Experienced trusts and estates attorneys consistently observe how proper planning can mean the difference between a thriving legacy and a fragmented enterprise. For family-owned life insurance businesses, the stakes are...more
The Alzheimer’s Association says that more than 55 million people are living with dementia worldwide. In the United States the figure for Alzheimer’s alone is nearly 7 million, on pace to hit 13 million by 2050. We all know...more
The Purple Reign… in Chaos: Netflix, Secrets, and the Fight Over Prince's Legacy...more
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 provided major changes to the Internal Revenue Code, specifically doubling the federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemption (collectively, the exemption) from...more
A supplemental needs trust (SNT) is an important estate planning tool for those with a special needs child. It ensures that your special needs child is taken care of after you are gone. Unlike other types of trusts, assets...more
There is a common misconception that life insurance benefits are not subject to estate tax. While the proceeds of a life insurance policy are not taxable income to the beneficiaries, they are part of a person’s taxable estate...more
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) took effect on Jan. 1, 2018, and impacted personal income taxes, small businesses, estate tax rules, capital gains rules, special needs accounts, and much more. The TCJA is scheduled to sunset...more
Estate Tax – It’s a Killer- One of the reasons often given for eliminating the estate tax is the substantial economic burden it places upon the estate of a deceased business owner and upon the business itself. Specifically,...more
$860,000 – that is the amount of the increase in the gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer (“GST”) tax exclusion that came into effect on January 1st when the exclusion increased from $12.06 million for 2022 to...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
With the prospect of estate tax exemptions going down and estate tax rates going up, it’s a good time to consider using life insurance as a hedge against potential estate taxes. One way to do that is to add an Irrevocable...more
Throughout 2021, Congress and the Executive Branch proposed tax code changes that – had they ultimately passed – would have significantly changed various estate planning techniques. Some proposals would have sidelined a...more
On September 13, the House Ways and Means Committee released a proposed plan to pay for the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better Act (the “Act”). The proposed legislation contains a variety of changes across the tax code, but the...more
Plan focuses on eliminating certain available estate planning opportunities and increasing rates for corporations and high net worth individuals. The proposed tax plan from House Ways and Means Committee seeks to eliminate...more
The House Committee on Ways and Means has proposed a tax plan intended to fund President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" $3.5 trillion infrastructure program. Among the many changes in this proposed tax plan are three that...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
President Joseph Biden and the Democratic majority in Congress are working on a $3.5 trillion tax and spending package that could dramatically increase taxes on the wealthy. In addition, new proposals are being floated almost...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
On September 13, the House Ways & Means Committee proposed new tax provisions as part of the Build Back Better Act. The proposal includes many substantial tax changes that would affect personal income tax and business tax...more
With the federal estate tax exemption possibly about to be lowered, it may be time to think about steps you can take to keep your estate from being taxed. An irrevocable life insurance trust allows you to pass on money to...more
Throughout 2020, as many tax attorneys and their clients continuously worried about potential changes in federal transfer tax laws that could result with an administration change, numerous articles were published and webinars...more
With the prospect of estate tax exemptions going down and estate tax rates going up, life insurance is being considered again to cover potential estate taxes. One way to use life insurance as a “hedge” against estate taxes is...more
At this time, unless Congress acts, the current lifetime estate tax exemption amount of $11,580,000 is set to sunset in 2025, which means that in 2026 it will revert to $5,000,000 per person, adjusted for inflation. Many...more
The most impactful legislation affecting retirement accounts in decades became effective on January 1, 2020. The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act) made two positive changes: • It...more
What is one of the things that kids from a first marriage worry about when their parent re-marries? The “evil” step-parent getting it all, of course. Many parents struggle with the problem of alleviating the fears of their...more