Once Removed Episode 19: The Step-Transaction Doctrine and the Case of Smaldino
Once Removed Episode 18: The Reciprocal Trust Doctrine
Charitable Planning With Guest Stephanie Hood: Navigating Complex Rules and Traps for the Unwary
Once Removed Episode 16: Gift and Estate Tax, Inflation Adjustments for 2024
Once Removed Episode 17: Annual Gifting to Individuals: Options, Opportunities and Pitfalls
Once Removed Episode 12: SLATs and the Case of McKim vs. McKim
Once Removed Episode 11: Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts, or SLATs
Once Removed Episode 10: Trustee Removal and Case Update on Leo Kahn Revocable Trust
(A)ESOP's Fables - The Income and Estate Tax-Free ESOP
The Renoir Spelling Bee
Taking the Sting Out of Death Taxes with Dylan Metzner, Jones & Keller
RETURN TO FOREVER - What Game Shall We Play Today?
To Give or Not to Give: Considerations for Year-End Gifting
INTRODUCING MALTA SPLIT DOLLAR
THE PAPER CHASE
With a Little Help from My Friends
The Greatest Gift: Your Individual + Family Estate Plan
On April 10, 2025, the House of Representatives narrowly approved the Senate’s version of the FY 2025 budget resolution, which it passed on April 5, formally aligning both chambers on President Trump’s legislative tax agenda....more
The Administration’s tariff policies have contributed to significant volatility in the stock market. Even brief announcements regarding new tariffs often trigger immediate declines in stock prices. This volatility is largely...more
As lawmakers advance toward the critical 2025 tax cliff, a key—and increasingly contentious—policy question is coming into sharper focus: What should Congress assume about the future when it scores the cost of extending the...more
Springtime is a great time to review your current estate plan or consider creating one. This year brings a number of opportunities for creating an estate plan, pursuing gifting strategies, and considering philanthropic...more
Starting January 1, 2026, many provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) are set to expire. Among the most significant provisions set to sunset is the increased estate and gift tax exemption, which currently...more
Now’s the time to review your GST tax exposure Absent congressional action this year, the federal gift and estate exemption and the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemption (currently $13.99 million) are scheduled...more
As we approach the end of the first quarter of 2025, estate planners and their clients are closely monitoring developments in Washington, D.C. The scheduled sunset of the increased estate and gift tax exemption is now less...more
On February 13, 2025, Republican lawmakers in Congress introduced the Death Tax Repeal Act, which aims to permanently eliminate the federal estate tax. Since 2015, various legislative efforts to repeal the estate, gift, and...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
The federal estate and gift tax exemption changes from year to year. The current combined federal estate and gift tax exemption amount of $13.99 million per person ($27.98 million per married couple) is scheduled to “sunset”...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
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
With the end of the year quickly approaching, now is good time to ensure you make your annual exclusion gifts for the year to reduce your taxable estate. For 2024, an individual can give $18,000 (and a married couple...more
Clients are often interested in gifting to their loved ones not only to benefit the recipient of the gift, but also to reduce the donor’s taxable estate for estate tax purposes. Every taxpayer can give a certain amount each...more
The IRS recently issued the 2025 annual adjustments for numerous tax provisions, including changes to tax brackets and standard deductions. Popular adjustments include: - Estates of decedents who die during 2025 will have...more
In 2017, the federal gift and estate tax exemption was $5.49 million. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 doubled the gift and estate tax exemption amount to $11.18 million in 2018, and that amount has been adjusted for...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
With President-elect Trump announced as the winner of the 2024 election, the landscape of U.S. policy is poised for potential shifts that could significantly impact individuals and families. The Trump administration has...more
Estate planning is a lot like putting together a puzzle. The client provides you with their box lid showing what they want the ultimate result of their plan to look like. Then, estate planners are tasked to identify and...more
As the 2024 election cycle unfolds, the landscape of U.S. policy is poised for potential shifts that could significantly impact individuals and families. With a Harris administration's focus on increasing tax rates for high...more
The federal estate and gift tax exemption is the highest it has ever been. Under current law, you may transfer almost $14 million to anyone you wish without having to pay a dime of federal gift or estate tax. Absent any...more
When it comes to passing wealth to the next generation, one of the most powerful tools in our toolbox is the use of your lifetime gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax (GST) exemption amounts. While the...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
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
A key benefit to families with taxable estates may be about to go away. The Tax Reform Act of 2017 incorporated numerous tax reductions into U.S. law, with one significantly increasing the ability of taxable estate owners to...more