Law Brief: Alexis Gruttadauria and Rich Schoenstein Discuss Why You Need an Estate Plan
What is known as the IRS survivor’s penalty, and is there anything that can be done to provide for a surviving spouse as we age? The “survivor’s penalty” is the likelihood that a surviving spouse will face higher federal and...more
Despite ultimately finding in favor of a taxpayer surviving spouse, IRS Private Letter Ruling 2023-22-014 (the “PLR”) is chock-full of reasons to ensure proper planning is in place when it comes to IRAs....more
Granted, a QTIP trust is an odd sounding name for an estate planning technique. Nevertheless, it can be a valuable strategy, especially if you’re currently in a second marriage. The QTIP moniker is an acronym for the...more
Massachusetts is already an unattractive state of residency from an estate tax planning perspective because of its low estate tax filing threshold of $1,000,000 per person. Once a person’s adjusted taxable estate is over $1M...more
Trusts and Estates Attorney Alexis Gruttadauria joins host and Litigation Partner Rich Schoenstein to discuss “Why You Need an Estate Plan” on the latest episode of Law Brief. Lexi and Rich delve into the legal disposition of...more
Estate, Gift and GST Tax Update - What This Means for Your Current Will, Revocable Trust and Estate Plan - The estate and gift tax regimes have been permanent and unified since the passage of The American Taxpayer...more
When the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was passed, significant changes were made to the Federal Estate, Gift and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax, the most prominent of which is the increased applicable exclusion amount, which...more
Somewhat lost in the clamor of the tax changes enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is the fact that the new law preserves the “portability” provision for married couples. Portability allows an estate to elect to permit the...more
A once-popular estate planning tool included in many Last Wills and Revocable Trusts may now cost families more in taxes than it saves. Changes in the federal estate tax have made the "bypass trust" which was often included...more
The new estate laws are challenging to comply with and will require most high net worth individuals to review their existing plan. One of the major issues is how the trust is divided on the death of the first spouse, and who...more
In This Issue: - Exemption portability: Should you rely on it? - Decant a trust to add trustee flexibility - Using the GST tax exemption to build a dynasty - Estate Planning Red Flag: Your plan includes a...more