By Genevieve M. Moore & Richard S. Kinyon , Morrison & Foerster LLP As reported in this space over the last several months, there has been unprecedented upheaval in the federal transfer tax world in the last few years. One element of this was... Read More
BY: FARHAD AGHDAMI 2012 may present the single greatest opportunity for wealth transfer planning in recent memory. A $5.12 million gift tax exemption, combined with low interest rates and historically low valuations for many asset classes, creates an... Read More
By McNees Asset Planning and Federal Taxation Group The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (the "Act") was signed into law on January 1, 2013 to avert the tax law changes that were one part of the "fiscal cliff" facing our country's... Read More
By Philip J. Michaels , Joseph C. Sleeth, Jr. , Stephanie E. Heilborn and Lindsay H. Brown Estate Tax The federal estate tax applicable exclusion amount increases from $5,000,000 to $5,120,000 per person for 2012. The top estate... Read More
By: David R. Schoenhaar, Esq.* We are half way through 2012 and the generous tax legislation that went into effect on January 1, 2011, is scheduled to sunset on December 31, 2012, if Congress fails to act. Those who can participate in significant gift... Read More
2011 and 2012 presents an extraordinary opportunity for wealthy taxpayers to transfer wealth to future generations without paying gift or estate tax. At least for 2011 and likely for 2012, $5 million can be transferred free of tax. There are additional... Read More
With regard to negotiations on the estate and gift tax, it is much too early to tell who the winners and losers will be in 2013. There is plenty of wrangling to come as the White House and Congress muddle through the issue. As they say in baseball... Read More
By David M. Watts, Jr. If you are charitably inclined, there are tax-advantaged ways to make a gift to a favorite charity while enjoying the income from that gift for your lifetime. Many educational and charitable organizations offer plans that combine... Read More
Yesterday [May 8th] I blogged about North Carolina's controversial Amendment One, which ended up passing by a large margin. I also have some thoughts about another matter in the headlines - the John Edwards trial. I have not been following the case... Read More
By: David R. Schoenhaar, Esq.* If you are currently planning for clients to use the historically high gift tax exemption amount before the end of the year, you are becoming acutely aware that time is running out. Whether it is the appraisal companies... Read More
As 2013 approaches, there will be a flurry of activity by wealthy individuals seeking to take advantage of a gift tax exemption of $5,120,000, that will decrease to only $1 million in 2013. Taxpayers often gift closely held business interests or real... Read More
By Carol F. Burger , David F. Golden , Molly F. James and Michael D. Erickson Last week, the President released his proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. On the same day, the Treasury released its explanation of the President's budget, which... Read More
By Danielle T. Zaragoza, Esq ., Morrison & Foerster LLP Given the relatively large federal gift tax applicable exclusion amount available for taxable gifts in 2011 and 2012, many clients have made or are considering making significant gifts... Read More