One of the key benefits of an annuity— tax deferral —can be lost when someone other than a spouse inherits it. Non-spousal beneficiaries...

Selecting the right trustee for your trust is a decision that can significantly impact the future administration of your estate. Whether...

Irrevocable trusts, often established with the intention of lasting generations, sometimes require adjustments when circumstances change,...

As we approach 2025, Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts (SLATs) are poised to experience a significant surge in use. Initially gaining...

The Challenge of Retiring in a Down Market Retiring during a market downturn presents unique challenges, often requiring meticulous...

The Mythos of Irrevocability Despite prevailing assumptions, an irrevocable trust, often regarded as fixed and unchangeable after its...

The index used for increases in estate and gift tax exemptions is the chained Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers. Due to the...

The government has put on our plates a once in a million, lifetime gift of a $5,000,000 tax break. Never before has this type of gift...

One of the most important decisions in drafting a trust is who will act as trustee. The obvious choices are friends and family, but this...

With the passage of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (Relief Act) , many planners...

There are four elements to estate tax planning available to you and only four: Gifts, Discounts, Charity, and Life Insurance. The...

In a recently issued IRS Internal Legal Memorandum (ILM), the IRS indicated interest paid on estate taxes accrued during the extension ...

An Exemption Trust, by any other name, is still an exemption trust; however it has also been called a bypass trust, B-trust, credit ...

You have just created a revocable inter-vivos trust (traditionally referred to as a “living trust”). Your attorney has advised you to ...

Prior to August 5, 1997 gifts made could be revalued by the IRS years after the transaction took place imposing taxes and penalties....

It happens when people don’t plan for the future; it happens when they don’t prepare for the high cost of dying. Unless proper ...

Knowing the basic rules of the Generation-Skipping Transfer (GST) tax will help reduce or even eliminate the impact of this tax. The...

By now you are aware that come 2013 we may see an entirely new estate and gift tax landscape. If Congress fails to make changes to the ...

“No taxation without representation” was often heard during the Revolutionary times. We, as Americans, have had a long history of ...

In the past digital assets have not been considered in the estate planning process. However, with technological advances occurring ...