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 18: The Reciprocal Trust Doctrine
Once Removed Episode 16: Gift and Estate Tax, Inflation Adjustments for 2024
Once Removed Episode 17: Annual Gifting to Individuals: Options, Opportunities and Pitfalls
Gift Tax Basics
NGE On Demand: GRAT Trusts with Eric Mann
To Give or Not to Give: Considerations for Year-End Gifting
The 2010 Tax Relief Act and your estate plan
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 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
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
As lawmakers advance toward the critical 2025 tax cliff, a key—and increasingly contentious—policy question is coming into sharper focus: What should Congress assume about the future when it scores the cost of extending the...more
With the end of the year quickly approaching, now is good time to ensure you make your annual exclusion gifts for the year to reduce your taxable estate. For 2024, an individual can give $18,000 (and a married couple...more
Estate planning is a lot like putting together a puzzle. The client provides you with their box lid showing what they want the ultimate result of their plan to look like. Then, estate planners are tasked to identify and...more
The federal estate and gift tax exemption is the highest it has ever been. Under current law, you may transfer almost $14 million to anyone you wish without having to pay a dime of federal gift or estate tax. Absent any...more
As we will see shortly, it is often “better to give than to receive,” though this statement begs the obvious question of whether it is better to do so during one’s lifetime or upon one’s death. Many well-to-do individuals...more
In an effort to provide Americans with various forms of tax relief, in 2017 Congress enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Tax Act”). This act provided tax reductions in many different categories, but one of the most...more
In addition to the federal estate tax, which may be levied upon a decedent’s estate, New York imposes a separate state estate tax regime. Generally a decedent’s estate is subject to the New York State estate tax if such...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
In 2024, the federal estate, gift, and Generation Skipping Transfer tax exemption amount increased from $12.92 million to $13.61 million per individual (a combined $27.22 million for a married couple), representing an...more
The start of a new year is a great time to review your current estate plan or consider creating one. 2024 brings a number of opportunities for creating an estate plan, pursuing gifting strategies, and considering...more
A New Year is upon us, it is an election year, and a rollback of the federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes is scheduled for the not too distant future. State and federal estate and gift taxes are an...more
As young family members head off to school or leave home for a job, parents and other relatives may wonder how they can continue to support a child or assist with health care or other decisions. Many parents are surprised...more
From time to time, we provide updates in the estate planning area. While the November 2022 federal elections resulted in a divided Congress that dampens the likelihood of major federal tax legislation, we thought this would...more
The gift tax annual exclusion and the gift and estate tax exemption increased significantly for 2023. Effective January 1, 2023, the following amounts may be helpful in considering estate planning options for the new year: ...more
As the end of the calendar year approaches, we would like to remind our clients of some year-end estate planning ideas to consider. A person can currently make annual gifts of up to US$16,000 per recipient to an unlimited...more
The federal estate tax exemption provisions are set to expire at the end of 2025, potentially requiring more people to pay estate taxes. In view of the uncertainty of the estate tax laws, it is important to have estate...more
I have yet to meet a client who wants to pay estate taxes. Tax avoidance is among the primary reasons people meet with estate planning attorneys and develop estate plans. In 2022, the federal gift, estate, and generation...more
Even if your 2022 New Year's resolutions have long since gone by the wayside, as most have, now can and should be a time of renewed focus on family and self-betterment. In the midst of economic uncertainty, geopolitical...more
The Internal Revenue Service has announced that the annual gift tax exclusion is increasing next year due to inflation. After four years of being at $15,000, the exclusion will be $16,000 per recipient for 2022—the highest...more
The U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means’ tax proposals would significantly impact estate planning for high net worth individuals if enacted. Gift, estate and GST exemption amounts would be decreased; grantor trusts would...more
Democrats recently unveiled the Build Back Better Act, which, if passed, would bring significant changes to the Tax Code and would have a drastic impact on common estate planning techniques, including gifts to trusts. The...more