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.
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 guide to the federal estate and gift tax exemption sunset: how the TCJA-doubled unified exemption is scheduled to roughly halve, why 2025 to 2026 is a use-it-or-lose-it gifting window, how the lifetime exemption, annual exclusion, portability, and GST exemption interact, IRS anti-clawback guidance, and planning tools like SLATs, irrevocable trusts, and valuation discounts.
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.
Life insurance death benefits are generally income-tax-free to the beneficiary, but interest, estate tax, the 3-year rule, and transfer-for-value can trigger tax. Here is the full 2026 breakdown of when a payout is taxable.
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 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.
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.
TCJA sunset may halve the US estate tax exemption in 2026. Marital deduction, portability, bypass trusts, and pre-sunset gifting strategies explained.
How to disclaim an inherited estate under IRC Section 2518, the 9-month deadline, state probate procedures for insolvent estates in California, New York, and Texas, and what happens when debts exceed assets — with real planning scenarios.
Master real estate estate tax planning for 2026. Federal exemptions, state estate taxes, step-up in basis, QPRT strategies, FLP valuation discounts, appraisal requirements, and worked scenarios for high-net-worth families owning property.
Revocable living trust vs last will and testament: comparing probate avoidance, privacy, incapacity planning, ancillary probate across multiple states, pour-over wills, and federal estate tax thresholds ($15M in 2026). Includes cost comparison and decision framework.