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Many successful individuals and prominent families do not realize the full benefits of strategic financing or leverage, especially when it comes to wealth and estate planning. In fact, an estate or succession plan that includes appropriate borrowing strategies can help preserve a family’s legacy and enable more efficient transfer of wealth from one generation to the next—and beyond.

In light of the portability opportunity and the recent proposal by President Trump to eliminate the estate tax, many people may believe trusts no longer serve a useful purpose in their estate plan. However, trusts still may play a critical role in taxable estates and those estates under the taxable threshold. There are also many non-tax benefits of trusts that should be considered, including asset protection, marital property protection, and a suitable management structure for inherited assets.

President Trump’s recently released “core principles” for tax reform and simplification initiates the beginning of what is sure to be a heated debate over the future of U.S. tax policy. The announcement was short on policy details and far from enacted legislation. Also, the legislative process is complex and slow, particularly for tax legislation. The few details that were provided in the administration’s announcement have the effect of moving the Trump plan closer to the House Republican Plan, known as “A Better Way.”

Tax positions of a candidate are aspirational, and the newly-elected president will need to work with Congress to implement tax changes. In a summary comparing the outline of the tax reform proposals the Trump administration released on April 26, 2017 and the proposal the House GOP put forth in June 2016, it addresses the topics that are most relevant to high income and high-net worth taxpayers. As stated at the April 26 press conference, the Administration’s proposals are at the beginning stage of a process to develop a detailed tax plan.

The Board of Directors plays a pivotal role in the effective governance of any organization, including the private family trust company. Board members fulfill their roles and responsibilities, in part, by holding regular meetings that utilize a comprehensive agenda. One vital tool for an effective Board meeting is the meeting agenda. Here, ten suggestions are provided for developing and utilizing meeting agendas that will lead to more productive, efficient, and educational board meetings.

On April 26, 2017, President Donald Trump presented the core principles of his proposal to significantly overhaul the Tax Code, including reducing individual tax brackets from seven to three, lowering corporate and individual tax deductions, and eliminating the alternative minimum tax. If key elements of the administration’s tax reform proposal were passed, what aspects of your wealth plan might be affected?

Michigan recently passed an act that allows individuals to create Domestic Asset Protection Trusts ("DAPTs"), an attractive option to help people protect their assets from the claims of third party creditors. If the basic requirements of the newly adopted Michigan statute are satisfied, it also permits the trust settlor to retain certain powers and interests in the DAPT, including the right to receive distributions, while maintaining significant protection for the assets of the DAPT.

The Trump administration has released its tax reform outline: the “2017 Tax Reform for Economic Growth and American Jobs.” Although it doesn’t include specific proposals like the border adjustment tax, it does call for a “territorial tax system to level the playing field for American businesses,” as well as significant tax cuts and simplification. In a high-level overview of the 2017 Tax Reform Outline, learn more about the impact of each proposal.

On January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump was sworn in as America’s 45th president. Wasting no time, President Trump has already signed some executive orders, one of which freezes federal regulations pending further review (what this means for various tax regulations, including the proposed valuation discount that the IRS issued in August 2016, is currently unclear). As we wait to see what develops, it is a good time to update a prior discussion focusing on the planning basics and “good housekeeping,” rather than on taxes per se.