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Estate Planning Archives | Page 2 of 4 | Wealthspire | Page: 2

Mar 11 2020
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intra-family loans

Intra-Family Loans: A Powerful Gifting Strategy

By Guides & Whitepapers
One of the most flexible and powerful gifting techniques is to loan money to other family members, especially in a period of low interest rates. The reason intra-family loans work is simple: on average, the person receiving the loan should be able to invest the money received in a way that produces a rate of return greater than the interest rate on the loan. Thus, when the borrower returns the loaned money at the end of the loan’s term, he will be able to keep this excess return. Because the money was loaned, and not gifted, this excess is tax-free,…
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Feb 26 2020
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creating trust

What to Consider When Creating a Trust

By and Blog, Guides & Whitepapers
You’ve decided to create and fund a trust as part of your overall estate plan. Now, you will need to make decisions that impact who controls the trust, how and when beneficiaries receive trust distributions, and how the trust is taxed. When creating a trust, here are the basic questions you will need to answer: Who are the beneficiaries? A trust can be for a single beneficiary or for multiple beneficiaries (often called a “pot trust”). Sometimes, a pot trust is created for a period of time, and then splits into separate shares at a later date. E.g., mom creates…
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Feb 11 2020
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tax law changes

Estate Planning in Light of Tax Reform: Your Questions and Our Answers – 2020 Update

By and Blog
This post will help you unpack some of the estate and gift tax provisions of the 2017 Tax Reform Act, as well as answer some of the most pressing questions raised by the changes. In a nutshell, what stayed the same and what changed? One major item that stayed the same is the simple existence of an estate tax. The initial tax reform bill from the House called for a complete elimination of the estate tax, which didn’t make its way into the final law. Trump had also talked about altering the current date-of-death basis step-up for gains above a…
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Jan 27 2020
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IDGT

What is an Intentionally Defective Grantor Trust (IDGT)?

By Guides & Whitepapers
Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts (“IDGTs”) are a commonly used estate planning vehicle to transfer wealth to family members during the life of the grantor. In this White Paper we will explore the four tax types relevant to IDGTs, and the mechanics of how IDGTs work. The use of the phrase “intentionally defective” is confusing, but it simply refers to an irrevocable trust where the grantor pay the trust’s income tax bill during his or her life. What taxes relate to an IDGT? There are four types of taxes to consider: estate, gift, generation-skipping transfer (GST) and income. An IDGT allows…
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Jan 27 2020
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cliff

Mitigate New York’s Estate Tax Cliff with Smart Estate Planning and Gifting Strategies – 2020 Update

By and Blog
While the large increase in the federal estate tax exemption has provided many with federal estate tax relief, New Yorkers must continue to plan for New York estate tax. For a quick review of the New York Estate Tax “Cliff” basics, see the “Understanding New York’s Estate Tax “Cliff” blog post. What is the current exemption from New York estate tax again? The current New York estate tax exemption amount is $5,850,000 for 2020. Under current law, this number will remain until January 1, 2021, at which point it will rise again with inflation. Who does the Cliff affect? Everyone…
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Jan 22 2020
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gst tax

Basics of Federal Estate, Gift and Generation-Skipping Transfer (“GST”) Tax – 2020 Update

By and Blog
The bad news is that there is a Federal tax on assets that you give away during life, at death, and to individuals two or more generations below you. The good news is that this tax will only apply to the wealthiest Americans and, even so, there are strategies you can use to minimize or avoid its application. The Federal estate, gift and GST tax only kicks in above a certain dollar threshold. Furthermore, there are additional wealth transfer strategies that do not trigger any tax at all if structured properly. Taxable Gifts There is a Federal estate and gift…
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Dec 09 2019
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gifting 2019

Do I need to make gifts before the end of the year?

By Blog
With all of the political uncertainty and recent changes in the tax law, our clients are wondering what to do about gifting. Below are answers to three commonly asked questions that we are getting this time of year. Note that this blog covers non-charitable gifts.* 1. Do I need to make gifts before the end of the year? Only if you are making annual exclusion gifts. You may give away $15,000 per person ($30,000 if gift-splitting with a spouse) each year tax-free. If you want to use your annual exclusion for 2019, the gift needs to be completed before the…
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Oct 29 2019
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new york estate tax cliff

Understanding New York’s Estate Tax “Cliff” – Updated October 2019

By Blog
It has been more than six years since some dramatic changes were made to New York’s gift and estate tax law. For many clients, the subject of the New York estate tax “cliff” continues to remain a source of confusion. This is for good reason. The New York cliff is not easy to understand, nor is it easy to know how it may impact your particular situation. The answers below are intended to guide those who remain baffled by the New York estate tax cliff. For a quick snapshot of the 2019 estate and gift tax rates for New York…
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Aug 08 2019
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disability planning

Basics of Disability Planning

By Blog
Currently over 61 million Americans live with a disability, and statistically the average American worker has a 1 in 4 chance of becoming disabled during their career. Nearly everyone can benefit from the creation of a basic disability plan. A basic disability plan should allow your chosen representative to make financial and medical decisions on your behalf if you are incapable of doing so. It is a position of extreme power and you should consider many factors when choosing your representative. The basic building blocks of disability planning typically involve the signing of a power of attorney, health care proxy…
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