by Manish C. Bhatia | Jul 31, 2013 | News + Trends
James Gandolfini, the actor who played “Tony Soprano” on the acclaimed HBO series, The Sopranos, passed away suddenly at the age of 51 in Rome, Italy on June 19, 2013. Gandolfini left behind a wife, two minor children and an estate that is estimated to be valued at...
by Manish C. Bhatia | Jun 30, 2013 | News + Trends
On June 26, 2013, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”)1 is an unconstitutional “deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution” (U.S. v. Windsor, 2013). The...
by Manish C. Bhatia | Jun 2, 2013 | News + Trends
While an inheritance is often considered a gift by the recipient, from a tax perspective, there optimal ways to inherit a retirement account. From the language used to designate the beneficiaries to important IRS-imposed deadlines, the manner in which a retirement...
by Manish C. Bhatia | Apr 30, 2013 | News + Trends
On January 2, 2013, President Obama signed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (the “ATRA”) into law. Failure to pass the new law would have resulted in a significant decrease in the estate and lifetime gift tax exemptions and a significant increase in the...
by Manish C. Bhatia | Apr 1, 2013 | News + Trends
Most people first encounter probate when a loved one passes away (the “decedent”) and his or her assets need to be transferred. Probate is the process by which the county court validates an individual’s Will, if he or she left one, and approves the distribution of...
