Buy-sell agreements are essential estate and succession planning tools for many family businesses and other closely held companies. These agreements, among other things, ensure that the business stays within the family or...more
Across all industries, private companies, family offices, and their owners and management teams face rapidly evolving challenges, opportunities, and risks in the dynamic environment that is 2025. Here are 11 issues that...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
Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Connelly v. United States, that the valuation of a decedent’s shares in a closely held corporation for federal estate tax purposes must include insurance proceeds received...more
Spoiler alert: In the acclaimed HBO series “Succession,” the patriarch of a family run business, Logan Roy, fails to name a clear successor. After his sudden death, the family is ripped apart. Eventually the business is sold...more
In Connelly vs. United States (602 U.S. 257, June 6, 2024), the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that in a redemption of a deceased shareholder’s shares of stock, the corporation’s fair market value should include the proceeds...more
The US Supreme Court recently issued a significant decision, impacting many closely-held businesses with buy-sell agreements funded by life insurance policies, Connelly v. United States, 144 S. Ct. 1406 (2024). In a 9-0...more
You might think the laws of King Edward I of England (1239-1307), George Washington’s whisky distillery, and an 1807 “Treatise on the Law of Idiocy and Lunacy” have little to do with the federal criminal code of 2024. And you...more
Improperly structured buy-sell agreements for closely held businesses will lead to an unexpected increase in the estate tax imposed on the estate of the deceased owner. The Supreme Court decision emphasizes the need for a...more
Many small business owners mistakenly believe business succession planning and estate planning is for those with substantial wealth. This is simply a myth which does not reflect the nature of business or home ownership....more
On June 6, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a unanimous decision in Connelly v. United States and found that life-insurance proceeds payable to a closely held business for the purpose of funding a share...more
On June 6, 2024, the Supreme Court held 9-to-0 in Connelly v. United States that company-owned life insurance increases the company’s fair market value for estate tax purposes, and the company’s obligation to redeem a...more
The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Thomas A. Connelly et al. v. United States has significant implications for certain closely held business owners. The decision is important especially for those with, or planning to buy,...more
Many closely held businesses have shareholder buy/sell redemption agreements. These agreements are critical to maintaining business continuity when a key shareholder exits the company. When the redemption agreement is...more
On June 6, 2024, the Supreme Court unanimously decided the case of Connelly v. United States, which concerned the valuation of a business with company-owned life insurance. In this case, two brothers were the sole...more
On June 6, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Connelly v. United States affecting the valuation of closely held businesses for estate tax purposes. The Court explained that, for purposes of federal...more
Connelly v. Internal Revenue Service is a landmark SCOTUS decision that will impact business owners, partners, shareholders, members, and professional practitioners from a business perspective, succession planning, as well as...more
Keeping it in the family just got more complicated. Our Tax Group studies a Supreme Court decision that left a family with an unexpected estate tax liability related to a share redemption agreement....more
On June 6, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a pivotal decision in Connelly v. United States, affecting how life insurance proceeds are treated in buy-sell agreements for closely held corporations. The ruling states that...more
On June 6, 2024 the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that life insurance proceeds should be included in the fair market valuation of a corporation for federal estate tax purposes. In Connelly v. United States, the Supreme...more
In the recent case, Connelly v. United States, 602 U.S. (2024) (slip op.) the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that life insurance proceeds received by a closely held corporation which is used to fund the redemption of a...more
The future success of your organization depends upon your ability to plan and implement a succession plan. Succession planning, first recognized by Henri Fayol in the early 1900s, continues to be a necessity for any...more
In its recent decision in Connelly v. U.S., the U.S. Supreme Court held that life insurance proceeds received by a corporation to fund an obligation to purchase a deceased stockholder’s shares in the corporation must be...more
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court of the United States recently determined in Connelly v. U.S. that the value of a life insurance policy must be included in the fair market value of a closely held business for...more
Many co-owners of closely held businesses will employ life insurance as a tool for funding the transfer of ownership in the business upon the death or retirement of an owner. In these cases, planning involves the use of...more