Should You and Can You Terminate an Irrevocable Trust?
Irrevocable trusts are created with the intent that they cannot be altered, amended, or revoked. The benefit is that such trusts can be used to minimize estate taxes or protect assets for numerous purposes such as Medicaid planning or to provide creditor...
S Corporations and Estate Planning
Owning shares in an S Corporation can present some unique issues when it comes to your estate planning. An S-Corp is a corporation that elects special tax status under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Subchapter S. Often a business owner chooses S-Corp status...
How Can You Get Information About a Trust If You Are a Beneficiary?
If you are the beneficiary of a trust but lack critical details about the trust, most states have streamlined procedures in place that allow you to obtain information without the need for a full court proceeding. As a trust beneficiary, you are entitled by law to...
Mediation in Litigation
Litigation is usually thought of in very adversarial terms. The parties fight in court arguing for their position and there is an identifiable winner and loser. The traditional court setting does not necessarily lend itself to compromise or creative resolutions....
Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax (GST) – The Taxman Cometh and Keeps Coming!
The generation-skipping transfer tax (GST) is perhaps one of the most confusing and least understood topics in estate planning. Many attorneys have only a limited understanding of how GST works beyond the basics. This is problematic because GST tax can have a...
What Is a Qualified Personal Residence Trust and How Can It Reduce Taxes?
A Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT) is a specific type of irrevocable trust that in certain circumstances can reduce estate and gift taxes by transferring a residence to a trust. Importantly, it is a strategy that is meant to be deployed during your...