Estate planning

Just 1,275 families paid $9.3 billion in estate tax in 2020, down from $20 billion from nearly 5,500 families in 2018.

Amid the pandemic, staying informed about life insurance strategies with trusts and estates is critical.

Democrats, unable to gain traction on taxes that affect only the ultra wealthy, have turned to trusts as little as $200k.

The latest proposal underscores a fierce fight in Congress over ways to pay for Biden's slimmer social-spending agenda.

There’s no telling where the vast fortunes hide on tree-softened Phillips Avenue here in Sioux Falls.

The use of a SLAT to eliminate the risk of changes in the estate and gift tax system can help separate legacy assets from lifetime assets.

Joan Crain’s job is to guide the wealthy through complicated financial decisions where mistakes can cost millions of dollars. That task is proving particularly tricky now thanks to Joe Biden’s proposed tax plan and the lack of clarity over what the Democrats will pass.

Eliminating the step-up in basis for calculating taxes may not become law, but it’s worth exploring options with your small enterprise-owner clients, says Sophia Duffy.

Trusts aren’t just for the .01%, as some advisors sell mass affluent and high-net-worth clients on their tax benefits.

(Bloomberg) — An unpleasant surprise for wealthy Americans lurks halfway through a 114-page document released by the U.S. Treasury late last month.

These individuals have unique life experiences that shape who they are and planning for their financial goals requires an understanding of their distinct challenges, writes advisor Harry Gittelson.

DAFs come with a potential upfront tax deduction, allowing newly empowered investors to consolidate their giving flows, writes Tom Brilli.

Even with a 15-year window to pay taxes, a near-doubling of the capital gains rate and the elimination of the step-up in basis loophole will make a sale expensive.

"Many times it’s actually small, systematic behavioral changes in strategies that lead to sustainable, meaningful changes in outcomes," writes Michael Liersch.

Almost nine in 10 estate planners say women clients either lost their jobs, had their salaries cut or left the workforce during the pandemic, a study shows.

"Inheritors are going to get killed" under the White House’s proposal to put the brakes on tax-free intergenerational transfers of wealth.

President Biden releases his annual budget on May 27, a move likely to detail his plans to increase the capital gains tax rate and eliminate a lucrative benefit for inherited estates.

Too many Americans don't understand how these tax-advantaged accounts can help with college savings, writes Andrea Feirstein.

Estate planners are keeping a close eye on the department’s agenda, anticipating the possible revival of several regulatory projects shelved by the Trump administration.

Some advisors say they’re busier than ever in the last weeks of 2020.