This issue covers the release of the IRS 2015 inflation-adjusted numbers with a run down of important points to keep in mind including things to remember for year-end gifts, last chance for "portability" filing and the alternative minimum tax (AMT) deduction.
Currency risk is a fact of life for European families. Today even the simplest diversified portfolios include foreign currency exposures. Many investors find it tempting to ignore currency risk, believing that it will all “even out in the end.” But this is not an option for most families who need to draw down funds from the portfolio to...
This article excerpt Atlantic Trust Private Wealth Management provides an overview of the most common security issues, provides points about bank security measures and offers 6 steps to mitigate online security risks.
President Obama on January 20, 2015, used his sixth State of the Union address to lay out his tax policy agenda to the new Republican-controlled 114th Congress. In a subsequent speech, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew reaffirmed the Administration's tax reform goals that were first outlined in a 2012 'framework' for business tax reform. Mean...
In 2013, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), a nonprofit group of reporters, shattered the long-held view that offshore bank secrecy was impenetrable. The group had received massive leaks detailing individual offshore bank accounts, which they shared with the public on their website. This was the first of hundreds...
The American Tax Payer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA) was passed on New Year’s Day 2013, and established the first permanentset of estate, gift and generation skipping transfer (GST) tax provisions in 12 years. Each year, the administration puts forth tax proposals that may change the current law. This article provides a quick summary of sev...
There are a lot of questions surrounding whether snowbirds and others can shift his or her residency to a lower or no tax state such as Florida, Nevada or Texas, while still maintaining a home in Illinois. However, in light of Illinois’ current economic state and future debt obligations, it is hard for many Illinois residents and businesses n...
When does the state lack authority to tax a “resident trust” on out-of-state income? In this report, McGladrey discusses a number of strategies that advisers should consider in order to minimize the state-level tax liability for a trust by moving it to a more taxpayer-friendly jurisdiction. The article provides case studies dating back ...
Using a New Hampshire trust, a settlor can eliminate a trustee’s reporting and disclosure requirements if he or she wishes to withhold knowledge of the trust’s existence, its terms, or the details of its holdings. Many settlors are turning to New Hampshire to create “quiet” or “silent” trusts under which the trus...
Advisors and consumers often think of variable universal life (VUL) as just an equity-linked product. But for many, VUL is much more than that.This article seeks to encourage a rethinking of VUL as a unique life insurance product that provides control, flexibility and transparency in a low cost product chassis, while providing the potential for enh...
There are a number of trusts that can be customized to the needs of an investor, but each trust has its own advantages and disadvantages. This simple guide works to illustrate any concerns that an investor might have about tax consequences, withdrawal powers, the three-year rule and more by looking at the pros and cons of seven different popular ty...
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. For those who have assets that exceed the federal estate tax-exemption thresholds—$5,430,000 ...
This paper discusses the current global market conditions and provides insight into the best approach to navigating the current volatile market, while identifying the latest market movers and shakers, and assessing the next move for investors in the equities, currencies, fixed income and oil markets.
In the past, when analyzing whether a client should make taxable gifts, estate planners tended to simply rely on comparing the transfer tax cost of making such gifts with those made at death. Paying the gift tax was assumed to be “cheaper” than paying estate tax, even though the rate was the same, because gift taxes are calculated on a ...
With the recent changes in the transfer tax laws, it is possible to transfer greater wealth and reduce income taxes through POAST. This innovative approach and integrated trust technique allow a wealthy individual (the donor) to provide benefits to both parents and descendants. A properly structured POAST can accomplish multiple objectives, includi...