Insurance Companies No Longer Offering Long-term Care Insurance. . . What to do? Excellent article on protecting yourself and your estate from the high costs of long-term care: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203961204577269842991276650.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Estate Tax Exclusion Scheduled to be Reduced on January 1, 2013. Currently, the federal estate tax exemption (the amount an individual can pass to his or her heirs free of estate tax) is $5,000,000. However, under current law, that exclusion amount is scheduled to reduce to $1,000,000 on Jan. 1, 2013. Will Congress act before January 1, 2013 to prevent the scheduled reversion? Although surveys show that most estate planners believe that the $5,000,000 exclusion will remain, it is really impossible to predict the final outcome (and exclusion). That's all the more reason to review and possibly amend our estate plans by the end of 2012. For larger estates worth $1,000,000 or more, it might be wise to implement a "disclaimer provision" amendment, which gives the greatest flexibility to a surviving spouse and still guards against an unexpected estate tax hit. For more information about this timely amendment, please contact us.