When asset protection planning was in its infancy in the mid-80s, there were few developments and even fewer mentions in the estate-planning literature. Nowadays, there's nary an estate planning symposia in which asset protection planning isn't...
The gift that ultra-high-net-worth investors want most this holiday season is one step closer to reality: imminent congressional action on new estate tax rules.
For those who advise clients on tax and other financial issues, the final weeks of the year are always a time for careful planning and action. This year is no exception. What makes this year different, however, is the level of uncertainty that...
Over the past few years, financial advisors, estate planners and investors seeking a source of regular income have become increasingly aware of the benefits of master limited partnerships (MLPs). MLPs are limited partnerships that are traded on...
Limited partners (LPs) of family limited partnerships (FLPs) have long been a powerful estate-planning tool. LPs of FLPs can take a discount of as much as 75 percent for both estate and gift tax purposes, attributed to a lack of marketability and...
The United States is on the threshold of a major demographic shift. The post-war baby boom generation a group of some 78 million Americans has arrived at, or is nearing retirement age. This generation now faces the very real necessity of planning...
If you're an estate planner, you're probably not an expert in securities laws. But you may have clients who are of publicly held companies or who own restricted securities and these clients may be subject to federal securities laws and have...
This year may offer a rare opportunity to transfer wealth efficiently by making taxable gifts, particularly to grandchildren. We've previously shown that taxable gifts almost always are more efficient for transferring wealth than bequests.1 But...
The vagaries and draconian nature of Internal Revenue Code Section 2701 have understandably led to widespread deference to the vertical slice rule. However, it is essential to bear in mind that the vertical slice isn't actually a rule, but rather...
