Choosing a Trustee: Navigating the Complexities and Key Considerations
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 509: Listen and Learn -- Third-Party Rights in Contracts (Part 2 - Beneficiaries)
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 508: Listen and Learn -- Third-Party Rights in Contracts (Part 1 - Rules)
Mamma Mia!: Common Estate Planning Issues for Blended Families
Once Removed Episode 38: The Legacy Mindset: What It Is and How to Build It
John Wick - What You Need To Know about the Corporate Transparency Act
Once Removed Episode 24: Expressing Goals and Intent for the Trust
Once Removed Episode 23: Naming Guardians for Minor Children
Once Removed Episode 22: Building Flexibility into the Estate Plan
Once Removed Episode 20: Helping a Beneficiary Purchase a Home
Life After Love Gone Wrong Podcast: Season 3, Episode 6 - Reshaping Your Legacy: Estate Planning After Your Divorce
Charitable Planning With Guest Stephanie Hood: Navigating Complex Rules and Traps for the Unwary
A Primer On Trusts - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
Once Removed Episode 13: It’s 5 o’Clock: Do You Know Where Your Will Is? A Lesson From Aretha Franklin
Once Removed Episode 12: SLATs and the Case of McKim vs. McKim
Once Removed Episode 11: Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts, or SLATs
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Family Office Technology Solutions
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: The Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act
What is a self-proving affidavit?
The Importance of Beneficiary Designations
August is National Make-A-Will Month, a timely reminder for individuals and families to prioritize one of the most important — and often overlooked — aspects of long-term planning: creating a Last Will and Testament. While...more
Key Takeaways - 1. The Act permanently extends the doubled gift, estate, and generation-skipping tax exclusion amount to $15 million per individual and $30 million per married couple, indexed for inflation. 2. The Act...more
“Nowhere is wisdom more necessary than in the guidance of charitable impulses. Meaning well is only half our duty; thinking right is the other, and equally important, half.” — Samuel Gridley Howe...more
The April 2025 Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 5.00%, which is 0.40% less than the March 2025 rate. The April applicable federal rate (“AFR”) for use with a...more
Springtime is a great time to review your current estate plan or consider creating one. This year brings a number of opportunities for creating an estate plan, pursuing gifting strategies, and considering philanthropic...more
A collection may hold deep personal significance for a client but may not carry the same sentimental or financial value for their heirs. It is essential to encourage clients to have open conversations with their heirs, as...more
As we enter 2025, it’s important to stay informed about the current federal estate and gift tax laws, including annual exclusion limits and significant changes anticipated by the end of this year. Annual Exclusion Amount- ...more
People often assume that if their estate isn’t taxable, they don’t need to have an estate plan. In 2024, a Massachusetts estate tax return must be filed if the value of the deceased person’s gross estate exceeds $2 million. A...more
If you are at least 70 ½ years old and you have a traditional IRA, you can donate up to $105,000 directly from your IRA account to charity. This direct transfer, called a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), avoids having...more
As AI increasingly becomes part of our everyday lives, individuals and families are exploring the use of AI programs to prepare estate plans. The answer to whether AI can be used for this purpose is, of course, yes. AI...more
The recent Appellate Division decision, In the Matter of the Estate of Heinecke, serves as an important warning to those who have named charitable organizations as beneficiaries in their Last Will and Testament. The case...more
How planning can minimize the impact of income taxes - Until recently, estate planning strategies generally focused on removing as much wealth as possible from one’s estate to avoid the bite of federal estate tax....more
Charitable bequests are an essential aspect of philanthropic planning for high net worth individuals. When engaging in conversations with philanthropic clients, it is crucial to help them determine suitable assets for...more
People often assume that if their estate isn’t taxable, they don’t need to have an estate plan. In 2023, a Massachusetts estate tax return must be filed if the value of the deceased person’s gross estate exceeds $1 million. A...more
As the year is drawing to a close, we offer you some general advice regarding year-end planning and updated inflation-adjusted figures for 2023. Annual Exclusion Gifts - In 2022, the annual exclusion amount is $16,000...more
Historically, if one inherited an IRA, he or she was able to stretch the distributions over the beneficiary’s lifetime. However, under the SECURE Act, passed in 2019, those stretched out rules were changed for most...more
In this second blog post on the House Ways and Means Tax proposals, we address the proposed changes that will affect the taxation of trusts, estates, and retirement plans. As we discussed, on September 13, 2021, the...more
A charitable lead trust (CLT) is a vehicle in which a donor funds a trust that makes fixed payments to charity over a specified period of time. The designated charity receives the benefits in the early years, while the...more
By using a Charitable Unitrust Remainder Trust (CRUT), philanthropic minded donors can gift to a charitable cause while maintaining a lifetime benefit. A CRUT is an irrevocable agreement that will provide an income stream to...more
Estate plans, much like the people who create them, are all unique. Contrary to popular belief, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. While there are some general similarities that can lead two clients to have a very...more
As the holiday season approaches, people are thinking about giving to charitable organizations. As a donor, you can be both philanthropic and tax-efficient in your charitable giving. Estate Planning - One way to give is...more
The election is only weeks away, and with it is likely to come significant changes to the tax code. Many economists anticipate that, regardless of the outcome, there will likely be tax increases to reduce the federal deficit,...more
Many people like the idea of leaving bequests to favorite charities in their wills. But instead of leaving money to a charity in your will, you can put that money into a charitable remainder trust and collect income while you...more
On January 19, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed a district court’s ruling granting summary judgment to a specialty pharmacy that was accused of violating the Anti-Kickback Statute and...more
On January 10th, 11th and 18th our tax attorneys ?hosted a "CPA Shoptalk" seminar in ?Portland, Vancouver and Bend. Below are ?some key takeaways to consider... 1. Partnership Audit Rules Post-TEFRA - The Balanced...more