Once Removed Episode 19: The Step-Transaction Doctrine and the Case of Smaldino
Once Removed Episode 18: The Reciprocal Trust Doctrine
Charitable Planning With Guest Stephanie Hood: Navigating Complex Rules and Traps for the Unwary
Once Removed Episode 16: Gift and Estate Tax, Inflation Adjustments for 2024
Once Removed Episode 17: Annual Gifting to Individuals: Options, Opportunities and Pitfalls
Once Removed Episode 12: SLATs and the Case of McKim vs. McKim
Once Removed Episode 11: Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts, or SLATs
Once Removed Episode 10: Trustee Removal and Case Update on Leo Kahn Revocable Trust
(A)ESOP's Fables - The Income and Estate Tax-Free ESOP
The Renoir Spelling Bee
Taking the Sting Out of Death Taxes with Dylan Metzner, Jones & Keller
RETURN TO FOREVER - What Game Shall We Play Today?
To Give or Not to Give: Considerations for Year-End Gifting
INTRODUCING MALTA SPLIT DOLLAR
THE PAPER CHASE
With a Little Help from My Friends
The Greatest Gift: Your Individual + Family Estate Plan
Lathrop GPM attorneys Allie Itami and Sara Hire will walk through key legal and tax considerations that arise when retirement accounts grow beyond personal retirement needs. From alternative investments to estate tax...more
After months of intense negotiations, on July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) was signed into law making various changes to the tax code that impacts estate, gift and income tax planning. Increased Estate, Gift...more
On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “OBBB”) was signed into law. Introduction - Many Americans will experience the OBBB as a continuation of income and transfer tax laws passed during the President’s...more
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”), which was signed into law on December 22, 2017, made some of the most significant changes to the tax law since the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Absent further legislation, many of the provisions...more
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (the “Act”) was signed into law last week, on July 4. As promised by the White House, the Act extends – i.e., purports to make “permanent” – many of the otherwise expiring provisions that were...more
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (the “2025 Act”). The Act makes permanent some provisions originally enacted in 2017 as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “2017 Act”),...more
In this second installment of our multi-part series on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “Act”), my colleague David Knutson and I discuss the changes made by the Act to the federal estate and gift tax regime....more
As you may be aware, on July 4, 2025, a landmark piece of tax legislation – commonly referred to as “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” – was signed into law, ushering in some of the most significant changes to the tax code in...more
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law, which had narrowly passed through the United States Congress. The OBBBA makes permanent certain tax provisions that were due to expire...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
It is not uncommon for family members to lend a helping hand to one another through intrafamily loans. While loans can benefit family borrowers who may not qualify for a traditional loan or who need flexible payment...more
Every conveyance of property or of an interest in property from one person to another is prompted, or at least influenced, by economic considerations. The parties to the transaction may swap properties, or one party may...more
On Monday, Republicans unveiled their much anticipated Tax Bill (the “Bill”). At 389 pages, the Bill contains a number of provisions. Some are simply extensions of previous provisions that were sunsetting at the end of 2025....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
As the clock ticks down to the end of 2025, the impending sunset of key provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) looms large, threatening tax hikes for millions of Americans. With Congress at a crossroads, the...more
In the Soundtrack of Our Lives, one of the songs that I still get to hear from time to time on Sirius XM, is “Still the One” which was recorded and released by the band Orleans in 1976. I was in the tenth grade just to be...more
How often should you review your trust and estate plan? Is there a regular cycle to these reviews, or should they be driven by significant events in your life or the lives of your beneficiaries and executor or trustee? How...more
On February 12, 2025, the House proposed a budget resolution that earmarked up to $4.5 trillion for tax cuts over the next ten years. While the House has yet to elaborate on specific tax cuts or legislation, a widely...more
Litigation attorneys have had the ability to defer contingency fees since 1994. You are hard pressed to find another profession that has this tax advantage. Hedge fund managers have been running and winning the “Death Race”...more
The federal estate and gift tax exemption changes from year to year. The current combined federal estate and gift tax exemption amount of $13.99 million per person ($27.98 million per married couple) is scheduled to “sunset”...more
Just a few weeks ago, many individual taxpayers, driven by what they viewed as the relatively imminent expiration of the enhanced federal transfer tax exemptions, sought advice on how to leverage their remaining exemption and...more
The use of private placement life insurance (PPLI) by high-net-worth individuals has generated considerable controversy over the years, with proponents arguing that it is a proper use of existing laws that provide many of the...more
Clients are often interested in gifting to their loved ones not only to benefit the recipient of the gift, but also to reduce the donor’s taxable estate for estate tax purposes. Every taxpayer can give a certain amount each...more
Federal Estate, GST and Gift Tax Rates The federal estate, gift and GST applicable exclusion amounts are as summarized below. In simple terms, these dollar figures represent the amount of wealth that each individual can...more
The "big ticket" item of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is the significant increase to the lifetime gift, estate and generation-skipping tax (GST) tax exemptions. Under the TCJA, the exemptions were increased from $5...more