BKA Financial & Proformex have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at improving the life insurance ownership experience for clients. Their objective is to further redefine the industry standard for post-sale policy servicing by providing easier access to...

The 2020 election has been fraught with uncertainty and anxiety for most voters. As the dust settles and a clear winner emerges, what does it mean for high and ultra-high net worth families and their estate plans? Although Congress remains divided with Democrats in...

The interest rates on loans, including bonds, are at an unbelievable low due to the global pandemic. This will affect the health of existing life insurance policies. What's Happening Whole Life and Universal Life (not variable or indexed). These are called "general...

Charitable planning in advance of the sale of a closely held business sounds like an effective way to minimize income taxes. The business owner donates stock to a charitable organization or to a charitable trust and receives a full fair market value (FMV) deduction...

Clients are concerned about the potential impact of an administration change in 2020, and many planners are already taking action. According to a recent survey of 720 Trust & Estates readers, some 55% report that their clients have expressed consternation about...

In Revenue Procedure 2019-44, the IRS has released the official inflation adjustments for 2020, and the adjustments relevant to estates, trusts and gifts are all as expected. For an estate of any decedent dying in calendar year 2020, the basic exclusion amount will be...

Charles A. Redd discusses the pros and cons of making gifts at this time of a greatly enhanced, historically high basic exclusion amount. At this time, and for the indefinite future, individuals have a greatly enhanced, historically high basic exclusion amount. This...

David A. Handler and Alison E. Lothes highlight the most important tax law developments of the past month. • Private letter ruling approves CLAT with term of years determined by formula—In PLR 201933007 (April 22, 2019), the Internal Revenue Service approved a...

Charles A. Redd discusses restrictions on an laws relating to no contest clauses. A beneficiary may be motivated to contest a will or trust instrument because he believes he has sufficient grounds to invalidate the document (for example, due to forgery, lack of proper...

On June 25th, 2019, the Connecticut legislature enacted Public Act 19-137, an Act Concerning the Connecticut Uniform Trust Code. This massive bill, over 90 pages in length, adopts four major categories of revisions to Connecticut trust law that will greatly enhance...