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Most of the inflation-indexing adjustments that will affect Estate Planning for 2014 were announced in November 2013. The estate tax exemption for 2014 is $5,340,000 per person. This applies to a combination of lifetime gifts and the estate value. It is an increase from $5,250,000 in 2013. 2014 Gift Tax Exclusion Affecting Estate Planning The […]

Don’t think making a tax free gift means a gift tax return isn’t due. The general Estate Planning rule is you need to file a gift tax return for any gift that exceeds the annual gift tax exclusion ($14,000 per recipient in 2013). A gift that exceeds the annual exclusion either reduces your lifetime estate […]

A revolution is underway in Estate Planning. You know about the 2012 changes to the law (see our February 2013 issue). They require fresh approaches and strategies. Many believe the new law means estate planning is unimportant. That’s a mistake. A result of the 2012 law is that for most people income taxes are a […]

Well-off readers and those on the path to wealth should step up their Estate Planning tax reduction plans. You have some breathing room since Congress passed the ?permanent? estate tax in January. But a number of tax reduction strategies still are at risk. Most people won’t be subject to the estate tax. But estate taxes […]

Since 2010, it’s been easier for married couples to maximize the use of each spouse’s Estate Planning tax exemption. Estate planning professionals call this portability, though the word isn’t used in the tax law. It works like this. The estate of the first spouse to pass away is exempt from estate taxes up to $5.25 […]

Uncertainty about the estate tax is resolved. You don’t have to worry about frequent shifts anymore. Now, it’s time to consider how the new rules affect your Estate Planning and revise your plan. You know that the lifetime estate and gift tax exemption is set at $5 million per person, indexed for inflation. For 2013 […]

You might need to file a gift tax return for your Estate Planning, even when no taxes are due. It might seem like a technicality, but the IRS penalizes people for not filing returns even when no tax was due. It’s been searching public records in some states, such as real estate title records, and […]

Many people who make Estate Planning gifts are giving away assets that don’t have obvious market prices. Because the gift tax is based on the value of an asset, these people have to be careful. When the donor places a value on an asset and makes the maximum tax-free gift, the IRS later can step […]
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