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
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
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, 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
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 Trump administration is expected to work with Congress to extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), but this will take longer than 100 days....more
As 2024 quickly comes to a close, the new year will bring a change in the presidency, a new Congress, and potential changes to policies and laws that could impact individuals of all wealth levels. Going into the election,...more
This year was busy for trusts and estates practitioners. With 2025 marking the final year of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), many of its implications for federal corporate and individual income tax, gift, estate and...more
At the end of 2025, the federal estate and gift tax exemption will dramatically decrease unless Congress affirmatively passes a law saying otherwise. This event is the “sunsetting” of a 2018 federal tax law and is leading...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
In a significant legislative shift, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 doubled the exemption amounts for estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes (collectively known as “Death Taxes”). As of 2024, the federal...more
Current tax laws provide historically high exclusion amounts for the federal estate and generation skipping transfer tax. These exclusion amounts, however, are slated to sunset by roughly 50% at the end of 2025. ...more
When it comes to passing wealth to the next generation, one of the most powerful tools in our toolbox is the use of your lifetime gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax (GST) exemption amounts. While the...more
During 2022, COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, global inflation, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the uncertainty about the Build Back Better Act (BBBA), the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), and the Inflation Reduction Act...more
Earlier this year we issued an Estate Planning Alert advising high-net worth individuals to consider taking certain estate planning steps by the end of 2020. As the end of the year approaches, it is important to again...more
In 2020, COVID-19, the US presidential election, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the TCJA), and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the CARES ACT) dominated the planning landscape....more
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, in 2020 each person may transfer up to $11,580,000 without incurring a gift or estate tax. This generous exemption amount will sunset at the end of 2025, which means that in 2026, the...more
The 2020 election is less than a month away and year-end estate planning is already underway for many. Under current law, the estate, gift and GST (generation-skipping transfer) tax exemptions for 2020 are set at $11,580,000...more
Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts, or “SLATs,” may be the ideal vehicle for clients interested in pursuing wealth-transfer tax planning. Before deciding whether SLATs may be right for you and your family, it’s important to...more
Estate, Gift and GST Tax Update - What This Means for Your Current Will, Revocable Trust and Estate Plan - The estate and gift tax regimes have been permanent and unified since the passage of The American Taxpayer...more
Based on the inflation measure provided by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and Consumer Price Index for the 12-month period ending August 31, 2019, Thompson Reuters Checkpoint has released their projected inflation-adjusted Estate,...more
As previously posted, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law in December 2017 (the “2017 Act”) made significant changes to the federal wealth transfer system with respect to gift and estate tax transfers during the...more
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) passed in December, 2017, doubled the estate and gift tax basic exclusion amount from $5.0 million to $10.0, coupled with a cost of living adjustment. For 2019, the basic exclusion amount is...more
On Dec. 22, 2017, President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the 2017 Act) into law. The 2017 Act roughly doubled the estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemption amounts from $5.49 million per...more