Planning for Expected Estate/Capital Gains Changes for Individuals with $4M…

Since President Biden’s election, we’ve been peering into our crystal balls to see what changes our higher-net worth clients can expect with respect to taxes on their estates, capital gains and income. Although we still don’t know exactly what changes will take effect and when they will be implemented, all signs strongly point to the window closing within the next few months on

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Déjà vu — New Year, New Law – Reduction in the US Estate Tax Exemption?

Every 2-4 years, a change in Congress or our President results in a mini-barrage of newsletters, workshops (well webinars during covid) and other literature detailing the changes. This year is no exception as increased spending associated with the pandemic has increased the likelihood of future tax increases on capital gains and larger estates.

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Beyond the Documents: How Ongoing Asset Alignment and Purposeful Estate Planning can Enhance Life for You and Your Loved Ones

Watch this short video that briefly explains the importance of aligning your assets with your family’s estate planning documents. In 2017, I decided to work with a Nevada attorney who I know and trust to create an additional component to my estate plan. Like many of you who have created an estate plan, I worked with the attorney for a few weeks on

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Legacy Planning and the Importance of Family Communication

I often joke that my grandparents were the original “millionaires next door.” Neither of them ever made over $40k in a single year – my grandfather was a meter reader for the DWP in Los Angeles and my grandmother was a teacher. They had a number of attributes that led to building wealth in their later years. They did a remarkable

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20/20 in 2020? Tax Savings through Lifetime Gifting

Don’t Look Back and Wish You’d Seen the Opportunity to Save Taxes for Subsequent Generations through Lifetime Gifting   Heading into a volatile election season, the risk of higher income and estate taxes in 2021 and beyond is a very real concern for our affluent clients. Today’s federal income and estate taxes are historically low (even if it might not feel

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Innovation

Simple But Powerful Planning Opportunities For 2020 and Beyond

Under today’s laws, very few American families need to worry about the 40% estate tax being applied to their loved ones’ inheritances. An individual can pass $11.58M without estate tax and a married couple just over $23M. However, under tomorrow’s laws (tomorrow being the end of 2025), more families will need to be creative to avoid estate tax – the exemption amounts are set to

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LLCs – great for asset protection during life; but beware of pitfalls at your passing

Pretty much all California real estate owners are aware of Proposition 13, the benefit granted to existing real estate owners, restricting property tax increases to a maximum of 2% per year.  Many real estate owners are also aware of Proposition 58, which provides a “parent-child exclusion” from the normal rule that eliminates Proposition 13 protection from any change in ownership.  Proposition

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