Q: If a surviving spouse is the heir, there is no applicable federal estate tax as long as the spouse is a U.S. citizen. If a surviving spouse is not a U.S. citizen, do some estate planning to leave a special trust to the spouse. However, the estate will be taxed once the surviving spouse dies. The first $11.4 million of an estate is exempt from taxation. That means that if the value of your estate was $15.4 million, only the second $4 million is subject to taxation. A rule that went into effect in 2010 makes it possible for one spouse to transfer any unused lifetime estate exemption to the other spouse when they pass away. This means that your spouse can benefit from your exemption upon your death without you having to transfer part of your estate to them. In order to benefit from this rule, you must file an estate tax return, even if your estate isn’t taxable. If you don’t file a return, your spouse won’t be able to use your unused exemptions. Alternatively, you could transfer some of your estate to your spouse, and that amount would be exempt from taxation upon your death. This is not usually necessary if you use the portability rule, however.
A: Understand the transfer rule. Understand the implications of the standard estate tax deduction. Take advantage of the estate portability rule.

Q: When you consistently do what you enjoy, you’ll be happier and come off as more confident. Even if you feel what you’re interested in isn’t popular, you’ll likely meet other people that share the same interests.  Build a team of friends that will boost your confidence. Participate in your favorite activities and you’ll meet friends who like the same things. Ask for phone numbers, email addresses, or social media accounts for fellow participants you click with to meet outside of your meeting. Make sure to follow up with them as well. Based on your unique interests, you may want to attend classes at a local library, join a herpetology club, or a writing group. There are so many different clubs available to meet new people. Even if it's just for a few minutes, chat with them and get to know more about them. People are genuinely welcoming to strangers. Ask how your waitresses day is going and show interest by waiting for a reply. Talk to fellow elevator passengers, even if it’s about the weather. Most people lack the confidence required to be themselves. Incorporate easy ways to show the world who you really are. Over time, it becomes easier.  Wear something silly and people will assume you’re naturally confident. Try intentionally geeky glasses or mismatch colorful patterns. Be okay with having different viewpoints than other people. If you follow a certain religion or believe in a particular political candidate, you don’t need to keep this to yourself. Aim to be true to yourself and your feelings. If someone hurts your feelings, let them know in a mature and rational conversation. Don’t get too emotional about it, but be confident enough to speak up. People who know what they’re talking about are more confident than people who don’t. Invest time in learning new things so you can speak about them with others and use these new skills in your everyday life.  Take a low-cost class in a subject that interests you at your local community center, library, or college. Enroll in an online class about something that interests you. Many websites offer MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses from well-regarded universities for free. Listen to podcasts on your smartphone. Some cover topics about history, technology, and even marketing.
A: Do the things that you love to do, and feel good about them. Hang out with new people or old ones you rarely see. Show off your confidence in everyday interactions. Learn new skills and always get better at old ones.

Q: When they are venting about something -- whether it's about their life or about your relationship -- don't turn it into something about you. They're just telling you their feelings. Don't try to read something into it that isn't there. If their feelings trigger something in you, save it for an appropriate time. Wait for a good time to share your feelings, such as after they're calmed down. If you want to be a good boyfriend as a teen, then you have to learn to be honest with your partner. This doesn't mean that you have to tell them every thought that runs through your head, but it does mean that you should be able to tell them if you're in a bad mood, if you're upset because you did poorly on the math test, or that you wish they wouldn't call you every five minutes.  Part of honesty is tact. If you have to be honest about something you wish they did or didn't do, tell them in a kind and sympathetic way so they don't get mad at you. Don't pretend that you never had another partner if you did. You don't have to go into all the details with your partner, but you shouldn't lie about your past. You don't have to tell your partner everything -- for example, if you think the girl in your gym class is cute, you can just keep that to yourself. If they find out that you've been dishonest, that will break their trust very quickly. . Part of growing up and being a good boyfriend, as well as being a good son and friend, is learning that you can't always get what you want. You may want to see the new Bond movie with your friends, but they may really want to have a date night -- you have to learn how to pick your battles and how to make sure that both people in the relationship are happy.  Remember that it's better to be happy than right. If you think your partner really wants something while you just kind of want it, let them get their way. Be mature. If you and your partner are arguing about something, sit down and make a list of all the pros and cons of each decision. That can help you both get perspective on the situation. Make sure that both people are compromising. It's not a real compromise if you always end up getting your way, or if your partner always ends up getting what they want. Learn to take turns. Maybe you can pick the dinner place tonight, but they can pick the movie tomorrow. Part of being a master communicator is learning to say you're sorry if you made a mistake. You may think that admitting you're wrong will only make you look worse, but quite the contrary is true. If you acknowledge that you've made a mistake and even apologize by giving them flowers or a sweet note, they'll like you much more than if you ignore the fact that you did something wrong and hope they'll get over it.  It's not easy to say you're sorry -- it can be very humiliating or embarrassing. But if you get into the habit of apologizing when you've done something wrong, it will feel much more natural. When you say you're sorry, you should sound like you mean it. Sit down, look into your partner's eyes, and even take their hands if you need to. This will show them that you're making time to apologize. If you just mutter the word "Sorry" as you pass by, or apologize in a text message, they won't take you seriously. It's important to have disagreements from time to time and to work together to find a solution to the problem, but constantly fighting for no reason and with little provocation is a quick way to ruin your relationship. Teenage couples are prone to fighting a lot because they don't have a lot of experience compromising or having serious discussions with people they're romantically involved with, and this does take practice.  Whenever you find yourself raising your voice or even shouting, just calm down and take a few deep breaths. You won't resolve anything if you're feeling emotional or heated. If you think your partner is starting a lot of fights, communicate about why this is happening and how it can be changed. If you're kind of annoyed about something minor and have the urge to pick a fight, ask yourself if it's really worth it. Don't let your anger build up -- if you're really mad about something, it's better to communicate about it than to avoid the topic and wait for weeks until so much anger has built up that you feel like fighting.
A:
Don't take what they say personally, especially if it's not about you. Be honest. Compromise Say you're sorry. Don't fight without reason.