Guide to Estate and Tax Planning
One of the best guides on how to preserve your wealth, minimize taxes, and plan your estate is JK Lasser's New Rules for Estate and Tax Planning. This concise guide provides a clear overview of the current estate tax system and explains how to determine your own estate tax outlook. It features guidelines for successful estate planning and strategies for maximizing the amount you can pass to your heirs.
JK Lasser's New Rules for Estate and Tax Planning is an excellent primer on estate planning with its coverage of topics such as types of wills, probate, inheritances, life insurance, charitable giving, business succession planning, nonprobate transfers, gifting to minors, gift taxes, and estate taxes. It also discusses the use of various estate planning trusts, such as living trusts, spendthrift trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, charitable trusts, and marital trusts.
If you want a complete overview of how to plan your estate in light of applicable federal taxes, JK Lasser's New Rules for Estate and Tax Planning is an extremely affordable guide that is also available for Kindle.
U.S. Master Tax Guide
For a comprehensive guide to taxes, get a copy of the U.S. Master Tax Guide, Hardbound Edition (2011). In addition to its coverage of the taxation of trusts and estates, it covers taxation of individuals, corporations, partnerships, charitable organizations, nonprofits, and private foundations.
The U.S. Master Tax Guide, Hardbound Edition (2011) is the ultimate tax reference guide, featuring tax rates, helpful checklists, due dates for filing returns, and information on new tax legislation. This guide also covers estate, gift, and generation skipping transfer taxes, as well as taxation of IRAs, 401Ks, other retirement accounts, charitable contributions, capital gains, community property, college savings plans, and much more.
Whether you need information about filing tax returns for the deceased or for a trust, using charitable giving to reduce taxes, or a general tax issue, the U.S. Master Tax Guide, Hardbound Edition (2011) is the preferred guide. It also comes in CD ROM format with search capabilities. Note: if you only need information on federal estate, gift, and generation skipping transfer taxes, the U.S. Master Estate and Gift Tax Guide (2011) (U.S. Master Estate and Girft Tax Guide) provides more in depth coverage of these issues and provides guidance on relevant tax forms.
Using Charitable Gifts to Reduce Taxes
One of the most satisfying ways to reduce taxes is through charitable giving. However, unless you have professional guidance on how to plan your charitable gifts, you may be missing out on some of the benefits of this type of tax strategy.
Review your charitable giving with a tax professional at least once a year and read a guide on applicable tax rules, such as Charitable Giving Law Made Easy. This book provides practical tips and suggestions on charitable giving and explains in layman’s terms some of the most difficult concepts in federal tax law. Refer to our page on charitable giving for more information.
Taxation of Estates, Gifts, and Trusts
To gain a solid understanding of federal estate, gift, and generation skipping transfer taxes, get a copy of Taxation of Estates, Gifts and Trusts (American Casebook Series). It takes you through the maze of federal taxation of wealth transfers from beginning to end in an organized manner.
While this is a law book, it is fairly easy to read. It explains estate tax issues relating to community property, joint tenancy, the marital deduction, the unified credit, life insurance, life estates, UTMA accounts, annuities, powers of appointment, charitable bequests, and revocable trusts. Taxation of Estates, Gifts and Trusts (American Casebook Series) covers gift taxes, including issues such as gift splitting, the gift tax exclusion, and charitable deductions. It also provides an overview of required tax returns for the deceased, taxation of estate and trust income, capital gains, relevant tax forms, and the liability of executors.
This book features references to private letter rulings, tax laws, tax cases, and IRS notices. If you want a thorough review of the federal estate and gift tax system, Taxation of Estates, Gifts and Trusts (American Casebook Series) is one of the best books written on the subject.
See also estate taxes and gift taxes.
. This concise guide provides a clear overview of the current estate tax system and explains how to determine your own estate tax outlook. It features guidelines for successful estate planning and strategies for maximizing the amount you can pass to your heirs.
. In addition to its coverage of the taxation of trusts and estates, it covers taxation of individuals, corporations, partnerships, charitable organizations, nonprofits, and private foundations.
The 
provides more in depth coverage of these issues and provides guidance on relevant tax forms.
Using Charitable Gifts to Reduce Taxes
One of the most satisfying ways to reduce taxes is through charitable giving. However, unless you have professional guidance on how to plan your charitable gifts, you may be missing out on some of the benefits of this type of tax strategy.
Review your charitable giving with a tax professional at least once a year and read a guide on applicable tax rules, such as 
. This book provides practical tips and suggestions on charitable giving and explains in layman’s terms some of the most difficult concepts in federal tax law. Refer to our page on 
. It takes you through the maze of federal taxation of wealth transfers from beginning to end in an organized manner.
While this is a law book, it is fairly easy to read. It explains estate tax issues relating to community property, joint tenancy, the marital deduction, the unified credit, life insurance, life estates, UTMA accounts, annuities, powers of appointment, charitable bequests, and revocable trusts. 
