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Estate Planning

Everything About Estate Planning

23 articles
Tax-efficient strategies for transferring wealth and business assets to the next generation

See-Through Trust as IRA Beneficiary: How Conduit and Accumulation Trusts Work Under the SECURE Act 10-Year Rule

A see-through trust named on an IRA beneficiary form must navigate the SECURE Act 10-year rule. Conduit trusts pass every distribution through to the beneficiary by year ten, while accumulation trusts retain assets but face compressed trust brackets that reach the 37 percent federal rate at just $16,000 of retained income in 2026.

Charitable Remainder Trust (CRUT vs CRAT): Tax-Free Asset Sales and Lifetime Income

How a Charitable Remainder Trust lets you sell appreciated assets without capital gains tax, take an immediate income tax deduction, collect lifetime income, and pass the remainder to charity—plus the math comparing CRUT, CRAT, NIMCRUT, and Flip CRUT structures under the May 2026 5.0% Section 7520 rate.

Inherited IRA 10-Year Rule: How Non-Spouse Beneficiaries Avoid the 25% Penalty

Non-spouse IRA beneficiaries must empty inherited accounts within 10 years, and annual RMDs become mandatory in 2025 if the original owner died on or after their required beginning date. A missed RMD triggers a 25% excise tax. Only surviving spouses, minor children, disabled or chronically ill individuals, and beneficiaries within 10 years of the deceased's age keep the old stretch treatment.

Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT) After OBBBA: Why the $15 Million Exemption Still Demands Action in 2026

After OBBBA set the federal estate, gift, and GST exemption at $15 million per person in 2026, SLATs still freeze growth out of the taxable estate at a 40 percent rate. Coverage of dual-SLAT reciprocal trust risk, asset selection, valuation discounts, and the audit records families need to keep.

Donor-Advised Funds vs Private Foundations: Choosing the Right Vehicle for Your Charitable Legacy

A 2026 comparison of donor-advised funds and private foundations covering AGI deduction limits, the 0.5% itemizer floor and 35% deduction cap from OBBBA, the 5% payout rule, self-dealing penalties, and why closely-held stock donated to a private foundation deducts at cost basis instead of fair market value.

Form 709 Gift Tax Return: When You Must File, the Annual Exclusion, and the $15M Lifetime Exemption

A practical guide to Form 709 for 2026 gifts — who must file, the $19,000 annual exclusion, the $15 million lifetime exemption, gift splitting rules, the adequate disclosure standard that starts the IRS three-year clock, and the medical and tuition payments that escape reporting entirely.

Step-Up in Basis at Death: The Estate Planning Strategy That Eliminates Capital Gains for Your Heirs

Section 1014 of the Internal Revenue Code resets an inherited asset's cost basis to its fair market value on the date of death, erasing the decedent's lifetime appreciation from the tax base — a provision the Joint Committee on Taxation estimates will cost the federal government $72.5 billion in 2026.

State Residency Tax Planning: How to Legally Lower Your Tax Bill by Changing Domicile

A practical guide to changing state domicile for tax savings—covering the difference between residency and domicile, the nine no-income-tax states, the 183-day statutory residency trap, and how high-tax states reconstruct your year from cell tower pings, EZ-Pass records, and credit card data.