Top Gun: Maverick - Core Estate Plan and Gifting Basics
Once Removed Episode 19: The Step-Transaction Doctrine and the Case of Smaldino
Once Removed Episode 17: Annual Gifting to Individuals: Options, Opportunities and Pitfalls
Taking the Sting Out of Death Taxes with Dylan Metzner, Jones & Keller
HEAVEN CAN WAIT
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”) into law. The OBBBA is the tax and budget reconciliation package for the current 2025 fiscal year through 2034. While the bill focuses primarily...more
In this second installment of our multi-part series on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “Act”), my colleague David Knutson and I discuss the changes made by the Act to the federal estate and gift tax regime....more
President Trump’s July 4th signing of the Opportunity, Balance, and Better Budget Act sets an increased $15 million federal estate and gift tax exclusion and generation-skipping transfer tax exemption per individual,...more
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The OBBBA extended and may permanent many key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the TCJA), including the Lifetime Estate,...more
The new tax cut and spending bill known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which was signed into law on July 4, 2025, increases federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer (“GST”) tax exemptions to $15 million...more
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."- The Serenity Prayer- The first 100 days of President Trump’s administration have been...more
The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), which passed on July 3 and was signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, increases the amount individuals may transfer for federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax...more
The May 2025 Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 5.00%, which is the same as the April 2025 Section 7520 rate...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
As widely reported, the coming years will likely see a significant transfer of assets and wealth across generations. Each family's circumstances will ultimately determine the nature and extent of these transfers, and any...more
Across all industries, family offices and their owners and management teams face rapidly evolving challenges, opportunities, and risks in the dynamic environment that is 2025. Here are six issues that family offices should...more
Across all industries, private companies, family offices, and their owners and management teams face rapidly evolving challenges, opportunities, and risks in the dynamic environment that is 2025. Here are 11 issues that...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
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
New legislation to repeal the federal estate tax, often referred to as the “death tax,” has been introduced in Congress. Senator John Thune (R-SD) and Representative Randy Feenstra (R-IA) have introduced companion bills in...more
Let’s work off of this premise: an estate planner’s job is to help a client pass their value and values to the following generations to the fullest extent possible, addressing as many of the obstacles in doing so as...more
You likely have created revocable or irrevocable trusts, or a few of both, in your estate plan. Ideally, these have been properly drafted with plenty of flexibility so that they can continue to meet your wealth planning goals...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
It may take just 3 Republicans in the U.S. House to defeat a new Tax Cuts and Job Act (TCJA) extension and exactly 3 of the 12 Republicans, who voted against the TCJA in 2017, have been reelected to the U.S. House....more
As we start the new year, this Federal Tax Update highlights estate planning-related federal tax information as you consider 2025 planning options. ...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
The Trump administration is expected to work with Congress to extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), but this will take longer than 100 days....more
Federal Estate, GST and Gift Tax Rates The federal estate, gift and GST applicable exclusion amounts are as summarized below. In simple terms, these dollar figures represent the amount of wealth that each individual can...more
The "big ticket" item of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is the significant increase to the lifetime gift, estate and generation-skipping tax (GST) tax exemptions. Under the TCJA, the exemptions were increased from $5...more