Dear Garden State Trust: I’m intrigued by something I heard about recently, a “dynasty trust.” What is that, and how does it work? —Legacy Builder Dear Legacy: Traditionally trusts with private beneficiaries were not permitted to last forever, but had to have a determinable end date. This policy was enforced by the “rule against perpetuities,”…
Author: gstc
Philip Roth’s Legacy
No fanfare, or announcements about the large bequests. Philip Roth worked with an estate planner to create an estate plan that would promote his wishes, and we are now learning about notable parts of it. For example, he left more than $2 million to the Newark Public Library. How much money did Philip Roth have…
Incentive Trusts
Dear Garden State Trust: The opioid crisis just hit a bit closer to home. Some friends of ours have a 20-something child who has an addiction problem. They are trying another round of rehab; maybe this time it will work. But they’ve confided in me that they don’t know what to do about an eventual…
Stew Leonard’s Differentiates Itself
A grocery store for the children. It started as a dairy farm: Clover Farms Dairy in Norwalk, Connecticut, to be precise. Even at that point, it was no ordinary milk delivery service. Their trucks had plastic cows on the front that mooed for the children. This small differentiator has become larger and larger. In 1969,…
QTIP Trusts
Dear Garden State Trust: I’m financially secure, and have married for a third time. Lately my kids (from the first two marriages) have been asking about their inheritances. They seem to be concerned that my spouse — or perhaps a future spouse — might freeze them out. How might I allay their concerns? —Third Time’s…
September Festivals in Ocean County
Inspiration can be found everyday when we notice people treating each other as with respect, and smiles can be found whenever expectations are surpassed. It doesn’t need to be a big expectation either – A simple gesture often creates joy that snowballs into inspiration that allows people to become better people. Everyday happens everyday, but…
Falling Interest Rates
Dear Garden State Trust: When the Fed cut interest rates at the end of July, the stock indices fell. I thought lower interest rates were good for stock prices? What’s going on? Should I be worried about my portfolio? —Worried Investor Dear Worried: Two factors seem to have been at work to produce this unexpected…