Trusts: What's Hot, What's Not

The Washington Post's Retirement Guide includes a survey of planned giving vehicles, including foundations, trusts and donor-advised funds. Will philanthropic financial strategies continue to be a hot topic? The answer may depend on how many High Net Worth Individuals still possess their HNWs.

The Panic of 2008 may also determine who continues to care about tax-saving estate plans. In any case those old standbys, bypass or credit-shelter trusts, look like an endangered species. The Wall Street Journal points out that both John McCain and Barack Obama favor making the estate-tax credit "portable" between spouses.