Top Gun: Maverick - Core Estate Plan and Gifting Basics
Once Removed Episode 19: The Step-Transaction Doctrine and the Case of Smaldino
Once Removed Episode 17: Annual Gifting to Individuals: Options, Opportunities and Pitfalls
Taking the Sting Out of Death Taxes with Dylan Metzner, Jones & Keller
HEAVEN CAN WAIT
Due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the federal estate tax exemption will increase to a new, “permanent” $15 million exemption as of January 1, 2026. At the end of 2025, the historically high gift, estate, and...more
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA” or the “Act”), signed into law on July 4, 2025, made permanent changes to federal estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (GST) taxes...more
Signed into law on July 4, 2025, the OBBBA permanently extends many provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act while introducing new rules for charitable giving and increasing estate and gift tax thresholds starting...more
President Donald Trump’s massive tax-and-spending package requires attention from both individuals and estate planners to advance their estate and income tax planning objectives. Originally Published by Bloomberg Law. ...more
On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “Act”) was signed into law, bringing with it important changes to the federal estate, gift, and generation skipping transfer (GST) tax system. Many of the provisions in...more
In the months preceding the general election in 2024, the owners of many closely held businesses who had not yet given much thought to the disposition of their future estates, including their businesses, decided they should...more
The recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) brings sweeping and permanent changes to the federal estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax landscape. Most notably, it significantly increases the...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
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
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the 2025 Budget Reconciliation bill, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“Act”). This legislation extends several provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act...more
On July 4, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law and as a result enacted numerous significant tax law changes. While this short article will not address each aspect of the OBBBA, it will...more
President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law on July 4, 2025. The OBBBA represents a significant overhaul of the U.S. tax system, making permanent many provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs...more
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”) into law. The OBBBA is the tax and budget reconciliation package for the current 2025 fiscal year through 2034. While the bill focuses primarily...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
President Trump’s July 4th signing of the Opportunity, Balance, and Better Budget Act sets an increased $15 million federal estate and gift tax exclusion and generation-skipping transfer tax exemption per individual,...more
The new tax cut and spending bill known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which was signed into law on July 4, 2025, increases federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer (“GST”) tax exemptions to $15 million...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
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
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
As widely reported, the coming years will likely see a significant transfer of assets and wealth across generations. Each family's circumstances will ultimately determine the nature and extent of these transfers, and any...more
Now’s the time to review your GST tax exposure Absent congressional action this year, the federal gift and estate exemption and the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemption (currently $13.99 million) are scheduled...more
On February 13, 2025, Republican lawmakers in Congress introduced the Death Tax Repeal Act, which aims to permanently eliminate the federal estate tax. Since 2015, various legislative efforts to repeal the estate, gift, and...more
Let’s work off of this premise: an estate planner’s job is to help a client pass their value and values to the following generations to the fullest extent possible, addressing as many of the obstacles in doing so as...more
You likely have created revocable or irrevocable trusts, or a few of both, in your estate plan. Ideally, these have been properly drafted with plenty of flexibility so that they can continue to meet your wealth planning goals...more
The arrival of 2025 brings with it increased estate and gift exclusion amounts. For an estate of any decedent dying during calendar year 2025, the Federal applicable exemption will increase from $13.61 million to $13.99...more