Estate planners should help clients determine their philanthropic goals and develop the most effective strategies to attain those goals. This includes identifying the target donee(s) and ensuring that gifts, bequests and distributions will be tax-efficient and in amounts, at times and for purposes consistent with the donor’s wishes. We’ll take a close look at the following: Choosing the “right” vehicle ...

There’s a wide variety of trust laws among the states and the District of Columbia with their respective good and bad aspects – depending on one’s point of view. Estate planning professionals need to be cognizant of the fact that a trust’s situs and governing law, whether as originally established or later validly changed, will often have significant impact on ...

Income tax rates and estate tax exemptions and rates will inevitably rise and fall depending in substantial part on changes in our country’s political and economic climate. Far more often than not, when an estate planner designs a plan, the planner doesn't know what the tax laws will look like when the plan is implemented. In addition, in some cases, ...

The bane of many a Trustee’s existence is the responsibility and potential liability associated with holding, and perhaps having to dispose of, trust property that does not readily lend itself to routine trust administration. Such types of trust property include various types of tangible personal property, various categories of real estate, closely held business equity, mineral interests, intellectual property, digital ...

The bane of many a Trustee’s existence is the responsibility and potential liability associated with holding, and perhaps having to dispose of, trust property that does not readily lend itself to routine trust administration. Such types of trust property include various types of tangible personal property, various categories of real estate, closely held business equity, mineral interests, intellectual property, digital ...

With the almost certainly impending sunset of many of the provisions enacted as part of the 2017 Tax Act, high net worth individuals and families should be considering sale, gift or loan transactions currently or in the immediate future. To distinguish ourselves and make clients comfortable with our recommendations, we need to have a thorough understanding of how to calculate ...

With the almost certainly impending sunset of many of the provisions enacted as part of the 2017 Tax Act, high net worth individuals and families should be considering sale, gift or loan transactions currently or in the immediate future. To distinguish ourselves and make clients comfortable with our recommendations, we need to have a thorough understanding of how to calculate ...

The generation-skipping transfer (“GST”) tax is imposed, in addition to estate tax or gift tax, depending on the context, on transfers to an individual who is two or more generations below the transferor (e.g., a grandchild or more remote descendant) and certain trusts. Prior to enactment of the GST tax, after imposition of estate tax or gift tax, an individual ...

The generation-skipping transfer (“GST”) tax is imposed, in addition to estate tax or gift tax, depending on the context, on transfers to an individual who is two or more generations below the transferor (e.g., a grandchild or more remote descendant) and certain trusts. Prior to enactment of the GST tax, after imposition of estate tax or gift tax, an individual ...