Sponsored By
Trusts & Estates logo

No Rest for the WearyNo Rest for the Weary

The year 2010 may be remembered fondly by some as The Year Without Taxes because on Jan. 1, 2010, all federal estate taxes and generation-skipping transfer (GST) taxes disappeared. It was also a year with no other federal personal taxes because tax rates remained at historically low rates: qualified dividends and capital gains were taxed at the bargain basement rate of 15 percent; gift taxes were

Gail E. Cohen, Chair of Fiduciary Trust’s Board of Directors and General Trust Counsel

January 1, 2011

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

Gail E. Cohen

The year 2010 may be remembered fondly by some as “The Year Without Taxes” because on Jan. 1, 2010, all federal estate taxes and generation-skipping transfer (GST) taxes disappeared. It was also a year with “almost” no other federal personal taxes because tax rates remained at historically low rates: qualified dividends and capital gains were taxed at the bargain basement rate of 15 percent; gift taxes were “on sale” at 35 percent; and even ordinary income tax rates at 35 percent were rock bottom. The tax holiday should have made it easier for fiduciaries; on the contrary, fiduciaries — both executors and trustees — faced unprecedented challenges because of the uncertainty of the unique 2010 tax landscape.

Step Up to Confusio...

Unlock All Access Premium Subscription

Get Trusts & Estates articles, digital editions, and an optional print subscription. Choose your subscription now and dive into expert insights today!

Already Subscribed?

About the Author

Gail E. Cohen

Chair of Fiduciary Trust’s Board of Directors and General Trust Counsel, Fiduciary Trust International

Gail E. Cohen, Chair of Fiduciary Trust’s Board of Directors and General Trust Counsel, has over 30 years of experience in the area of trusts and estates. She is a member of Fiduciary Trust’s Management and Operating Committees and is also Chair of Fiduciary Trust International of the South. Before joining Fiduciary Trust in 1994, Gail was a trusts and estates associate at the law firm of Debevoise& Plimpton. Previously, she was an associate at the law offices of Edward S. Schlesinger, P.C. Gail is a former Chair of the New York Bankers Association and sits on its investmentcommittee. She has the distinction of having served as the Association’s first woman Chair, as Vice Chair, and as Treasurer. Gail was named one of the “Top 50 Women in Wealth,” selected by AdvisorOne(2010 and 2011) and is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). She holds the Distinguished Accredited Estate Planner designation, has been elected intothe NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame, and has been honored by the Trusts and Estates Lawyers Division of the UJA. Gail currently sits on the Investment Committee of the New York City Bar Association and is a former member of that Bar Association’s Committee on Estate and Gift Tax, which she chaired from 1998-2001. She serves on The Rockefeller University Committee on Trust and Estate Gift Plans, the Hospital for Special Surgery Advisory Council, the New York Historical Society Professional Advisory Committee, the Professional Advisory Committee of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, the Board of Trustees of theBoca Raton Museum of Art, and the Professional Advisory Boards of the Anti-Defamation League in Florida and Jewish Adoption and Family CareOptions (JAFCO). She has also served as an adjunct professor of law at Brooklyn Law School and is a frequent writer and lecturer for attorney groups, including University of Miami’s Heckerling Institute (2014), as well as Practicing Law Institute to the New York State Bar Association and Society ofTrust and Estate Practitioners. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Holyoke College and a Juris Doctor degree, summa cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School. She is admitted to the Bars in New York and New Jersey.