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
If you are in the process of long-term estate planning or updating an existing estate plan, the process for passing assets and accounts to your heirs is about to become much more difficult and expensive. Presently, each...more
The requirements outlined in the tax code can significantly impact an individual’s gift and estate planning, and navigating these requirements effectively is crucial. In this blog post, we will delve into gift and estate tax...more
As a family business owner, are you missing out on valuable estate and wealth transfer planning opportunities or jeopardizing your current plan altogether? Katten recently hosted a program that addressed common concerns,...more
Although transfer-on-death (TOD) and payable-on-death (POD) designations on financial accounts can be an effective tool to avoid the probate process, these account designations have the potential to derail a customer’s estate...more
Not Selling Your Business This Year? Beginning shortly before the House Ways and Means Committee released its version of the President’s Build Back Better plan, several posts on this blog have explored the uptick in M&A...more
Act Now Before the Window of Opportunity Closes - By now you have probably heard that the House Ways and Means Committee introduced legislation a few weeks ago (see Let the Estate Tax Planning Games Begin - But Where Will...more
“President Biden and Democrats in the Congress have been working on a $3.5 trillion spending and tax package, and the details are starting to be revealed. Indeed, on Sunday, September 12th, the House Ways and Means Committee...more
Summertime in Washington- On August 11, the Senate passed the $3.5 trillion budget resolution for the 2021-2022 fiscal year – S. Con. Res. 14, as amended – by a vote of 50 to 49, strictly along party lines, including...more
On Friday, May 28, 2021, the Treasury Department released the “General Explanations of the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2022 Revenue Proposals,” otherwise known as the “Green Book” for both the American Jobs Plan and American...more
The 2020 election is less than a month away and year-end estate planning is already underway for many. Under current law, the estate, gift and GST (generation-skipping transfer) tax exemptions for 2020 are set at $11,580,000...more
Massachusetts is already an unattractive state of residency from an estate tax planning perspective because of its low estate tax filing threshold of $1,000,000 per person. Once a person’s adjusted taxable estate is over $1M...more
While it is hard to imagine there could be anything advantageous about today's uncertainties and depressed asset values, the following factors, coupled with historically low interest rates...more
Today’s historically low interest rates and depressed asset values make this an excellent time to engage in various estate planning techniques. Current conditions present several planning opportunities for transferring wealth...more
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have far-reaching effects which are expected to be felt for months to come, if not longer. The economy has been hit hard and the stock market has seen a dramatic reduction in value. ...more
Generally, the proceeds of one’s life insurance policy are included in their taxable estate. A person can remove them by transferring ownership of the policy, but there’s a catch: Wait too long, and one’s intentions may be...more
Do you know the differences in estate tax law for couples when both spouses are U.S. citizens vs. when one spouse is a non-U.S. citizen? Or what nonlegal document should accompany a will? We are pleased to present the...more
Wineries and vineyards are unique assets to consider when crafting personal financial, estate and business succession plans for clients, both of which are crucial components of wealth management....more
There are special estate tax planning considerations when a non-U.S. citizen spouse is part of the picture. To be clear, a non-U.S. citizen spouse may be living in the U.S. and even hold a green card, but he or she does not...more
Somewhat lost in the clamor of the tax changes enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is the fact that the new law preserves the “portability” provision for married couples. Portability allows an estate to elect to permit the...more
After recent tax legislation, including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, few tax shelters are left standing. One key exception is life insurance. This brief article details that, if certain requirements are met, the buildup of...more
• The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate ushered H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the Act), through conference committee, and President Donald Trump signed the Act into law on Dec. 22, 2017. • Most of the Act's...more
Last summer, we discussed the IRS’s issuance of new Proposed Regulations under Section 2704 of the Internal Revenue Code, which regulations would severely impact discounts on gifts made to family members. ...more
Responding to a Trump Executive Order, the Treasury Department has reviewed all significant tax regulations issued after December 31, 2015 and identified eight regulations to be reformed to mitigate the burden that the...more
Valuations figure prominently in determining the proper tax treatment of transactions – such as sales, loans, leases, and performance of services – between related taxpayers, including, for example, commonly-controlled...more
With the upcoming Republican control of the executive and legislative branches, tax changes are certain to occur. As articulated thus far, President-Elect Donald Trump has proposed the elimination of the federal estate tax in...more