Category: Estate Planning

The IRS recently announced many inflation adjustments for the 2023 tax year. IRS Revenue Procedure 2022-38 provides details about these amounts. Because inflation is high, many of the amounts for 2023 will change more than they have in recent years. Here are some of the tax amounts for 2023, as compared with 2022. Tax Item 2023 2022 Highest tax rate of 37% Will affect singles with income exceeding $578,125 ($693,750 for married taxpayers filing jointly). Affects singles with income exceeding $539,900… Read more ›

If your not-for-profit focuses most of its fundraising energy on donors who can contribute to your mission and programs now, you may have neglected legacy gifts. Such gifts represent a portion of wealthy donors’ estates that go to your organization on their death. Legacy gifts can help position your nonprofit for sustained growth well into the future. Let’s take a closer look at the hows and the whys. Mechanics of Giving The vast majority of legacy gifts are made through… Read more ›

One estate-planning tool that can protect your family and the partners in your dealership is a buy-sell agreement. This legal document may give owners the first shot at buying an interest in the company if another owner pulls out, becomes disabled or dies. Ideally, these contracts are drawn up when a business is launched, or acquired from other owners, but they can be entered into later. Don’t wait too long. If you die or become disabled without an agreement, it… Read more ›

The Build Back Better Act, as initially proposed, made significant changes that affected estate planning for high net-worth individuals. The Act proposed a significant reduction in the basic exclusion amount from $11.7 million to approximately $6 million. It also proposed to eliminate the grantor trust rules that estate planners have been using to reduce taxable estates for decades. If this Act had passed in its original form, it would have significantly reduced opportunities to reduce transfer taxes. However, the Build… Read more ›

  If you’ve reached an age when you really want to start working on your estate plan, one arrangement to consider is a revocable living trust. Perhaps you’ve heard of one, but you’re fuzzy on the details. Here are the basics. You create one while you’re alive and can cancel it at any time. Generally, you’re both the trustee and the beneficiary, so you control the trust’s assets. With a revocable living trust, you distribute assets to yourself while you’re… Read more ›

  Does your estate plan include instructions on how to access your online bank and brokerage accounts? What about your social media accounts and electronically stored photos? And if you own blockchain assets, they could be permanently lost if your professional advisor or beneficiaries don’t have the private key to unlock them. The bottom line: It’s important to include digital assets in your estate plan and keep password lists updated. Laws lag developments The laws in the area of digital… Read more ›

Estate planners often tout the virtues of owning property jointly — and with good reason. Joint ownership generally offers several advantages for surviving family members. But this shouldn’t be viewed as a panacea for every estate planning concern. You must also be aware of all the implications. Title Wording Matters – Joint Ownership in Estate Planning Joint ownership requires interests in property by more than one party. The type of joint ownership depends on the wording of the title to… Read more ›

The IRS has announced its 2021 cost-of-living adjustments to tax amounts that might affect you. Many increased to account for inflation, but some remained at 2020 levels. As you implement 2020 year-end tax planning strategies, be sure to take these 2021 adjustments into account in your planning. Also, keep in mind that, under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), annual inflation adjustments are calculated using the chained consumer price index (also known as C-CPI-U). This increases tax bracket thresholds,… Read more ›

Now that Joe Biden has been projected as the winner of the presidential election by major news outlets,* you may wonder if your federal taxes will be affected. President-elect Biden campaigned on a broad agenda, including a pledge to roll back many of President Trump’s tax policies. In response to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), Biden has promised a progressive approach to taxation, focused primarily on increasing the burden on businesses and high-income individuals. Of course, his odds… Read more ›

With its winter recess looming before it, Congress has engaged in a flurry of activity. Most notably, it reached agreement on a massive governmentwide spending package titled the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020. The legislation extends certain income tax provisions that had expired, as well as some that were due to expire at the end of 2019. Congress traditionally passes so-called “extenders” annually, but it neglected to do so for 2018. As a result, several popular breaks for both individuals… Read more ›