Once Removed Episode 22: Building Flexibility into the Estate Plan
The lifetime estate tax exemption amount is as high as ever. The estate tax exemption amount rose from $1,000,000 in 2002 to $5,000,000 in 2011. Then, Congress doubled the amount of the estate tax exemption in 2018. As of...more
Legislation passed earlier this month requires some school boards in Cook County to act swiftly in a changing landscape related to school treasurers. At issue are “township trustees of schools” offices and their treasurers –...more
Section 17.3, comment f, of the Restatement (Third) of Property (Wills and Other Donative Transfers) explains the difference between a collateral power of appointment and a power of appointment in gross: “In traditional...more
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee approved Public Chapter No. 695 on April 11, 2024, as passed by the Tennessee General Assembly (Trust Bill). The new law became effective on July 1, 2024, and it made several important changes to...more
This CLE/CPE webinar will provide estate planners insight on recently issued IRS guidance regarding basis adjustments for irrevocable grantor trusts. The panelist will discuss key items and challenges stemming from Revenue...more
On this podcast, we talk about the importance of flexibility in irrevocable trusts and estate planning. Once a trust is irrevocable, we can explore methods to modify that trust to address changed circumstances. But in the...more
There is much to commend in O’Brien, Proposing a Model Antilapse Clause, 48 ACTEC L. J. 257 (2023), particularly its flagging of the doctrinal and practical flaws in Uniform Probate Code §2-707, which would apply the...more
In In re Estate of Wells, No. 12-23-00066-CV, 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 8475 (Tex. App.—Tyler November 8, 2023, no pet. history). The testator left a will that created a trust for his wife and descendants, named his wife as the...more
An important aspect of your estate plan could be the flexibility you allow (or do not allow) via powers of appointment. Trusts with powers of appointment offer the possibility of altering an estate plan that seems otherwise...more
During times of economic and tax law uncertainty, the more flexible your estate plan, the better. As some parts of the country are rebounding economically from effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, other areas continue to...more
The best laid plans can go awry. Consider the estate plan you may have carefully crafted by taking into account the needs of your family members. After you’re gone, events may transpire that you hadn’t anticipated or couldn’t...more
The Situation: On 25 June 2021, the Full Court of the Federal Court in Hub St Equipment Pty Ltd v Energy City Qatar Holding Company [2021] FCAFC 116 (Hub v Energy City Qatar) refused to uphold the enforcement of an arbitral...more
As previewed in my blog post of January 25, 2021, Wyoming laws provide an opportunity to utilize a Wyoming Incomplete Gift, Non-Grantor Trust (“WING”) to potentially avoid state income tax on the sale of assets. My previous...more
In California, a trustor (person who creates a trust) can confer a “power of appointment” on trust beneficiaries, empowering them to designate to whom they want to give their shares of the trust. The trustor can require trust...more
In Arthrex, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., the Federal Circuit held that appointment of Administrative Patent Judges (APJs) by the Secretary of Commerce violates the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The court then...more
Arthrex, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., Appeal No. 2018-2140 (Fed. Cir., October 31, 2019) - Since the inception of inter partes review at the Patent Trial and Appeals Board (PTAB), there have been a number of...more
Earlier this year, the Department of Labor issued an information letter explaining ERISA’s authorized representative requirement. Below are some of the takeaways employers may want to consider....more
I haven't actually encountered a case in which a corporation simply can't find a member of its board of directors. If such a situation should arise, however, the California General Corporation Law has an answer in Section...more
This week, I have been writing about Section 308 of the California Corporations Code. Subdivision (b) of the statute authorizes the Superior Court to appoint one or more provisional directors when "the shareholders of a...more
Monday's post concerned the appointment of one or more provisional directors pursuant to California Corporations Code Section 308. The statute requires that a provisional director be an "impartial person". In addition, the...more
Section 308 authorizes the Superior Court to appoint a provisional director in two different circumstances. Although both involve the existence of a deadlock, the conditions under which a provisional director may be appointed...more
IRS Rules Appointment of Special Trustee and Special Trustee’s Subsequent Exercise of Power to Limit or Eliminate Trust Beneficiary’s Testamentary General Power of Appointment Will Not Constitute Exercise or Release for...more
Over the past couple years, more and more of my clients with self-funded plans have received letters from out-of-network providers appealing denied claims. The letters are usually 20 to 30 pages long, not very specific, and...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
On August 11th, Governor McCrory signed North Carolina Senate Bill 336, Act to Amend the Law Governing Estate Planning and Fiduciaries (the “Act”). Notably, the Act adopts a procedure for living probate in North Carolina and...more