Questions of the Week

Insurance PlanningLesson 16: The Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust Student Question: Must Crummey powers always be in effect to apply the annual gift tax exclusion in order to transfer to an irrevocable trust? Or is it the case that as long as it was done once, will all transfers be eligible for the annual gift tax exclusion? Instructor…

Course: Estate PlanningLesson 10: Applications of Estate Planning Concepts Student Question: Does the maximum family benefit apply to a husband and wife that are both fully insured if the combined total between the two exceeds the maximum family limit?   If I understand correctly, the maximum family limit only applies if there are beneficiaries within the…

Course: Estate PlanningLesson 10: Applications of Estate Planning Concepts Student Question: Can you help clarify for me seemingly contradictory information in the two sentences below regarding “disinheriting children”? The first sentence seems to imply that the surviving spouse could disinherit children. However, the second sentence states that QTIPs are often used to “prevent a surviving spouse from disinheriting children.”…

Course: Estate PlanningLesson 7: Transfer Taxation IV – Generation Skipping Transfers Student Question: Regarding example below, would the death of the father, Stephen, not move Andrew one step up making him only one generation below Mrs. Jones? Would this not remove the generation skipping transfer tax? EXAMPLE: Upon her death, Mrs. Jones left her estate…

Course: Insurance PlanningLesson 17: Business Uses of Life and Disability Insurance Student Question: I have a quick question regarding buy/sell agreement; not clear who would pay the premiums on disability and or life insurance on the principals and the key employees? Instructor Response: Great question.  A buy-sell agreement relates to owners of the business while…

Course: Income Tax PlanningLesson 15: Property Transactions Student Question: In the lesson, deducting donations of ‘cash’ versus ‘long term appreciated securities’ are differentiated.  I’m curious about “short term appreciated securities”.  In other words, if I own a stock – bought at $10,000 and it’s worth $50,000 when I donate, but I’ve only owned it 6…

Course 3: Investment PlanningLesson 15: Fundamentals of Derivatives – Futures and Options Student Question: Can you please explain what Basis points are and how/why they are generally used? Instructor Response: There are 100 basis points in 1%.  Basis points are merely a common method of measuring investment fees or returns.   An exchanged traded fund may charge…

Course 3: Investment PlanningLesson 1: Key Principles of Investing Student Question: I am having a difficult time conceptualizing Beta as a measure of only systematic risk AND as a measure of volatility relative to the broader market.  By way of illustration. Assume an individual equity has wild swings in value over a one year period…

Course: Estate PlanningLesson 9: Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates Student Question: Can you refer me to a comparison (or just write a few notes) on how a grantor trust differs from a revocable trust and how a non-grantor trust differs from an irrevocable trust? They seem synonymous respectively to each other. Thank you!  Instructor…

Course: Investment PlanningLesson 9: Fixed Income Securities Student Question: There is a question regarding duration that I continue to struggle with. Which of the following are true:1-Lower coupon bonds are more sensitive to interest rates than high coupon bonds.2-There is inverse relationship between bond prices and change in interest rates.3-There is a positive relationship between coupon rates and duration.…