks are not being particularly choosy with whom they raise rates and introduce fees. Take Bank of America, for example: this creditor has plans to implement an annual fee to millions of its customers, ranging anywhere from $29 to $99. Bank

Read more…