Chipman Mazzucco Emerson Estate Planning and Elder Law

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (“ATRA” effective January 1, 2013) will change everything about estate tax planning.  We recently updated our Basic Estate Planning Video to reflect ATRA and posted it to YouTube.

Background

April 30, 2013 (Updated April 20, 2015)

We offer seminars to our clients, their advisors, and other friends of the firm, every year.  One of the most popular has been our Basic Estate Planning Seminar.  On March 14, 2013, we offered our Basic Estate Planning seminar at the Maron Hotel, Danbury, Connecticut.  The seminar covered the topics mentioned below.

Those who could not attend the seminar may be interested in taking a look at the Basic Estate Planning video that we recently finished updating to reflect the recently enacted American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (effective January 1, 2013).

The presentation is in 15 parts.  Click on the red  “Basic Estate Planning after ATRA (15 Parts)”  heading below and then click “Play All” under “Basic Estate Planning” at the top of the YouTube page.

Basic Estate Planning after ATRA (15 Parts)

We describe each of the parts below with an individual link to each one. 

Part 1:  Introduction.  Wills and probate property vs. nonprobate property.

Part 2: Beneficiaries, mistakes with nonprobate property, trust basics, guardian appointments, life insurance beneficiary designations, and estate taxes.

Part 3:  Wills, the estate taxation of life insurance death benefits, tax issues and asset protection issues relating to Wills, and disclaimer Wills.

Part 4: Formula marital deduction Wills, exemption trusts, risk of disinheriting the surviving spouse as estate tax exemptions increase, the portable estate tax exemption, and asset protection bypass trusts.  

Part 5:  Formula marital deduction Wills (and exemption trusts) vs. disclaimer Wills (and disclaimer trusts), and common estate planning mistakes.

Part 6:  Common estate planning mistakes continued, the duties of an Executor, the duties of the Trustee, the duties of a guardian, planning for post-death cash needs, and the generation skipping tax.

Part 7: Retirement plan accounts (IRAs, 401(k) plans, 403(b) accounts, etc.), estate taxation on retirement plan accounts, the risk of a circular tax on tax problem at death of account owner, life insurance and irrevocable life insurance trusts as a solution.

Part 8: Retirement plan accounts and related income tax issues, effects of beneficiary designations on deferral periods, spouse as beneficiary and tax deferred rollovers, required minimum distributions, and tax treatment of inherited IRAs, and the five year payout rule.

Part 9: Revocable living trusts, the living trust as a Will substitute, probate avoidance, planning for incapacity, and establishing a revocable living trust.

Part 10:  Comparison of revocable living trust plan with non-living-trust plan, treatment of lifetime issues, powers of attorney as an alternative to the revocable living trust, and what it means to avoid probate.

Part 11:  Comparison continued, avoiding ancillary probate in other states where real property is located, creditors’ claims and safe harbors for the Executor, and income and estate taxes.

Part 12:  Comparison (continued), accounting requirements, releases from liability, continuing trusts and continuing probate court jurisdiction, reasons for considering revocable living trusts, management during incapacity, and real property in other jurisdictions.

Part 13:  Reasons for considering a revocable living trust (continued), controversial estate plans, probate notice requirements, disruption of support for third parties, probate and related delays, simplifying estate settlement for survivors, nonreasons for considering revocable living trusts, the living trust as tax neutral, and probate court fees.

Part 14: Gift planning, gift and estate tax exemptions, exclusions for small gifts, gifts to education funds (529 plans), exclusions for qualified tuition and medical costs, gift tax marital deductions,  gifts to U.S. citizen spouse, and gifts to noncitizen spouse.

Part 15: Gifts of life insurance policies, incidents of ownership, irrevocable trusts as owner, three year rule relating to transfers of life insurance policies, and sophisticated gift techniques (qualified personal residence trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, valuations for gift tax purposes, gifts to charities and charitable trusts).

 Posted on 2/24/2013 by Richard S. Land, Member, Chipman, Mazzucco, Land & Pennarola, LLC.

Notice: To comply with U.S. Treasury Department rules and regulations, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction, tax strategy or other activity.

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This entry was posted on February 24, 2013 at 8:47 am and is filed under Elder Law Planning for Incapacity and Long Term Care, Estate Settlement, Estate Tax and Estate Planning Developments, Seminar Announcement, Trust Administration. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

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