The year 2009 was very rough on retirement accounts. Not only did they take a hit from the economic downturn, but also many suffered because of swindlers like Bernard Madoff. And some were drained by the very rules, bureaucracies and agencies set...

Estate and gift tax valuation positions associated with family limited partnerships (FLPs) often are challenged by the Internal Revenue Service and somewhat unpredictably adjudicated by the courts. But in the last two years, taxpayers have won...

If Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff serves no other purpose, he's a stark reminder that anyone acting in a fiduciary capacity must maintain high standards of ethical conduct in all dealings with customers and clients. In fact, it could be argued that...

Often, grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents and the like want to help disabled relatives by leaving them some money. That's why every attorney familiar with drafting special needs trusts (SNTs) advises his clients (typically the parents of the...

Certain definitions are critical when determining whether an obligation exists to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR): The term financial account generally includes bank accounts, security accounts, security derivatives or...

In the U.S. world of estate planning, it would be difficult (some might say impossible) to find an attorney who is not familiar with trusts. In that same world, however, it would be nearly as difficult (some might say improbable) to find an...

Ninth Circuit rules on posthumously conceived children's rights to Social Security benefits. Two decisions provide lessons for us all

Imagine you are the beneficiary of a trust established by your great-grandfather more than 70 years ago. You've been receiving an annual income of $400,000 from the trust for 20 years and your whole family's lifestyle has come to depend upon it...

It's well known that a traditional IRA is a great way to save. Assets in an IRA can grow tax-deferred for decades. But tricky planning issues arise when a married couple has combined assets in excess of the estate tax exemption (currently, $3.5...