Once Removed Episode 18: The Reciprocal Trust Doctrine
A Beneficiary Intentionally Defective Irrevocable Trust (BIDIT) provides a unique planning opportunity because it allows a beneficiary to continue to benefit from his or her own assets while maintaining some level of control...more
Thanks to a generous federal gift and estate tax exemption amount ($13.61 million for 2024), only the wealthiest of families are exposed to estate tax liability. For many, this means that estate planning now has a stronger...more
“Déjà vu All Over Again”- The White House last week released the President’s Budget for the Fiscal Year 2023. The Budget is ambitious, but its “investments,” we are told, “are more than paid for with tax reforms focused on...more
Despite Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-West Virginia) recent announcement that he would not support a comprehensive version of Build Back Better, we expect Congress will advance some parts of the legislation early in 2022. The...more
It Seemed Like a Good Idea- In July of this year, one of my partners, who chairs the board of a local grantmaking public charity, asked if I would present at a CLE program to be sponsored by the charity on October 28 (last...more
In this second blog post on the House Ways and Means Tax proposals, we address the proposed changes that will affect the taxation of trusts, estates, and retirement plans. As we discussed, on September 13, 2021, the...more
What you need to know: On September 13, 2021, the House Ways and Means Committee released its proposed tax plan to fund President Biden’s $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” social and economic spending package. If enacted as...more
It is said that two things are certain in life: death and taxes. True, but incomplete. What is missing from this short list is a third inevitable occurrence – tax law changes. We now have a new and pressing series of proposed...more
Top Ten Estate Planning Recommendations before the End of 2020 - If you have not already been inundated with invitations to webinars, articles and newsletters regarding the estate planning you should consider doing before...more
Creating an education legacy - For many people, an important goal of estate planning is to leave a legacy for their children, grandchildren and future generations. And what better way to do that than to help provide for...more
Because of the increases to the income tax rates and the reduction in the estate tax rates in recent years, anyone holding appreciated assets in a grantor trust should consider exchanging high-basis assets that have less...more
If an estate plan includes one or more trusts, it’s a good idea to review them in light of recent tax law changes. Higher income taxes — on individuals as well as trusts — may make it advisable to rethink the way the trusts...more
Now that a deal averting the fiscal cliff has finally been reached, many of the tax and planning issues that have been mired in uncertainty for the past two years (and even longer in some cases) may be resolved. Numerous tax...more