A practical 2026 guide to the step-up in basis rule for inherited assets in the US. Covers which assets qualify, why retirement accounts don't, the community-property double step-up, whether to hold or sell inherited stock and real estate, how it interacts with the federal estate tax exemption, and the mistakes heirs make most often.
A practical 2026 guide to spendthrift trusts for US asset protection and estate planning: how the spendthrift clause blocks creditors, the exception creditors it can't stop, discretionary trustee mechanics, DAPT states, setup cost ranges, and the mistakes that void protection.
The cost of a prenuptial agreement depends on asset complexity and how each side is represented. This 2026 guide breaks down what a prenup can and cannot cover, the requirements for it to be enforceable, the drafting process, and the common mistakes that get prenups thrown out when they matter most.
A practical 2026 guide to QTIP (Qualified Terminable Interest Property) trusts in US estate planning: how the QTIP election works with the marital deduction, how it interacts with portability and the estate exemption, and how it compares to a simple marital trust or a bypass trust.
A practical breakdown of split-dollar life insurance arrangements in the US, covering the economic benefit and loan regimes, executive retention and estate planning uses, rollout mechanics, and the most common structuring mistakes advisors see.
A practical 2026 guide to the conservation easement charitable income-tax deduction: how a qualified conservation contribution works, the appraisal and perpetuity rules, AGI deduction limits and carryforwards, and how the IRS separates a legitimate land donation from an abusive syndicated easement that triggers disallowance and steep penalties.
How a U.S. private annuity sale lets you transfer an appreciated business, real estate, or stock to a family member or trust in exchange for a lifetime annuity, freezing your taxable estate and spreading gain, plus the §7520 rate, mortality risk, IRS scrutiny, and how it compares to an installment sale and a SCIN.
A practical 2026 guide to the Medicaid Asset Protection Trust: what a MAPT is, the five-year look-back and transfer penalty, income-only design, keeping the right to live in your home, preserving step-up in basis, and how a MAPT compares with gifting, an ILIT, and a Medicaid-compliant annuity.
How a charitable gift annuity works in 2026: ACGA suggested rates by age, the split-interest deduction, tax-free return of principal, capital-gain spreading on appreciated stock, immediate vs deferred CGAs, the SECURE 2.0 one-time QCD election, and how a CGA compares to a charitable remainder trust and a commercial annuity.
How estate tax portability and the DSUE (Deceased Spousal Unused Exclusion) election actually work: filing a timely Form 706, the Rev. Proc. 2022-32 late-election relief window, portability versus a credit shelter trust, why GST exemption is not portable, the 2026 exemption sunset, and remarriage rules.
A plain-English guide to the U.S. generation-skipping transfer tax: the flat top-rate (~40%) charge on transfers to skip persons, the GST exemption and its 2026 sunset context, direct skips versus taxable terminations and distributions, dynasty trusts, exemption allocation, and the mistakes that quietly wreck a plan.
A practical 2026 guide to the U.S. annual gift tax exclusion: the $19,000 per-recipient limit, $38,000 with spousal gift-splitting, how it interacts with the lifetime unified credit, when Form 709 is required, the unlimited tuition and medical exclusion, 529 superfunding, and non-citizen spouse limits.
How the step-up in cost basis works when you inherit stock in the US, how to figure date-of-death fair market value, the double step-up in community property states, which assets like IRAs do not get a step-up, gifting versus inheriting, and the mistakes that cost heirs the most.
A practical 2026 guide to hiring an estate tax planning attorney in the US: the new $15M federal exemption after the OBBBA, state estate and inheritance taxes, trusts, gifting, portability, attorney fees, and the mistakes that cost families the most.
How an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) keeps life insurance death benefits out of your taxable estate in 2026: why proceeds are estate-taxable under IRC §2042, how Crummey letters preserve the annual gift tax exclusion, the 3-year lookback rule under §2035, choosing a trustee, how an ILIT differs from a revocable living trust, the federal exemption, and state estate taxes.
How a Delaware Statutory Trust lets you complete a 1031 exchange, defer capital gains and depreciation recapture, and own institutional real estate passively. Covers the 45/180-day timeline, avoiding boot, Rev. Rul. 2004-86 rules, fees, income vs illiquidity tradeoffs, and DST vs direct property vs REIT vs TIC.
How high-net-worth families use a Family Limited Partnership (FLP) to transfer wealth to heirs at a discount in 2026: lack-of-marketability and minority-interest valuation discounts, gift and estate tax reduction, retaining control as general partner, IRS §2036 scrutiny, bona fide business purpose, and how an FLP compares to trusts, LLCs, and GRATs.
A SLAT lets one spouse gift assets into an irrevocable trust for the other spouse, using the historically high lifetime gift and estate tax exemption before it drops — while keeping indirect access to the money. This 2026 guide explains how a SLAT works, the exemption sunset, the reciprocal trust doctrine, divorce and death risk, grantor-trust income tax, and how it compares to an ILIT, GRAT, and bypass trust.
An IDGT is 'defective' for income tax on purpose — the grantor pays the trust's income tax so assets grow untouched for heirs — yet fully effective for estate tax, moving those assets out of the taxable estate. This 2026 guide explains the income-tax vs estate-tax split, the installment sale to an IDGT (estate freeze), why paying the tax is an extra tax-free gift, how it compares to a GRAT and SLAT, the risks, and when it fits.
A GRAT lets you move a high-growth asset into a trust, take back annual annuity payments, and pass the excess appreciation to your heirs gift-tax-free. This 2026 guide explains the IRS 7520 hurdle rate, zeroed-out and rolling (laddered) GRAT strategies, the mortality risk, which assets fit, who it's for, and how it compares to a SLAT and other trusts.
How a special needs trust (SNT) protects SSI and Medicaid eligibility while supplementing a disabled beneficiary's life. First-party (d4A) vs third-party vs pooled trusts, the Medicaid payback rule, ABLE accounts, choosing a trustee, attorney costs, and the costly mistakes to avoid in 2026.
An ILIT removes life insurance death benefit from your taxable estate. This 2026 guide covers Crummey letters, the 3-year lookback rule, the $15M federal estate tax exemption and its scheduled sunset, trustee selection, funding strategy, costs, and who actually needs one.
Premium financing lets high-net-worth individuals borrow to fund large permanent life insurance without deploying liquid capital. Here is how it works, who qualifies, the real risks, and the red flags that signal a bad deal.
TCJA sunset may halve the US estate tax exemption in 2026. Marital deduction, portability, bypass trusts, and pre-sunset gifting strategies explained.