An Executor’s Guide to Administering an Estate
Estate Planning 101: The Five Most Important Clauses for Wills and Trusts
Top Ten Mistakes Executors Make and How to Avoid Them
It’s not enough for the founder of a closely held business to have successfully established the business. The business has to grow, not only to increase profits, but also to make it more competitive and to diversify its...more
United States v. Firestone - In United States v. Firestone, the United States (Government or U.S.) sought to enforce a judgment against Defendant Omar Firestone (Omar) for outstanding tax liabilities related to the Estate of...more
Private foundations are a favored vehicle for many charitably inclined clients — particularly those who seek to take a hands-on approach to their charitable mission while establishing a lasting legacy for their families....more
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can file a lien and levy on any and all of a taxpayer's property (and rights to property) regardless of how the property is held or titled. 26 U.S.C. § 6321. Whether the item is a taxpayer's...more
Life is not stagnant; situations change and evolve. Your estate plan should reflect your current status and expected future status and desires. There are many life changes and developments that might warrant an update, which...more
There has been significant publicity surrounding the issue of deceased individuals receiving stimulus checks under the CARES Act. It is far more common than you may think, simply because of the speed in which our government...more
The death of a loved one or close friend is a traumatic experience. In addition to the emotional anguish, those who are charged with dealing with the decedent’s personal and financial affairs following death are often left...more
Trusts and Estates practitioners often focus solely on the Tax Code found in Title 26 of the United States Code and ignore other parts of the United States Code (U.S.C.). However, it is a mistake to do so as Marci McNicol...more
December Interest Rates for GRATs, Sales to Defective Grantor Trusts, Intra-Family Loans and Split Interest Charitable Trusts - The December § 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs...more
October Interest Rates for GRATs, Sales to Defective Grantor Trusts, Intra-Family Loans and Split Interest Charitable Trusts - The October Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs,...more
Administering an estate, especially one with more than just your basic assets, such as a home, and a couple joint bank accounts, can be very complicated. On a basic level, an executor must produce an inventory of all assets...more
Recent federal legislation adds fresh compliance burdens to an old concept in federal tax law: the step-up in tax basis of appreciated property at death. New reporting requirements will apply to estates required to file a...more
Effective March 23, 2016, the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service published Notice 2016-27, once again extending, until June 30, 2016, the deadline for executors and other persons to complete and file Form 8971...more
On March 4, 2016, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released both temporary and proposed regulations (the “Proposed Regulations”) on the consistent basis and reporting requirements between a decedent’s estate and persons...more
The IRS has once again delayed the due date for any statements required under §6035(a)(3)(A) of the Code. Under Notice 2016-19, dated February 11, 2016 (the “Notice”), executors and other persons who must file or furnish a...more
As part of the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015, signed into law by President Obama on July 31, 2015, Sections 1014(f) and 6035 were enacted. Section 1014(f) provides rules...more
February Interest Rates for GRATs, Sales to Defective Grantor Trusts, Intra-Family Loans and Split Interest Charitable Trusts - The February § 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs...more
Statutes imposing new reporting requirements on executors and others who file estate tax returns were tacked onto a transportation and veteran's healthcare bill passed by Congress and signed into law last July. The new...more
This summer, new federal legislation was enacted which requires executors of decedents' estates to file information statements with the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") as well as with estate beneficiaries, or face penalties....more
An estate tax closing letter is meant to evidence that the IRS has accepted the filing of an estate tax return and that the federal tax liabilities are satisfied, allowing the executor of the estate to close out the estate...more
October Interest Rates for GRATs, Sales to Defective Grantor Trusts, Intra-Family Loans and Split Interest Charitable Trusts - The October § 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs...more
September Interest Rates for GRATs, Sales to Defective Grantor Trusts, Intra-Family Loans and Split Interest Charitable Trusts - The September § 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs,...more
The June § 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 1.2%, which is a slight decrease from April's rate of 1.4% but remains the same as May's rate of 1.2%. The applicable federal...more