Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Planning for Your Digital Legacy
RoboCop: Overview of Corporate Basics and Compliance Filings
Family Owned Real Estate: Managing Lack of Planning in Family Business Transitions
Family Owned Real Estate: Impacts of the Current Real Estate Market on Transition Planning
Family Owned Real Estate: Avoiding Pitfalls When Transitioning Family Real Estate
Family Owned Real Estate: Common Real Estate & Asset Management Issues
John Wick - What You Need To Know about the Corporate Transparency Act
Top Gun: Maverick - Core Estate Plan and Gifting Basics
5 Tips For Writing Conflict Emails
Family Owned Real Estate: Legal Challenges & Opportunities
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Estate Planning and the Corporate Transparency Act
US Expatriate Tax Planning - Part 2 - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
Once Removed Episode 20: Helping a Beneficiary Purchase a Home
Once Removed Episode 23: Naming Guardians for Minor Children
Once Removed Episode 22: Building Flexibility into the Estate Plan
Once Removed Episode 24: Expressing Goals and Intent for the Trust
Once Removed Episode 21: Passing Down the “Family Cottage” or Other Legacy Property
US Expatriate Tax Planning - Part 1 - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
Once Removed Episode 19: The Step-Transaction Doctrine and the Case of Smaldino
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Planning for Influencers
The Prudent Investor Rule is a legal principal that requires fiduciaries to act in the best interests of a beneficiary and exercise reasonable care, skill, and caution when making investment decisions, which was codified in...more
Just a few weeks ago, many individual taxpayers, driven by what they viewed as the relatively imminent expiration of the enhanced federal transfer tax exemptions, sought advice on how to leverage their remaining exemption and...more
In In re Est., the court of appeals dealt with whether a contingent beneficiary can file claims against a trustee. No. 02-23-00104-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 1878 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth March 14, 2024, no pet.)....more
Each new year offers a chance to step back, recalibrate, and plan for the year ahead. Individuals and businesses alike should take the time to ask and answer some simple questions to ensure their estate and business...more
Even with a comprehensive estate plan, it’s likely you’ll have some assets in a residuary estate. Like the sediment at the bottom of your glass after you finish a fine wine, an estate plan may also leave some residue....more
The use of private placement life insurance (PPLI) by high-net-worth individuals has generated considerable controversy over the years, with proponents arguing that it is a proper use of existing laws that provide many of the...more
As we enter 2025, it’s important to stay informed about the current federal estate and gift tax laws, including annual exclusion limits and significant changes anticipated by the end of this year. Annual Exclusion Amount- ...more
Not all trusts age like fine wine. Family situations change, tax laws are updated, and an irrevocable trust created years ago may no longer be ideal for today’s circumstances. ...more
In a legal malpractice action arising out of revisions to a client's estate plan, the appellate court considered whether an attorney has a duty to evaluate a client's mental capacity and, if so, whether the plaintiff alleged...more
Federal Exemption Amounts Increased to $13,990,000 - As of January 1, 2025, the federal gift and estate tax exemption amount, as well as the exemption from generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax, (collectively, the...more
Welcome to Lost in Translation: Blunders in International Estate Planning; in this blog series, I will delve into the rarified world of international estate planning, shedding light on possible pitfalls and slip-ups....more
As the chair of the Elder Law Practice Group, I see a lot of issues that the firm’s clients encounter in their personal lives. As we begin the new year, I thought it appropriate to write about the areas of our practice that...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
Managing your residuary estate - Even with a comprehensive estate plan, it’s likely you’ll have some assets in a residuary estate. Like the sediment at the bottom of your glass after you finish a fine wine, an estate plan...more
Navigating the tax landscape for art dealers, investors, and collectors can be a complex endeavor, but proper classification is key to maximizing tax savings and avoiding pitfalls....more
Think estate planning can wait? Here’s the thing: putting off or delaying estate planning can leave your loved ones in a difficult position. Among the issues is passing away without a will, one of estate planning’s basic...more
A new Supreme Court ruling overturns lower courts’ rulings and regulates the application of the “successive heirs” provision of the Succession Law, in instances when a surviving spouse who inherited property by virtue of a...more
In In re Estate of Martinez, a decedent left a holographic will, and a potential recipient of property under that will offered it for probate and sought a declaration regarding a devise of property. No. 04-22-00708-CV, 2024...more
As we start the new year, this Federal Tax Update highlights estate planning-related federal tax information as you consider 2025 planning options. ...more
In Gaddy v. Fenenbock (In re Est. of Fenenbock), a probate court entered an order directing the independent executor of an estate to make a partial distribution of assets from the residuary clause in the decedent’s will into...more
The Great Wealth Transfer: Preparing the Next Generation - The great wealth transfer is underway in America. Through 2045, Baby Boomers will pass down approximately $84 trillion to Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X. But what...more
People often assume that if their estate isn’t taxable, they don’t need to have an estate plan. In 2024, a Massachusetts estate tax return must be filed if the value of the deceased person’s gross estate exceeds $2 million. A...more
The January 2025 Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 5.2%, an increase from the December 2024 rate of 5.0%. The January applicable federal rate (“AFR”) for use with...more
The North Carolina Court of Appeals’ recent decision on December 3, 2024 in Abitol v. Clark highlights the critical role of clear drafting in estate planning and raises novel legal questions regarding the inheritance rights...more
Host Warren K. Racusin, Chair of Lowenstein’s Trusts & Estates practice, talks about the law and lore of cemeteries with Eric D. Weinstock, and Rich Moylan, president of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. They discuss...more