Blog & Resources

Decades ago, when I started my practice as an estate-planning attorney, there were rumblings about how modern medicine was changing the way people died. For most of human existence death came quickly from an illness or injury about which physicians could do nothing. Now, advances in medical knowledge allow us to battle death, giving us more time with our loved ones. But this same gift often makes the dying process a long, slow struggle against an incurable disease or untreatable injury. Sometimes, after a long struggle with illness and with full knowledge that death is certain and the future holds nothing but suffering, a person will decide to voluntarily stop eating and drinking (“VSED”), which hastens the inevitable end.

Every modern medical advance to make our lives better brings with it new challenges and problems we must address.

Rightfully so, much emphasis is being put on utilizing Gift Giving strategies that are scheduled to disappear on January 1, 2013. But when considering these strategies, don’t forget gift strategies that have worked in the past and continue to be cornerstones of most estate plans.

Take Advantage of The Annual Gift Exemption: When congress created the Gift Tax to plug loopholes that existed in the Federal Estate Tax, they created several categories of gifts that were considered “good gifts”, not subject to the gift tax. One of these exemptions is an annual gift to any number of persons. That rate is now adjusted for inflation, and for 2013 is a maximum of $13,000. Couples can lend each other the exemption so together can give $26,000 to any number of individuals. These gifts are then excluded from the estate and pass Gift and Estate Tax free to the recipient.¹

If you are an art collector interested in giving a piece of art to a charity, what factors should you consider in order to maximize your income tax deduction?

Short Answer: If a person as a collector contributes highly appreciated art purchased and held over one year to a qualified public charity and reports the contribution along with a supporting appraisal (if the art exceeds $5,000.00 in value) the person will avoid recognizing the built in capital gains, avoid paying inheritance and estate taxes and the person will be able to deduct the full fair market value of the donation as of the date of the contribution.

Long Answer: The Tax Code encourages the contribution of art to tax exempt organizations by allowing deductions against income for the gift. The size of the deduction will depend on several factors.

Only a little over three months remain to maximize estate tax and gift tax opportunities that are scheduled to disappear in 2013. There is still time, but if you are going to act you need to start working with your estate planning lawyer soon.

Never have the Gift Tax and Estate Tax exemptions been higher than they are currently. The Federal Estate and Gift Tax Exemptions are currently $5,120,000.00. If congress takes no actions, these exemptions fall to $1,000,000.00 in 2013. This change exposes to taxation an additional $4,120,000 to those who die or gift in 2013 vs. 2012, increasing the tax due by hundreds if not millions of dollars.¹

In my previous article I introduced you to the basic understanding of Generation Skipping Tax; its origins, purpose and theory. This Article will take you a little deeper into the actual tax terms and how it is applied. My hope is that after reading these articles my clients will have a working knowledge of the Generation Skipping Tax and, with as much enthusiasm a non-tax geek can have, embrace planning techniques that help reduce or even avoid the Generation Skipping Tax.

Prologue

This is the first of a series of Articles about the Generation Skipping Tax, one of the more complex taxes that most people will come up against and which is often overlooked in Estate Planning. The goal is to introduce the non-practitioner to the concepts of the Generation Skipping Tax so the planning options and techniques which we will explore together will make more sense. I find that some clients have avoided estate planning techniques which would save their families potentially millions of dollars, because they are uncomfortable with their understanding of the taxes being discussed. My hope is that after reading these articles my clients will have a working knowledge of the Generation Skipping Tax and, with as much enthusiasm a non-tax geek can have, embrace planning techniques that help reduce or even avoid the Generation Skipping Tax.

Can you write a valid Will on the back of an envelope in Philadelphia? The answer is yes….. but you are asking for trouble. Philadelphia Will Drafting Attorneys agree, Self-Proved Wills are preferable to Holographic Wills.

A Will is a statement declaring a person’s wishes regarding the disposal of the person’s property when the person dies. It affects titles to land, whom receives bank accounts and stocks and whom will serve in guardianships for minor children. Any discrepancy, error or omission can lead to years of litigation and bad feelings between the surviving family members. A Will is not something to take lightly.

An article in the October, 2008 Florida Bar Journal, written by a Florida Estate Planning Lawyer and former member of the Florida Grievance Committee, reported on the most common complaints heard by the Board against Estate Planning and Probate attorneys. This article describes how our firm guards against client complaints by addressing these issues before they arise.

Communication: The article reports that the most common complaint against Estate Planning or Probate lawyers is poor communication. Amazingly, some attorneys and lawyers simply fail to return phone calls. Our firm has a standing policy to return all phone calls within 24 hours. This policy keeps communication going with clients and, in most cases, keeps misunderstandings from arising. Most Probate and Estate Planning related cases affect clients unfamiliar with this area of the law. By answering questions and keeping clients informed we have built up an excellent practice. Satisfied estate planning clients in turn refer us to friends and family for other Estate Planning and Probate cases.