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In the past, when analyzing whether a client should make taxable gifts, estate planners tended to simply rely on comparing the transfer tax cost of making such gifts with those made at death. Paying the gift tax was assumed to be “cheaper” than paying estate tax, even though the rate was the same, because gift taxes are calculated on a “tax exclusive” basis (in other words, the gift tax paid comes out of the estate). This white paper explores the pros and cons that determine whether making taxable gifts in today’s environment makes financial sense.

There are a number of trusts that can be customized to the needs of an investor, but each trust has its own advantages and disadvantages. This simple guide works to illustrate any concerns that an investor might have about tax consequences, withdrawal powers, the three-year rule and more by looking at the pros and cons of seven different popular types of trusts.

Using a New Hampshire trust, a settlor can eliminate a trustee’s reporting and disclosure requirements if he or she wishes to withhold knowledge of the trust’s existence, its terms, or the details of its holdings. Many settlors are turning to New Hampshire to create “quiet” or “silent” trusts under which the trustee does not have any duty to inform beneficiaries about the existence or administration of the trust.

There are a lot of questions surrounding whether snowbirds and others can shift his or her residency to a lower or no tax state such as Florida, Nevada or Texas, while still maintaining a home in Illinois. However, in light of Illinois’ current economic state and future debt obligations, it is hard for many Illinois residents and businesses not to be skeptical that the latest lower tax rates in the state will stick.

When does the state lack authority to tax a “resident trust” on out-of-state income? In this report, McGladrey discusses a number of strategies that advisers should consider in order to minimize the state-level tax liability for a trust by moving it to a more taxpayer-friendly jurisdiction. The article provides case studies dating back to 2013, where in some cases, advisers and their clients either minimized or even avoided state tax liability altogether on undistributed trust income.

The American Tax Payer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA) was passed on New Year’s Day 2013, and established the first permanentset of estate, gift and generation skipping transfer (GST) tax provisions in 12 years. Each year, the administration puts forth tax proposals that may change the current law. This article provides a quick summary of several of the latest revenue proposals submitted by the Obama administration that might affect individual taxpayers and future estate and tax planning strategies.

In 2013, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), a nonprofit group of reporters, shattered the long-held view that offshore bank secrecy was impenetrable. The group had received massive leaks detailing individual offshore bank accounts, which they shared with the public on their website. This was the first of hundreds of stories about the financial affairs of high-net-worth individuals overseas.

President Obama on January 20, 2015, used his sixth State of the Union address to lay out his tax policy agenda to the new Republican-controlled 114th Congress. In a subsequent speech, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew reaffirmed the Administration's tax reform goals that were first outlined in a 2012 'framework' for business tax reform. Meanwhile, the Republican chairmen of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee have responded to the President's State of the Union address, and are laying out their own goals for tax reform.

Glenmede's Fall Newsletter topics include leveraging social media to meet organizational goals and guidance for managing transitions to retirement that should be navigated with a comprehensive yet flexible plan that encompasses current cash flow, lifetime asset base and family legacy and philanthropy.

Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management Tax Topics discusses possible outcomes from the mid-term elections, such as treatment of the nearly 60 tax "extender" provisions that expired at the end of 2013. Also covered is possible future tax reform and the loss of cherished tax benefits such as the deductible contributions to employer-sponsored retirement accounts and the charitable deduction.