NGE On Demand: GRAT Trusts with Eric Mann
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, 2025, is a sweeping piece of legislation spanning nearly 1,000 pages. It includes significant changes to federal estate and income tax laws that will affect...more
The current federal estate tax exemption levels, introduced by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in 2018, have provided historically high federal estate tax exemptions. But this period of increased exemption is expected to...more
A record-breaking stock market has again 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. Gifts...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
Financial markets, political moods, and the world-at-large can take us on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. But savvy investors (and their estate planning counsel) know that – in the end – neither the bears nor bulls...more
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 Relief Act of 2012 (the “2012 Act”). In...more
For a business owner considering the sale of their business, there are two competing goals: maximizing the proceeds from the sale and minimizing the estate and gift taxes that will be due on the owner’s enhanced estate....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
By most accounts, 2022 has been a tumultuous year from a planning perspective: the uncertainty of the midterm elections, stock market volatility, rising interest rates and the highest level of inflation in recent history have...more
The June Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 3.6%, an increase from the May rate of 3.0%. The June applicable federal rate (“AFR”) for use with a sale to a...more
You likely are aware, from the news and our prior communications, that Congress currently is considering proposals that may have a significant impact on many estate plans. Although we still cannot be certain which, if any, of...more
Our annual estate and tax planning newsletter discusses certain concepts and techniques that should be considered in 2022 by our clients and friends in California. Perhaps the most important recent development was the failure...more
“Legendary was the Xanadu where Kubla Kahn decreed his stately pleasure dome.” Legendary too were the colossal errors made by Mary Kane in this celebrated classic movie which follows a journalist as he tries to uncover the...more
Counting the Days?- We are 302 days away from the national mid-term elections, to be held November 8, 2022, yet the first full week of the new year has already highlighted some of the economic issues with which the...more
Federal interest rates increased slightly for December of 2021 but remain fairly low historically. The December Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 1.6%, which is...more
Federal interest rates increased slightly for November of 2021. The November applicable federal rate ("AFR") for use with a sale to a defective grantor trust, self-canceling installment note ("SCIN") or intra-family loan with...more
What you need to know: On September 13, 2021, the House Ways and Means Committee released its proposed tax plan to fund President Biden’s $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” social and economic spending package. If enacted as...more
As many people are aware, Congress is considering changes to the federal tax code to support President Biden’s Build Back Better spending plan. As of this writing, on September 22, 2021, no bill has been enacted....more
Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee released proposed legislation affecting numerous transfer and income tax provisions of the Code. These changes, if enacted, will have a significant impact on estate planning and...more
You have probably heard that the House Ways and Means Committee released proposals for increasing gift and estate taxes in order support legislation being advanced by the Democratic majority in Congress. ...more
“President Biden and Democrats in the Congress have been working on a $3.5 trillion spending and tax package, and the details are starting to be revealed. Indeed, on Sunday, September 12th, the House Ways and Means Committee...more
House Democrats recently released additional legislative proposals that, if passed, would affect several commonly used estate planning techniques. Among those proposals are three that would significantly impact some of the...more
With Democratic control of the White House and Congress, there has been much speculation on what President Biden’s tax proposal will look like, as well as the likelihood that President Biden’s tax plan will be enacted into...more
The recent introduction of Senator Bernie Sanders’s proposed tax reform bill, the “For the 99.5% Act,” brings the possibility of unprecedented changes to the tax and estate planning landscape by reducing existing federal...more
One of the main purposes of estate planning is to determine who receives your property when you die, and when and how they can access that inheritance. For many families, the answer involves a written plan for the benefit of...more