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When an individual purchases property, inherits property, or is gifted property, they obtain a tax basis in the property. Basis is generally the amount of the taxpayer’s capital investment in the property, which is subsequently increased or decreased for events that occur during their ownership of the property. As the applicable estate and gi...

The tax consequences of expatriation for U.S. citizens and long-term green card holders after June 17, 2008 can be enormous. With the exception of deferred compensation items, interests in non-grantor trusts, and specified tax deferred accounts, all other assets of the expatriating taxpayer are deemed sold at fair market value on the day before the...

Investors are purchasing and selling virtual currencies (also known as “crypto currencies”) at a faster rate than ever before. Although these virtual currencies are not legal currency in the U.S., the IRS has been slowly issuing guidance on the income taxation and the manner in which individuals should report gains or losses from t...

A GRAT is an estate freeze technique used in estate planning to minimize taxes on large financial gifts to family members. Under this technique, an irrevocable trust is created to which the grantor transfers income-producing or appreciating property in return for the right to receive a distribution of a fixed annuity amount from the trust (at least...

After a decade-long economic expansion and bull market in US stocks, investors are understandably nervous about downside risk. Global economic policy uncertainty rose sharply in 2018, fueled by the threat of a trade war among the world’s largest economies. With the stock market crash of 2008-’09 a distant but still painful memory, many ...

With the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act at the end of 2017, more family businesses are examining their corporate structure and considering the tax implications. Specifically, companies that are currently structured as “pass-through” entities (e.g., an S corporation, partnership, or LLC taxed as an S corporation or partnership) are...

The best time to prepare your home for the cold weather, snowfall, ice accumulation, and storms is before winter sets in. For added protection, recommended tips are provided to help you get a head start.

Winter-related claims add up to over $1 billion each year across the insurance industry. One common—yet often overlooked—cause of costly damage is ice damming. By taking proactive measures and making crucial upgrades to your home, you can help prevent ice damming damage.

Finished basements are at elevated risk during heavy storms, making electronic and recreational equipment, furniture, mechanical systems, and other items susceptible to damage. Basement flooding can be exacerbated by a power failure, which may cause a disruption in water removal systems. One of the best investments to protect against water dam...

Decision making for a family enterprise is complicated and there is typically not an absolute right or wrong answer. Even when a family is on board with a shared vision of what they want to accomplish with their wealth, how do you bring them together to make the decisions needed to get there? Following six recommended steps, a family enterprise can...

The Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service has issued initial proposed regulations and instructions for investments in qualified opportunity funds (“QOF”), a program designed to incentive the reallocation of capital to designated low-income census tracts. This long-anticipated guidance is expected to allow investors, busine...

Having a good cyber risk management program in place might help a company prevent some breaches. But more importantly, when a breach does happen, it can help companies get back on their feet faster and mitigate financial and reputational damage. How do you know whether your company is doing what it should to address the risk and become cyber resili...

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 created new incentives for investment into certain communities throughout the United States that have been designated as Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs) by the U.S. Treasury Department. Investors can take advantage of the statute’s unique opportunity for deferral and exclusion of capital gains taxes by inv...

One year has passed since significant tax law changes were enacted in December 2017. The overall impact of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) on estate and tax planning for individuals and their families is close to what we expected—it’s been a mixed bag for taxpayers. We take a closer look at the major changes—and the winner...

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act left many of the rules and laws pertaining to retirement planning unchanged. However, the Act did change the tax landscape for many by lowering overall tax rates for individuals and businesses and changing deductions. Given this new landscape, there are additional opportunities and new twists for taxpayers to be mindf...