Wealth Planning

The implications of a case handed two years ago have not been adequately appreciated by practitioners. The Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on Oct. 16, 2002, affirmed a decision of the Tax Court denying an estate tax deduction for a...

In the 1880s, early in John Singer Sargent's career, he confronted a dilemma when painting children's portraits for wealthy English patrons. The artist, born in Italy to American parents, had studied art in Paris then practiced in France. But his...

Although he played Superman on the silver screen, it was after Christopher Reeve broke his neck and became paralyzed in 1995 at age 42 in a horseback riding accident, that he became a symbol of courage and hope to the world. Against the odds...

The year 2004 saw developments in retirement benefits ranging from new final, minimum distribution regulations for defined benefit plans to a crackdown on abusive Roth IRAs. Many of the highlights have been addressed in Trusts & Estates during the...

This letter is in reaction to the article A Threat to All SNTs by Mark Merrick and Douglas W. Stein, which appeared in Trusts & Estates' November 2004 issue. The thrust of their article is that the passage of the Uniform Trust Code will cripple...

The past year was difficult for life insurance in estate planning. This year will be worse. But the astute insurance professional and other members of the estate-planning team will find much to capitalize on by riding the paradigm shift. Though we...

This article updates the guide published in Trusts & Estates, volume 143 (January 2004) and examines trust and estates software and online resources. In practice, the distinction between Internet-based resources and software continues to blur as...

Of course, no one knows for sure what will happen to the federal estate tax. And it may happen, because of surprising developments this December in the Senate, that the repeal will actually take place. Sixty Senators now seem to be saying they'll...

Internal Revenue Code Section 2036(a)(2) includes in a decedent's gross estate the value of transferred property (except in the case of a bona fide sale for full and adequate consideration) in which a decedent has retained the right, either alone...

After a year of scandals, the not-for-profit community might find inspiration in Shakespeare's aphorism: Sweet are the uses of adversity. Charities and private foundations recently vowed to turn public scandals and congressional inquiries into...