Tax planning is as essential as ever for taxpayers looking to manage cash flow while paying the least amount of taxes possible over time. It’s time for individuals, business owners, and family offices to review their current tax situations to identify opportunities for reducing, deferring, or accelerating their tax obligations. This article, which is based on the U.S. federal laws and policies in effect as of the publication date, provides the information that will help you with your tax planning.
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Over the past 15 years, the IRS has attempted to ramp up its scrutiny of wealthy individuals. With billions in new funding promised under the Inflation Reduction Act, the IRS has announced additional tax enforcement efforts focused on the wealthiest filers, including high-income individuals, partnerships, and large corporations. Attorney Erin Lasenby discusses some of these enforcement efforts and the filers that would be affected by each. With the revitalized efforts, the targeted filers should be prepared for the IRS shifting their audit attention to them.
Your fellow FOX members have contributed these death and estate settlement tools and samples. Please note that these samples have been provided for illustrative purposes only, and may not represent the latest versions.
Your fellow FOX members have contributed these trust administration tools and samples. Please note that these samples have been provided for illustrative purposes only, and may not represent the latest versions.
Every state has its own set of rules for assessing income tax against a trust. In some situations, a trust might be required to file tax returns in three or more separate states. Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a case that addresses how a state may tax a particular trust. We take a closer look at that decision and how it impacts state taxation of trusts—and possibly you. With careful thought, and the assistance of counsel, there are opportunities and tools available to draft trusts that can minimize, if not eliminate, state trust taxation.
When it comes to trust mapping or developing an estate distribution summary for a family, it is critical to align the family’s expectations with the level of overview they want to see. A list of best practices, an example of a simplified estate distribution summary, and a detailed trust map are provided as guidance. The goal is to have a one-page picture that gives as much information as is needed for a review of what is currently in place, or for a meeting to discuss what future planning makes sense to consider.
One of the most important, yet most forgotten, parts of estate planning is keeping track of who will benefit from those assets, including life insurance, which are not governed by your will. Providing for your family includes knowing which types of assets are not governed by your will; ensuring your assets are going to where you want them to go; and keeping your beneficiary designations updated.
A new U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Kaestner case means that more out-of-state residents will be able to fully realize the benefits of Tennessee's progressive trust laws and zero income tax on non-residents. Previously, many states relied on the residence of a trust beneficiary as one of the criteria for taxing a trust. In essence, the new ruling makes that criteria alone unconstitutional.
Over the years, many families and their advisers have come to find that the State of Delaware is a trust-friendly jurisdiction that promotes modern laws and attractive income tax advantages. This paper highlights the most significant legal and tax benefits for nonresidents, and their professional advisers, who may be considering whether to establish a trust in Delaware.
Most small businesses begin their financial lives using Intuit's QuickBooks, but if your business has moved beyond the entry level, your organization may be facing a number of challenges as you hit the limits of QuickBooks’ functionality. With the right framework and guidelines, you can assess the hidden costs of continuing to use QuickBooks along with the financial upside of switching to a modern financial management and accounting system.