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
To Give or Not to Give: Considerations for Year-End Gifting
With clear Republican victories in the White House and the Senate, and a very slim majority for either side in the House of Representatives, we can expect tax legislation in the coming year. It is expected that the President...more
With the looming elections, tax planners have taken time to consider what the future of Estate and Gift Tax planning might be under the new Congress. Every new Congress considers changes to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,...more
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 nearly doubled the federal lifetime gift and estate tax exemption. In 2024, this act currently allows individuals to transfer up to $13.61 million per person and $27.22 million per...more
The IRS adjusts tax brackets and other tax-related amounts for inflation on an annual basis. Based data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics through August 2024, experts have projected the following adjustments to some of...more
Understanding the nuances of the Internal Revenue Code (I.R.C.) is crucial for effective estate planning and tax strategy. For example, estate planners must be familiar with the tax basis adjustment provisions in 26 U.S.C. §...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
The number of taxpayers seeking the benefits of Qualified Small Business Stock (“QSBS”) has picked up steam in recent years, particularly since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) lowered the federal corporate tax rates to...more
Each year, certain estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer (“GST”) tax figures are subject to inflation adjustments that go in effect on January 1. Below are the current adjustments for 2024....more
The New Year brings with it new estate and gift tax exemption and exclusion amounts. In 2017, a new tax law doubled the federal estate and gift tax exemption. And that exemption amount has increased each year between 2018...more
In planning for the estate of a surviving spouse, the availability of the unused gift and estate tax exemption of his or her deceased spouse can be important, and particularly so with the impending reduction of the exemption....more
Actor Will Rogers is widely credited with stating that “the only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.” While most taxpayers fear tax laws changing for the worse, estate...more
Estate and gift taxes are levied on transfers of property during lifetime and at death. The federal government and many state governments impose such taxes and adjust the amounts subject to tax annually for inflation (or...more
Gifting is a critical element of estate planning for high net worth individuals. Ulmer Trust and Estate attorneys Kim Stein, Abbie Pappas, and Erica Carducci will discuss gifting methods, including gifts utilizing the annual...more
It’s true that because of the current record-high gift and estate tax exemption amount, most families don’t have to worry about transfer taxes. However, there are high net worth individuals who must continue to work to reduce...more
If the pandemic was good for anything, it was TV watching. The pandemic may become known as the golden age of television. Since I was a foreign language major (Portuguese and Spanish) at West Point (mind you out of academic...more
...The federal tax laws are certainly about to change. With the need to raise revenue as a top priority for the Biden Administration, everyone is expecting dramatic changes to the Internal Revenue Code. Tax legislation is...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
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
On Tuesday, November 3rd, Americans went to the polls and cast votes for President, Senators, and House members. In some cases, the results are still being tabulated (or subject to challenge). However, the picture becomes a...more
Impact of the Election on Current Transfer Tax Laws - The results of the upcoming presidential and congressional elections may impact current transfer tax laws. From a policy and political standpoint, historically the...more
Now may be an opportune time to gift assets out of your estate, particularly through an estate planning technique known as the Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (“GRAT“)—a small silver lining of the alarming pandemic and down...more
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes changes that may impact your income-tax liability—the increased standard deduction, decreased corporate income-tax rate, new individual income-tax rates, and grain-glitch issue for farmers,...more
In 2016, we continued to experience a period of relative stability in our federal transfer tax system and have been able to plan without expecting imminent significant changes to the system. Under the American Taxpayer Relief...more