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When considering the various aspects of managing family wealth from a tax perspective, it’s useful to have a list of “tax Do’s and Don’t’s” on hand to help ensure that no tax planning opportunities nor implications are missed. In this summary of tax items that are commonly overlooked or misunderstood, it can serve as your checklist and a good starting place for deeper conversations with your tax advisors.

Minimizing taxes is a critical challenge for higher-income taxpayers subject to higher tax rates and certain additional taxes, as well as tax-break phaseouts. To meet this challenge, this year-end tax guide focuses on key considerations to help you stay compliant with the tax laws while maximizing your tax benefits in 2024 and beyond. This guide includes tax-saving strategies on income and deductions, executive compensation, investing, real estate, business ownership, charitable giving, family and education, retirement, and estate planning.

More than six years have passed since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) brought sweeping changes to the U.S. international tax landscape. Congress continues to balance taxpayer demands for long-overdue guidance on how to address the Pillar Two initiative of the Organization for Co-operation Development. Moreover, taxpayers continue to litigate Congress’ rulemaking authority in courts. While the fiscal environment remains unclear, taxpayers should prepare for an increase in their global effective tax rate and tighter reporting stand over the next couple of years.

Businesses in 2024 continue to contend with unfavorable U.S. tax law changes and reconfigured deductions from the last few years. Meanwhile, the IRS has strengthened its enforcement capabilities by upgrading its technologies and building its workforce, underscoring the importance of compliance and accurate reporting. Against this backdrop, the transition into 2025 is shadowed by uncertainty about potentially transformative tax legislation under a new administration and new Congress. But there is risk to sittling idle.

This tax planning guide was developed to help you think through opportunities and other considerations for you and your family during the remainder of 2024 and into 2025. The guide will help you evaluate and optimize the tax impact of changing market conditions and new policy developments. For additional tax planning guidance and insights, see:

In today’s evolving U.S. and global tax environment, the tax implications of business decisions are not always intuitive. Integrating tax considerations throughout the decision-making process can help businesses unlock potential tax savings and efficiencies as well as identify and mitigate tax risks. Whether shifting supply chains, pursuing mergers and acquisitions, implementing sustainability initiatives, or adjusting workforce strategy—embracing a total tax mindset while modeling the tax impact of these decisions can lead to better outcomes that add value to your organization.

If you’re considering a sale of a business, listen in on this 10-minute interview for some valuable potential tax-savings strategies. Attorneys Jason Kohout and Stephanie Derks also discuss income and estate tax planning opportunities, especially for business owners who are in a high income tax state.

In this special report, Northern Trust experts provide policy analysis for each potential United States election result—as well as steps that can be taken to prepare for all outcomes. Read the report for insights into planning for Divided Government, Unified Democratic, Unified Republican, and Delayed or Contested results. Along with having a goals-based framework approach for wealth planning, it allows investors and wealth advisors to evaluate tradeoffs and uncover new opportunities to take action with confidence in any environment.

For many business owners, their tax accountant has been with them for years, and therefore understands the business, along with some aspects of the industry, key employee roles, and family dynamics at play. In addition, a tax accountant who is viewed as a trusted advisor is in a key position to help a family-owned enterprise think through some of the most pertinent questions when it comes to succession planning.