The worldwide equity market tumult and record low interest rates are creating some unique and unprecedented challenges. However, plunging interest rates, combined with lower asset values, are presenting some rare opportunities in wealth planning that are often only seen once in a generation. Below are some strategies you may wish to incorporate into your estate […]
President Trump unveiled a budget proposal for the 2021 fiscal year. Of note, the income tax and estate tax cuts provided in the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 which are scheduled to expire on January 1, 2026, are being extended in this proposal to 2035. This includes the increased estate tax exemption of […]
When Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen died in June 2019, he left behind a professional football franchise valued at more than $2.5 billion. The validity of his trust, wherein he named one of his seven children as chief executive after he passed, is being fought over in court by his children. After Bowlen’s death, his […]
Attorneys Carl D. Holborn and Britany E. Morrison were recently published in the Taxation of Exempts, a Thomson Reuters journal. There is a big unresolved public policy issue in the philanthropic world—private foundations and their use of donor-advised funds (DAF). Specifically, the issue is whether distributions made by private foundations to donor-advised funds should be treated […]
This the 4th of 11 articles based on our firm’s book The Art, Science and Law of Business Succession Planning. In the last article we discussed the five essential objectives a good succession plan needs to address. In this article we will discuss the first objective in more detail–maximizing the value of the business. Number 1: Maximize […]
In a recent Private Letter Ruling the IRS declared that sales of property between spouses and the spouses’ grantor trusts do not trigger income taxation. This ruling validates a planning technique using special trusts called Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts (SLATS) and transactions between the spouses and these trusts. This type of planning is used to […]
In our last article we discussed why a well-constructed succession plan is necessary. In this article, we review the five essential objectives the plan needs to address. The five objectives are: 1. Maximize the value of the business; 2. Minimize taxes; 3. Provide for the continuity and survival of the business; 4. Treat your children […]
(This is second of our 11-part series of articles based on our book The Art, Science and Law of Business Succession Planning. Complimentary copies are available to the clients and friends of the firm.) “Why do I need succession planning?” “Can’t I just hand my business over to my children?” “Why can’t I just leave […]
If you own a family business, you should be thinking about your succession plan, whether you plan to sell the business to fund your own retirement or pass it on to your descendants or other key employees. To get you started, below are six questions to ask yourself. We answer each in our book, The […]
It has been estimated that over 90% of all business information today is created electronically. Use of social networking websites, such as Facebook, on-line photography accounts like Flicker, e-mail passwords and word processing files, is increasingly more common. Various media commentators have addressed the need for individuals to consider their electronic data and on-line postings […]
