Estate Planning

Make Sure Your Family Transitions Prepare Your Children and Your Family for Financial Freedom.

Estate planning is far more complicated and involved than most people realize. If you don’t have a full understanding of your legal and financial rights, it is going to end up costing you… or your family… much more in the long run.

If you think you are too young to worry about estate planning, or perhaps you are waiting until you have more “estate” to bother with, think again. By planning now what happens to your estate in the event of your death, you will be left with the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you have provided to the best of your ability for your children and your family.

We can help. Our estate planning experts will get to know you and help you plan for the future based on your particular needs and situation. We are happy to discuss, recommend, and offer useful research tools which will help you get your estate in order so that those that follow you won’t be unduly burdened with taxes, probate courts, government bureaucracy, end-of-life costs and other problems relating to inheritance.

Questions you might need help answering…

How does divorce or multiple marriages affect estate planning?
What happens when heirs are too young to inherit?
Are there children from multiple marriages or individuals who might challenge or interfere with estate planning?
How can an inheritance be protected from creditors of an heir?
How can you pass along your estate with the minimum of tax liability involved?
Who needs to be on your estate planning team?
Do you have all the proper paperwork in order, including wills, power of attorney, healthcare directives, and trusts?
How will your estate be taken care of in the event that you are incapacitated?
What are the processes for amending your estate plans as your situation changes?
How can you leave money to charities or other organizations?

This is one area where a do-it-yourself mentality might not be to your greatest benefit. Let us help guide you through the complexities and challenges of estate planning that are unique to each individual case.

Let Us Help:

Emelia Mensa, CPA’s Guide: Can You Give Employees Tax Free Bonuses for the Holidays?

Quick Answer: You can’t give tax-free cash or gift cards for the holidays, as the IRS classifies all cash-equivalent bonuses as taxable wages regardless of the amount. However, you can legally provide tax-free holiday bonuses through non-cash tangible gifts,...

Unreported Crypto Gains? How Connecticut Taxpayers Can Fix Past Tax Returns

Quick Answer: If you failed to report crypto gains on previous tax returns, start by reconstructing your transactions and calculating what you actually earned. From there, we can determine which returns need correcting. Accidental omissions can generally be...

Types of Prepaid Expenses to Optimize Your Connecticut Business’s Cash Flow Before Dec 31

Quick Answer: If you run a cash-basis business, you can lock in immediate tax savings on upcoming 2027 operating costs by paying those vendor bills before December 31. Under the IRS 12-month rule, that prepayment cuts your 2026 taxable profit dollar for dollar,...

Emelia Mensa, CPA’s Take: How Much Cash Should A Business Have On Hand?

Quick Answer: Keep three to six months of baseline operating expenses in liquid reserves, alongside a separate tax account holding 15% to 30% of weekly gross receipts. Having that buffer with a Quick Ratio of at least 1.0 means you'll protect daily operations without...

Can ChatGPT Help With Taxes? A Guide for Connecticut Taxpayers

Quick Answer: ChatGPT can explain tax terms, summarize IRS notices, and give you general information about collection options. But it should not be the only source you use to calculate things like an Offer in Compromise or which path to choose for your IRS...

How The Bad Business Debt Deduction Could Lower Your 2026 Connecticut Business Taxes

Quick Answer: Uncollectible business receivables convert into ordinary losses that reduce your active net profit dollar-for-dollar without a ceiling. To lock in this tax offset before year-end, you'll need to execute a formal general ledger charge-off on...

How To Fix Common QuickBooks Online Problems Connecticut Small Business Owners Face

Quick Answer: To fix common QuickBooks Online problems, audit your bank feed queue to ensure transactions are matched to open invoices and transfers rather than blindly clicked as "Add," which eliminates duplicate revenue and miscoded expenses. From there,...

The Connecticut Small Business Q3 Payroll Checklist for a Painless Year-End Close

Quick Answer: Your pre-year end payroll checklist should include reviewing new OBBBA wage codes, collecting missing 1099 tax forms, and aligning your payroll accounts with your general ledger. Completing this cleanup in September protects your business...

How to Elect S Corp Status: Connecticut Tax Resolution Guide

Quick Answer: If you missed the IRS deadline, you can still secure retroactive approval and protect your business's tax savings. Through IRS late-election relief, qualifying businesses can backdate their S corp status up to three years and 75 days....

What Are the Tax Mistakes New Connecticut Business Owners Make?

Quick Answer: Some of the biggest tax mistakes new business owners make include using personal credit cards for business expenses, guessing on startup cost write-offs, and failing to keep track of receipts for deduction proof.Key Takeaways:Opening a...

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