Many senior taxpayers claim the standard deduction on their annual income tax return instead of itemizing deductions. Often seniors pay little or no mortgage interest, and they usually don't owe much for state and local income and property taxes.  Most of the common itemized deductions don't add up to much for seniors...

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It seems like a simple question.  It's the first question in the interview for many estate plans.  But the answer may be far from simple.  There are many issues involving children with unmarried parents, adopted children, stepchildren and children conceived through assisted reproductive technology.  Establishing parentage is important for securing a child's benefits such as support, social security, veteran's benefits and inheritance rights.