Family businesses statistically have only a 20% chance of being successfully transferred on to the next family generation. As I have mentioned before in other articles, the death tax owed on the death of the owner of the business is not the major factor for the loss of the business from one generation. To the […]
If you are like everyone else who has owned both stocks and real estate, the last few years have been terrible. Most individuals I have talked to have had their dreams changed. Some have been very dramatic. Younger individuals or couples have a much longer horizon to hopefully recoup their money, while the older generation […]
As everyone is painfully aware at this point, the $5.12 million gift tax exemption is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2012. Naturally, using the exemption before it expires is a very hot topic among high net worth families and their advisors. Jeffrey A. Baskies published in October 2012 an article regarding a year-end planning opportunity […]
We are coming to the end of a two years period, through the “Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010” (“2010 Act”) that a couple could have transferred up to $10 million without having to worry about their estate paying any estate taxes on the death the surviving spouse ($5 million […]
2012 will be the last year where the transfer of wealth between family members will increase dramatically because of the $5 million lifetime gift tax exclusion per person, or $10 million between couples under current law. I have referred to the additional $4 million as “Monopoly money” from Congress due to this unexpected increase for […]
The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gift $5 million without gift or GST tax will close on December 31, 2012. As of January 1, 2013, the gift tax exclusion will revert to $1 million and the gift and estate tax rate will revert to 55%, unless Congress takes action. Given the extremely partisan election year politics, it […]