• Estate Planning - QuickRead Top Story

    COVID-19

    An Opportunity for Gift and Estate Planning at Low Valuations The disruption brought about by COVID-19 created certain industry “winners” and “losers.” Many of those that emerged as losers are small and medium-sized privately held businesses such as restaurants, bakeries, gyms, hair salons and spas, and the corresponding real estate holding entities that leased to such businesses, held retail and office space, and even apartment buildings. At this point, the most frequent question asked by business owners is: “Should I reopen my business or not?” While being on the losing side, it may be a good time for business owners…

  • QuickRead Featured - Valuation/Appraisal

    Bernie Madoff Fraud Fallout

    A Valuation Perspective In this article, three U.S. Tax Court cases are discussed. Each case stems from the fallout which occurred after the discovery of the Madoff Ponzi scheme amounted to more than just lost investments for each of the investors. The end-effect is much more far-reaching and complex, as many investors have been forced to pay hefty legal bills in a battle to reduce their estate tax liability on monies that did not actually exist. To confound the fight, the battles are complex, and sometimes a matter of first impression for the Tax Court.

  • QuickPress

    Estate Planning for the 99 Percent

    Estate Planning When the Federal Estate Tax Doesn’t Apply Even when your clients have estates that will not be subject to the federal estate tax when they die, helping them plan for the future can be complicated.  Steven G. Siegel, JD, LLM, Siegel Group, suggests ways you can help them best manage their assets To read the full article in AICPA Insights, click: Estate Planning for the 99 Percent.

  • QuickPress - Tax

    Estate & Gift Tax Update

    In the first installment of a two-part series, the AICPA reviews the most important developments affecting estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax and trust income tax over the last 12 months.  In the period from June 2012 through May 2013, the analysis covers legislative developments, rulings, pending cases, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 and inflation adjustments for 2013.  The second installment, coming in October, will focus primarily on GST and estate tax issues. [button link=”http://www.aicpa.org/Publications/TaxAdviser/2013/September/Pages/Ransome_Sep2013_2.aspx” color=”silver”] View Full Article[/button]    

  • QuickPress - Tax

    Estate Taxes: Where Do We Go From Here?

    This is the question addressed by Richard T. Hurt, Jeffrey M. Gad, Drew LaGrande, and Megan Costa Devault  in a paper you’ll find posted in PDF form at JD Supra legal intelligence web site. The authors write for Akerman Senterfit, a law firm with expertise and focus in middle market M&A.  Here’s the way things stand now: For the past several years, the federal estate tax law has provided elevated exemptions and lower tax rates. The key provisions of the current federal estate tax law, which sunsets on December 31, 2012, are as follows: • $5.12 million gift and estate…