Three Reasons Irrevocable Trusts Fail

All trusts fall under one of two categories: revocable or irrevocable.  These trusts differ in several significant ways, including their purpose, asset ownership and use, tax treatment and annual maintenance requirements.  This newsletter will briefly discuss the...

The Not-So-Permanent Estate Tax

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...

Significant Gifting Opportunity to Expire

With the lifetime Gift Tax exemption at the highest it has ever been ($5,120,000 in 2012)1 and Gift Tax rates (capped at 35% in 2012) and Applicable Federal Rates being historically low, 2012 is a perfect storm of gifting opportunity for anyone who is in a position to...