NGE On Demand: GRAT Trusts with Eric Mann
Although the IRS is now on high alert for wealthy individuals, new and existing planning opportunities are available, such as tax-free gifts and other advantageous planning. Wealthy individuals and families should take...more
There are more estate planning opportunities as a result of inflation-adjusted figures recently released by the IRS. The gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer (“GST”) tax exemption amounts are each increasing to...more
If you aren’t keeping up with the IRS’ release of federal interest rates, they recently announced the applicable federal rates (AFR) for March 2021. March’s AFR for mid-term notes is 0.62%. For reference, just a year ago, as...more
Interest rates that are used for loans to family members, loans to trusts and to value gifts to certain trusts have been further reduced as a result of market conditions driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. These historically low...more
The general goal of estate planning is to transfer assets or future appreciation at little to no tax cost. With the current federal estate tax exemption of $11,580,000 per person, a lot of individuals do not need to engage...more
Our world has undergone a relatively immediate and significant change as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses, financial markets, schools, health care systems, tax laws, and our daily lives have changed and been...more
As we all learn to cope with the unprecedented changes to our daily lives imposed by the COVID-19 crisis, we want to assure you that the Sheppard Mullin estate planning team is thinking of you and stands ready to assist you...more
First, and most important, we are thinking of all of our clients and friends and hoping everyone is safe and healthy at this challenging time. We have heard the following statement frequently of late: “Never let a crisis...more
In this final installment in our three-part series, we discuss the planning technique known as Charitable Lead Annuity Trusts (CLATs). Like Intra-Family Loans and Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs) described in previous...more
Low Interest Rates Yield Wealth Transfer Opportunities - Low interest rates can create wealth transfer opportunities. For various wealth transfer techniques, the IRS assumes that a certain minimum interest rate is in...more
Interest rates remain at record lows, and while many experts believe they’ll begin to rise soon, it’s likely they’ll rise slowly. So it’s an ideal time to implement estate planning strategies that are most effective in a...more
Janet Yellen this…. Janet Yellen that – good for business, bad for savers. In March 2015, the rates the IRS requires be used for estate planning are as low as ever. There are three estate planning opportunities that thrive on...more
The December § 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 2.0%, which is unchanged from last month. The December applicable federal rate ("AFR") for use with a sale to a defective...more
Now that the election is over, we anticipate having some guidance soon with respect to the numerous tax and planning issues that have been mired in uncertainty for the past two years. Many tax benefits are scheduled to...more
The next six months provide a short window of opportunity to make substantial gifts without incurring any gift tax. The Federal gift tax exemption is currently $5,120,000, enabling an individual to make aggregate lifetime...more
As our clients know from our prior alerts, the last few years have seen unprecedented changes in the federal tax on gifts and bequests. One element of this was the unexpected increase in the federal gift and estate tax...more