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
Experienced trusts and estates attorneys consistently observe how proper planning can mean the difference between a thriving legacy and a fragmented enterprise. For family-owned life insurance businesses, the stakes are...more
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA). The OBBA established a new type of tax-advantaged savings account for minors, known as “Trump Accounts.” While the specific details of...more
In uncertain economic times, many individuals are concerned about the value of their investments, and for good reason. When the stock market dips or real estate prices fall, the effect isn’t just felt in personal investment...more
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."- The Serenity Prayer- The first 100 days of President Trump’s administration have been...more
On April 30, 2025, Katten hosted Loyola University Chicago's Family Business Center for the "Family Business Through a Legal Lens" program. Private Wealth Partner Adam Damerow and Loyola University Chicago School of Law...more
The recent volatility in the stock market, ongoing trade wars, and talks of further increases to the federal debt ceiling have intensified concerns in recent months around economic uncertainty and the risk of recession. ...more
In our estate planning practice, whether we are helping high-net worth individuals, family-owned business owners or young families, we urge all our clients to avoid these common pitfalls. If you carefully discuss the below...more
The May 2025 Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 5.00%, which is the same as the April 2025 Section 7520 rate...more
Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) offers business owners significant federal tax benefits of exclusion of up to $10 million or ten times the stock’s basis in capital gains, whichever is greater. The stock must be held for...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
The Massey Family’s $10M Settlement: A Win, But What’s Next? Sonya Massey’s tragic death was yet another painful reminder of the deep racial injustices that persist in America. On July 6, 2024, Sonya, a 36-year-old Black...more
When minor children are addressed in an estate plan, special considerations are involved to ensure their well-being and financial security. Parents ought to make decisions about who they would prefer to serve as the guardian...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
Loan or gift? Handle intrafamily transfers with care - If you’re like most people, an important goal of estate planning is to provide financial assistance to your children or other loved ones, ideally at the lowest...more
Your family’s vacation home is more than just a property. It is where your family has created memories to cherish for generations. Deciding how to pass down such a meaningful asset can be an emotional decision, but it...more
Today’s federal estate and gift tax laws may be remembered as the most generous to wealthy families since the Great Depression. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) doubled the federal estate, gift, and generation skipping...more
Dear Jonathan: My mother, who recently passed away, prepared a trust naming me as her sole beneficiary. She intentionally disinherited my brother due to a falling out they had years ago. Although he knows that he has been...more
A strong stock market and “soft landing” have generated significant wealth this year. The gift tax, estate tax and generation-skipping transfer tax are all imposed on the fair market value of assets at the time of transfer....more
Los Fideicomisos (“Trusts”) son vehículos que pueden ayudar en la preservación de la riqueza y la propiedad para las generaciones futuras, proteger activos o llevar a cabo un propósito caritativo. Un Fideicomiso es una...more
Trusts are vehicles that can assist in the preservation of wealth and property for future generations, protect assets, or carry out a charitable purpose. A trust is an entity created and governed under the state law in which...more
A new law was recently passed in Florida that will allow a grantor spouse of a Spousal Limited Access Trust (SLAT) to be added as a beneficiary of the SLAT following the death of the beneficiary spouse. Please see below for a...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
Happy Holidays? Bah Humbug! The “holiday season” is once again upon us. A time to spend with family and friends, a time for gift-giving (and re-gifting), for songs and for story-telling, and a time for remembering those...more
If you are a US citizen and your spouse or civil partner is not you need to ensure you have appropriate estate planning in place to avoid your heirs getting an unexpected tax bill following your death. In this guide we...more
Has a client decided to leave their bank account or entire estate to one of their children, who will “do the right thing, and distribute it equally among all of my children”? ...more