Articles & Firm News

Several possible changes that may occur in the very near future pose great uncertainty for estate planners. The biggest uncertainty revolves around the estate tax. The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (“EGTRRA”) presently… Read More

If you possess assets that are appreciating fast (or at least you think they will), the GRAT is simply one of the most effective ways of transferring value at a low cost. The future of this technique is not clear, however, as proposed legislation cou… Read More

A private annuity can be an effective way of transferring wealth to a family member, freezing the estate, avoiding estate and gift tax, and ensuring a lifetime stream of income. If the estate planning goal is to transfer assets to family members duri… Read More

In recent years, fine art has increasingly been viewed as a wise alternative investment and as a means to better achieve diversification. The low correlation of fine art to more traditional markets and a reasonable risk to reward ratio makes it an at… Read More

Low interest rates create planning opportunities for estate planning and their clients. The techniques benefited by the current low interest rates include intra- family loans, SCINs, installment sales to grantor trusts, GRATs, CLATs and charitable gi… Read More

With the investment landscape changing investors have shown interest in more secure and conservative investment vehicles. Many clients have expressed an interest in bonds. However, the complexity of the varying bond vehicles and the income tax implic… Read More

With interest rates at historical lows, several wealth transfer techniques offer high net worth individuals an excellent opportunity to transfer wealth to their descendants at a minimal cost. These techniques benefit from low interest rates. Two soph… Read More

With interest rates at historical lows, several wealth transfer techniques offer high net worth individuals an excellent opportunity to transfer wealth to their descendants at a minimal cost. These techniques benefit from low interest rates. Two soph… Read More