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New Rates, New Exemptions, New Gifting Opportunities 2011-02-01New Rates, New Exemptions, New Gifting Opportunities 2011-02-01

On Dec. 17, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 (the Act). Among other things, the Act makes changes in the tax law for calendar years 2011 and 2012 that: (1) increase the applicable exclusion amount for estate and gift taxes, (2) increase the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemption, (3) reduce the top estate,

12 Min Read
Wealth Management logo in a gray background | Wealth Management

Douglas Moore & David A. Handler

On Dec. 17, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 (the Act). Among other things, the Act makes changes in the tax law for calendar years 2011 and 2012 that: (1) increase the applicable exclusion amount for estate and gift taxes, (2) increase the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemption, (3) reduce the top estate, gift and GST tax rates to 35 percent, (4) reunify the credits against gift and estate tax, and (5) create portability of the unused estate applicable exclusion amount of a deceased spouse. These changes have long- and short-term consequences, so advisors must consider the impact of the Act when advising the...

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About the Authors

Douglas Moore

Managing Director and Senior Financial Planner, U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management

Douglas Moore has been a managing director and the senior planner in the U.S. Trust Family Office Group (specializing in estate and charitable planning) since 2008.  He regularly meets with families and their advisors to design and implement estate, charitable and trust plans.

 

Doug has been a trusts and estates attorney for more than 32 years.  Before joining U.S. Trust, he was a managing director and the head of estate and charitable planning at The Citigroup Private Bank for five years and Citi Trust for over one year.  Also, he was Senior Counsel of the Estate and Trust Services Group at Smith Barney for over five years.  Before joining Smith Barney in 1996, Doug practiced law in Manhattan for over 16 years as a trusts and estates attorney and was involved in all aspects of estate planning and estate and trust administration.

 

Doug has written over fifty-five articles on estate and charitable planning, investments for trusts and private foundations, fiduciary responsibility, real estate and life insurance.  These articles have been published in Trusts & Estates, Estate Planning, Taxation of Exempts, Practical Tax Strategies and BNA Tax Management.  He also serves as a co-chairperson of the Estate Planning and Taxation Committee on the advisory editorial board of Trusts & Estates magazine.  He has lectured before various professional groups (including bar associations)on estate and charitable planning.

David A. Handler

 

David A. Handler is a partner in the Trusts and Estates Practice Group of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.  David is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), a member of the NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame as an Accredited Estate Planner (Distinguished), and a member of the professional advisory committees of several non-profit organizations, including the Chicago Community Trust, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Goodman Theatre, WTTW11/98.7WFMT (Chicago public broadcasting stations) and the American Society for Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. He is among a handful of trusts & estates attorneys featured in the top tier in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in the Wealth Management category, is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and is recognized as an "Illinois Super Lawyer" bySuper Lawyers magazine. The October 2011 edition of Leading Lawyers Magazine lists David as one of the "Top Ten Trust, Will & Estate" lawyers in Illinois as well as a "Top 100 Consumer" lawyer in Illinois. 

He is a member of the Tax Management Estates, Gifts and Trusts Advisory Board, and an Editorial Advisory Board Member of Trusts & Estates Magazine for which he currently writes the monthly "Tax Update" column. David is a co-author of a book on estate planning, Drafting the Estate Plan: Law and Forms. He has authored many articles that have appeared in prominent estate planning and taxation journals, magazines and newsletters, including Lawyer's Weekly, Trusts & Estates Magazine, Estate Planning Magazine, Journal of Taxation, Tax Management Estates, Gifts and Trusts Journal. He is regularly interviewed for trade and news periodicals, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Lawyer's Weekly, Registered Representative, Financial Advisor, Worth and Bloomberg Wealth Manager magazines. 

David is a frequent lecturer at professional education seminars. David concentrates his practice on trust and estate planning and administration, representing owners of closely-held businesses, principals of private equity/venture capital/LBO funds, executives and families of significant wealth, and establishing and administering private foundations, public charities and other tax-exempt entities. 

David is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Law and received a B.S. Degree in Finance with highest honors from the University of Illinois College of Commerce.