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Historically, beneficiaries learned of wealth transfer plans only after the death of the grantor. However, this approach often leads to unanswered questions and, potentially, feelings of betrayal when expectations for future gifts are left unmet. There are several planning tools, including a Statement of Wealth Transfer (SOWTI), that can facilitate...

In times of significant change, it is easy to become paralyzed by uncertainty and indecision. However, such changes are inevitably accompanied by new opportunities. In this Wealth Planning Outlook, insights—and action items—are provided on the most vital planning issues amid epochal technological innovation in artificial intelligence (AI); an uncer...

When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was passed in late 2017, the “sunsetting” of many of the provisions in 2026 seemed far away. Among those of benefit to high-net-worth individuals was the increasing of the gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer tax exemptions to $11.18 million per person ($22.36 million for married couples) for 2018. The...

There are few matters of wealth management more fraught with tension than estate planning. Preparing to transfer wealth and assets to your heirs can involve emotions, family dynamics, legal structures, and a host of major and complex tax implications. The challenges around succession planning are also exacerbated because of the so-called Great Weal...

Family office executives are always looking for ways to improve their financial reporting packages and their client relationships. This best practices document reflects the work of 20 members of the FOX Financial Executive Council™ who gathered to learn about how one’s learning style impacts the creation and delivery of financial information and to...

For many art collectors, the allure of acquiring and displaying art often overshadows the effort required to manage it properly and plan for its eventual disposition. After all, upon death, you can’t take it with you. Estate planning for art collectors involves navigating a complex landscape of valuation, tax, and management issues. Without a strat...

Effectively transitioning a business to the next generation of owners through a business succession plan that incorporates estate tax planning will result in the most value being retained by the owners and their families. Whether the business is entirely family owned or has unrelated owners, each scenario comes with its own complications but with c...

Women’s growing economic influence across all generations has been one of the most significant shifts within our economy across recent decades. While this new dynamic represents great progress, many women lack confidence when it comes to investing. To help change this mindset, this issue focuses on sharing stories that lead by experience to build c...

When it comes to effectively transferring assets, the Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRAT) is a popular estate planning strategy that can reduce the tax liability. In this interview, three attorneys discuss the benefits of GRAT and the securities law case, Donoghue v. Smith, involving that strategy.

Trusts are valuable tools frequently used to transfer wealth within families, preserve and protect wealth, and reduce taxes. Understanding trusts and the role of the trustee is important for the people establishing trusts and the beneficiaries of those trusts. Building on this foundation, answers are provided to some questions about trusts and trus...

With the accelerated pace of technology advancements in addition to tax policy changes that require tax teams to synthesize immense amounts of data, tax departments must fully embrace technology to be able to deliver valuable insights and tax planning strategies. This Tax Innovation Guide outlines how to modernize and future-proof yo...

Following the enactment of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) explained that the CTA and FinCEN regulations "would help protect the U.S. financial system from illicit use by making it more difficult for bad actors to conceal their financial activities through ent...

Generally, parents lose access to their child’s health and financial information once the child becomes a legal adult at the age of 18 unless certain steps are taken. To this end, here is a list of seven essential legal documents for parents to complete when their children turn 18 and before they go to college or leave home for ...

As families and their advisers begin to prepare for U.S. entities in their succession planning structures to comply with the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), consideration should be given to U.S. holding companies and the requirement to report a business street address. This "Supplementary Information" section of the final regulations issued by th...

Rather than viewing trusts as a mechanism to protect beneficiaries from the dangers of wealth, what if trusts were viewed as vehicles to “ignite a fire” within the next generation? Imagine a trust structure that is designed to cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurialism by making beneficiaries active participants rather than passive recipients of thei...