Estate and Legacy Planning
Estate planning ensures your assets go where you want them to — and that the process is as smooth and tax-efficient as possible for your heirs. These articles cover wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, gift tax strategies, and how to structure your estate plan to protect your family and preserve your legacy.
Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts (IDGTs)
How IDGTs freeze asset values for estate tax purposes while allowing grantors to pay income taxes on trust earnings.
Charitable Remainder and Lead Trusts
How split-interest charitable trusts provide income streams while generating tax deductions and benefiting charitable organizations.
Philanthropic Mission Statements
A practical guide to creating family charitable giving frameworks that align values across generations and maximize philanthropic impact.
Family Limited Partnerships and LLCs for Estate Planning
How FLPs and LLCs facilitate wealth transfer through valuation discounts while maintaining family control over assets.
Prenuptial Agreements and Estate Impact
An advanced guide to how prenuptial agreements interact with estate planning, including elective share waivers, separate property protection, and second marriage considerations.
Durable Power of Attorney and Healthcare Directives
An explanation of durable powers of attorney, healthcare proxies, living wills, and HIPAA authorizations for comprehensive incapacity planning.
Revocable vs Irrevocable Trust Structures
A detailed comparison of revocable and irrevocable trusts, including estate tax implications, asset protection, and a worked example for a $15 million estate.
Wills vs Revocable Living Trusts
A practical comparison of wills and revocable living trusts, including probate costs, timelines, and a worked example for a $1.5 million estate.
Special Needs Trust Considerations
A detailed guide to first-party and third-party special needs trusts, including funding rules, permissible distributions, and protecting government benefit eligibility.
Estate Planning for Blended Families
A comprehensive guide to estate planning strategies for families with children from prior marriages, including QTIP trusts, life insurance solutions, and balancing competing interests.
Cross-Border and Multi-State Estate Issues
Understanding how state residency, domicile, and foreign assets affect estate planning and taxation.
Estate Administration Timeline
A detailed guide to the steps, deadlines, and procedures involved in administering an estate from death through final distribution.
Coordinating Estate Plans with Business Succession
Integrating business ownership transfer with estate planning through buy-sell agreements, life insurance funding, and succession structures.
Glossary of Estate and Legacy Terms
Definitions of essential estate planning terminology from basic concepts to advanced trust and tax structures.
Generation-Skipping Transfer Planning
How the GST tax works, who qualifies as a skip person, and strategies for using the GST exemption to benefit grandchildren and future generations.
Portable Exemption and DSUE Basics
How surviving spouses can inherit and use a deceased spouse's unused estate tax exemption through portability election.
Preparing Heirs for Wealth Transfer
A structured approach to educating and preparing the next generation to receive and manage inherited wealth responsibly.
Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs)
An explanation of GRAT mechanics, zeroed-out structures, 7520 rate considerations, and a worked example of a $5 million GRAT with a 2-year term.
Beneficiary Designation Best Practices
A practical guide to managing beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance, including distribution methods and post-divorce updates.
Digital Asset Estate Planning
A comprehensive guide to planning for cryptocurrency, online accounts, and digital files in your estate, including access challenges and legal frameworks.