Blogs

Part 3 (Special Needs Planning and the Gift vs. Inherit Decision): Planning for a special needs dependent and deciding whether to gift assets now or leave them at death. Special needs trusts, stepped-up basis, and letters of intent.

Part 2 (When to Update Your Plan and Who Gets Left Out of the Conversation): The 2026 estate tax exemption rose to $15 million, but planning still matters. When to update your plan, planning without children, and out-of-state property.

Part 1 (Estate Planning for Every Stage of Life): Estate planning is not just for the wealthy or elderly. The four documents every Texas adult needs, why they matter at every age, and where to start.

Published: July 2026  |  theerskinegroup.net Planning with Purpose. Growing with Grace. By Didine Erskine, CFP®  |  Founder, The Erskine Group, LLC  |  Visiting Lecturer, Texas A&M University Quick Facts Section 121 allows homeowners to exclude up to $250,000 of capital gain from the sale of a primary residence from federal income tax. Married couples filing jointly may exclude up to $500,000. […]

Published: June 2026  |  theerskinegroup.net Planning with Purpose. Growing with Grace. By Didine Erskine, CFP®  |  Founder, The Erskine Group, LLC  |  Visiting Lecturer, Texas A&M University Quick Facts This is a comprehensive guide. Feel free to bookmark it and return to the sections most relevant to your situation. When the House Becomes the Hardest Asset For most divorcing couples, the […]

Published: May 2026  |  theerskinegroup.net Planning with Purpose. Growing with Grace. By Didine Erskine, CFP®  |  Founder, The Erskine Group, LLC  |  Visiting Lecturer, Texas A&M University QDRO Quick Facts A QDRO or equivalent domestic relations order is required to divide most employer-sponsored retirement plans during divorce. A divorce decree alone is not enough. IRAs generally do not require a QDRO. […]

Published: June 2026  |  theerskinegroup.net Planning with Purpose. Growing with Grace. By Didine Erskine, CFP®  |  Founder, The Erskine Group, LLC  |  Visiting Lecturer, Texas A&M University As we head into 2026, many savers are asking the same question: “What should I be doing with my cash?” After several years of rapid rate changes and economic uncertainty, it makes sense to […]

Published: June 2026  |  theerskinegroup.net Planning with Purpose. Growing with Grace. By Didine Erskine, CFP®  |  Founder, The Erskine Group, LLC  |  Visiting Lecturer, Texas A&M University Yes. And most educators who have access to both are only using one. That gap is one of the most underutilized retirement savings opportunities available to teachers, professors, and public institution employees, and it […]

Published: June 2026  |  theerskinegroup.net Planning with Purpose. Growing with Grace. By Didine Erskine, CFP®  |  Founder, The Erskine Group, LLC  |  Visiting Lecturer, Texas A&M University I ran into this headline from Forbes in the last couple of weeks: “According to TransUnion, one of the three biggest credit reporting agencies in the U.S., the average credit card debt per American […]