This paper addresses a planning technique designed to allow taxpayers to take advantage of the increased exemptions available for the next two years while maintaining some control over the ultimate disposition of wealth.
The Tax Relief Act forestalled tax increases for this year, but the future tax environment remains uncertain. Investors need to optimize current tax breaks while considering the impact of potential tax increases on everything from broad wealth management strategies to leveraging debt for tax efficiency.
Because certain tax rules are only in place through 2012, flexibility in estate planning documents is important to make sure that your executor can adapt your plan to changing circumstances. And because these changes only apply to federal estate tax, the impact of state estate taxation should be included in your planning.
Estate planning can encompass more than addressing your potential tax exposure. It frequently requires protection of a “fragile beneficiary,” who can include family members with disabilities, individuals struggling with addiction, spendthrifts, and even minors. With planning options available through various trusts, there are ways in wh...
Managing family wealth over the long-term requires careful thought and a well-structured estate plan. Before making specific decisions about what’s best for your wealth, it’s wise to spend time considering what it is you really want to see happen with it. There are steps you can take—including considering trust options—to help create a legacy plan ...
Ultimately, how well your wealth transfer plan fulfills your legacy and meets the needs of the next—and future—generations depends on whom you name as your trustee(s). This makes your trustee selection one of the most critical aspects of an already complex wealth planning process. To help navigate this selection process, work with a framework built...
When seeking to preserve the family legacy and wealth, families can create custom-tailored trusts to meet their specific needs and goals. In this overview, learn about why families form trusts, the different types of trusts available, the essential role of trustee, and why families might choose a bundled trust structure versus a Directed Trust stru...
The two-year window is closing on opportunities for families to capitalize on gift, estate, and generation-skipping tax provisions of the 2010 Tax Act. In this 2012 Financial Executives Forum session, Susan von Herrmann, a partner in Schiff Hardin’s private clients and trusts and estates group, looked at gifting strategies in light of the Act's imp...
In this election year competing visions of tax reform is center stage front page news. Mark Blumenthal, partner and chairman of the Family Office Service Group at Blackman Kallick Plante Moran discussed at this 2012 Financial Executives Forum session why this year may be a once-in-a-lifetime tax planning opportunity for both businesses and wealthy ...
The basic foundation for every core legacy plan starts with five documents: a will, an irrevocable or living trust, a durable power of attorney for financial management, an advanced medical directive, and a HIPAA release. John Forster, a partner with the law firm of Baker Hostetler, who has interviewed some of the most successful families in the U....
A solid governance structure is critical to any private trust company’s long-term success. Through a thoughtful review that includes useful diagrams and outlines, learn the common elements of the PTC structure; the Board role and responsibilities; the Board attributes, composition, selection process, and succession planning; and addi...
Enhancing the impact that you and your family can have in supporting causes near to your hearts also requires more than just generosity and good intentions. It takes careful planning and an in-depth understanding of the various vehicles that can be used to facilitate your charitable gifts and the tax laws related to those gifts. Beginning with thre...
A large and growing cohort of next generation (next gen) investors in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) are preparing to take on the responsibility of managing their family’s wealth and take on an active role in maintaining sustainable generational success. While there is no standardized playbook for establishing family sustainability, next gen investors and...
Historically, beneficiaries learned of wealth transfer plans only after the death of the grantor. However, this approach often leads to unanswered questions and, potentially, feelings of betrayal when expectations for future gifts are left unmet. There are several planning tools, including a Statement of Wealth Transfer (SOWTI), that can facilitate...
Despite the challenging economic headwinds and shockwaves of 2022 continuing to reverberate, there are silver linings for those who focus on planning for the long term. In looking ahead, we examine wealth planning strategies through the power of resilience from four different lenses: multigenerational families, business owners, women, and philanthr...