Editor's note: This is the first article in a series about financial and/or estate planning issues that we all should know but might be too embarrassed to ask about. First up: life insurance trusts.

On Dec. 1, 2011, the Internal Revenue Service issued Revenue Ruling 2011-28, 1 which finally clarified that a life insurance policy in an irrevocable trust isn't included in the grantor's estate if ...

For the wealthy, life insurance is an unsexy yet powerful tactic for avoiding taxes. By putting the policy inside a trust, the death benefit is excluded from estate taxes. The payout goes to the trust ...

Click here to BUSINESS CONTINUATION AGREEMENTS are often partially funded or totally funded with life insurance. Most, if not all, of the life insurance proceeds are includable in the estates of the ...

Life insurance trusts, particularly irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs), can minimize estate taxes and protect your heir's inheritance. By Marguerite Weese, JD, LL.M.