Although assets are typically valued for federal estate tax purposes as of the date of death, Internal Revenue Code Section 2032(a) provides that, generally, if an estate elects, [i]n the case of property distributed, sold, exchanged, or otherwise...
Back in the summer,1 I warned that the financial markets were headed for serious problems. But even my worst fears pale in comparison to what actually happened: nothing less than a near-death experience for western finance. The markets survived...
Today's investment and political climate is causing a perceptible change in the way many clients approach the role of life insurance in their financial and estate planning. I see clients aggressively reassessing their life insurance needs, whether...
A recent Internal Revenue Service Chief Counsel Memorandum concluded that a trust could not claim a charitable income tax deduction after it had received taxable IRA distributions (that is, income in respect of a decedent or IRD)1 and then...
AIG, now majority owned by the U.S. government, is shopping around its indie b/d subsidiary, the AIG Advisor Group. But only a small number of reps affiliated with AIG’s b/d have decided to bail. Why?
Jones advisors are happy—very happy. What’s with those guys anyway?