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Now that the new tax reform is in place, it’s time to consider the impact it may have on you and your family and determine what steps may be appropriate based on your specific financial goals and circumstances. While the key provisions contained in the new tax law presents nine planning opportunities—including the increased gift tax exemption, shifting income to a pass-through entity, and allocation of assets—they may also create additional tax burdens and other challenges.

Originating in English common law, trusts have been used for centuries to manage holdings of the wealthy. Even though trusts are quite common, many people may find them hard to understand. Having an introduction to the trust basics is a good place to begin and learn how trusts are used in wealth management plans to help provide financial support for family members, protect family assets from a myriad of risks, and help mitigate taxes.

In December, President Trump signed a new tax bill into law that is the largest tax overall since 1986. Learn how the new bill may affect your employee benefits programs. Watch and listen to Compliance Officers and Employee Benefits experts discuss the impact of the 2018 tax reform on employee benefits, as well as proposed regulations on Association Health Plans, the ACA Play or Pay Mandate, ACA reporting, and other compliance obligations.

Life insurance can play an important role in helping achieve the legacy and financial objectives of an individual or family—especially those with significant taxable estates and illiquid assets such as privately held businesses and real estate.

More than any other segment of the population, the wealthy understand the power of leverage in today’s environment. Borrowing against an investment portfolio not only has the possibility of boosting returns, but it can also provide liquidity in a tax-efficient way. With relatively low current interest rates, investors may want to consider borrowing against their investment portfolios to fund major purchases and improve investment returns. Margin loans and non-purpose lines of credit are two effective ways to do this.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced income tax rate for C corporations from 35 percent to 21 percent in 2018. No sooner was the ink dry on the new law before owners of pass-through entities began to work with their advisors to determine if it made sense to convert their entities to C corporations. As is often the case with sophisticated tax planning, conversion of a pass-through, whether an S corporation, limited liability company (LLC) or partnerships, to a C corporation, is a multi-faceted prospect.

The motivating factors behind the raised values in the real estate market are threefold: to diversify real estate holdings, move to a new product type, or exit the market altogether. Whether this indicates a peak in the market or frothiness in certain product types or geographic areas, tax-deferred exchanges provide commercial property owners with alternatives that allow for continued investment in real estate while delaying the tax consequences of outright sales.