In 2019, the IRS reassured ultra-high-net-worth families that any gifts they make between 2018 and 2025 to remove assets from their taxable estates under the generous but temporary provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) would not lose those tax benefits when the estate-tax lifetime-exclusion reverts to its pre-TCJA level in 2026. The […]
Ultra-high-net-worth individuals with estates valued above the $13.99 million estate-tax lifetime-exclusion amount in 2025 (or $27.98 million for married couples filing joint tax returns) have several opportunities to reduce their estate tax liabilities at death while preserving wealth for future generations while they are alive. Give Multiple Gifts During Life. Making annual exclusion gifts enables […]
The threat of tax increases and a reduction to the federal estate tax exemption is something high-net-worth families must consider when planning for wealth preservation. One strategy investors and family offices are increasingly relying on to prepare for an eventual shift in tax policy is private placement life insurance (PPLI). The traditional goal of life […]
One of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs must confront is how and when they will exit the businesses they spent most of their lives building. After all, business owners view their companies as extensions of their personal identities. They neither have the desire nor the time to think about what will happen if and when they […]
Engaging in estate and financial planning without paying attention to taxes can be a fool’s errand. Tax awareness can be tantamount to all aspects of saving, investing and spending. Failure to consider the tax implications of any estate or financial plan component may negatively affect expected returns and result in significant tax liabilities. Tax Terms […]
According to the Giving Institute’s 2023 Annual Report on Philanthropy, charitable giving in the U.S. decreased more than 10 percent in 2022 from a record high the prior year. However, one area of giving that appears to be growing is the use of donor-advised funds (DAFs), which saw contributions and grants to philanthropic organizations increase […]
Selling a company that you put your heart and soul into building can provide significant rewards, including financial security for the remainder of your lifetime and potentially your heirs. Nevertheless, achieving that aim and reaping the full potential of the proceeds from a business sale requires careful reviews of where your business currently fits within […]
People spend a significant amount of time building their wealth and carefully creating trusts and mapping out an estate plan to protect and preserve their assets for future generations. Yet, when it comes time to naming a trustee to carry out their wishes under the terms of a trust, many people stumble. Making the right […]
Swap powers within intentionally defective grantor trusts (IDGTs) are critical estate planning tools that may help you improve tax efficiency today while allowing you to preserve wealth for future generations. An IDGT is an irrevocable trust that you, the grantor, can create during life to pass assets and wealth to your named beneficiaries outside your […]
Significant declines in key economic indicators during the COVID-19 pandemic have encouraged the Federal Reserve to maintain its aggressive monetary policy, keeping benchmark interest rates near zero. Despite the financial fallout and future uncertainty created by the coronavirus, high-net-worth individuals should consider these periods of low-interest rates to be prime time for implementing certain estate-planning […]