Glossary of Terms: G

This glossary covers terms related to elder care, retirement and estate planning. It also includes related financial, insurance and legal terms. (For terms related to Medicare, click on Medicare Glossary.) To reduce download time, we have divided the Glossary into the following sections. Simply click on the section you want to see.

| A | B | C | D | E-F | G | H | I | J-L | M-N | O-P | Q-R | S | T-Z |

Geriatrician – A physician who specializes in the care of the elderly, primarily those who are frail and have complex medical and social problems.

Gift Tax – A tax on gifts, usually only over $12,000 (2007 amount), to non-charitable beneficiaries. For gifts that exceed the annual gift tax exclusion, the donor is required to file a gift tax return and pay all applicable taxes. The person who receives the gift does not have to pay any gift tax because of it.

Gift Tax Exclusion – The maximum amount one person is allowed to give to another person without incurring Federal gift tax. The current annual exclusion is $12,000 (2007 amount) per year per recipient. There is no limit on the number of these gifts you can make to different people in a year. A husband and wife can give a total of $24,000 ($12,000 each) to the same person each year. To qualify for the exclusion, a gift must be of a "present interest," meaning that the recipient can make use of the gift immediately, and the donor must not have any control over the asset after it is given. There are no exclusion limits on gifts given to a spouse unless the spouse is not a U.S. citizen. Generally, if a gift qualifies for the exclusion, the donor does not have to file a gift tax return. The person who receives the gift does not have to pay any gift tax because of it.

Grace Period – This is the period of time (usually 30 days) during which you can still pay your premium after its due date. Your policy will remain in force during the grace period. But if you have a claim, the premium remaining due will be deducted from any payment of benefits. If you don't pay the premium by the end of the grace period, your policy will lapse.

Grantor – The person who creates a trust; also called a trustor.

Guaranteed Renewable – Most Medicare Supplement and long-term care insurance policies are guaranteed renewable. That is, the policy cannot be cancelled by the insurance company unless: (1) you committed fraud in your application for the policy, (2) you have not paid the required premium and the policy has lapsed, or (3) benefits have been exhausted. A guaranteed renewable policy cannot be cancelled because of a change in your health condition, or your marital or employment status. However, the insurance company may increase premiums, but only on an entire class of policies, not just on your policy, and never because of any claims paid to you.

Guardian – A person who is appointed by a court and charged with the legal duty to care for another person who is unable to care for himself or herself.