Elections have impacts. At the time of this writing, Donald Trump will become the 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025, and Republicans are poised to take control of both houses of Congress.
Inter-Vivos QTIP Marital Trusts – Protecting the Assets You Have and Want to Pass On
In this article, we focus on the asset protection benefits of lifetime (“inter-vivos”) transfers to irrevocable “QTIP” marital trusts. The big distinctions between these trusts and SLATs and “Bert and Earnie” Trusts is that, with inter-vivos QTIP marital trusts, the trustmaker spouse need not give up the right to use and benefit from contributed trust property after his or her spouse’s death, and the couple’s beneficiaries can benefit from capital gains income tax step-ups when each spouse dies.
Secure Act Redux: Surprises and New Flexibility for IRA Beneficiary Trusts
In early 2020, we alerted you about Congress’s enactment of the “Secure Act” in a two-part article series. For the most part, this new federal law ended “stretch” inherited individual retirement accounts allowing beneficiaries to withdraw IRA funds over the course of their ...
A Trust Primer for Trustees and Investment Advisers
As the popularity of trusts has increased over recent years, the number of individuals asked to serve as a trustee for loved ones or friends has multiplied. Deciding how best to cope with these new situations can be confusing for those individuals and financial professional ...
The Shifting Role of Taxes in Estate Planning
I am often asked if Estate Planning has gotten easier as a result of recent changes in federal and Maryland estate tax law. My response: Estate Planning has not gotten easier, it has just become different. Coupled with other changes in society (e.g., lengthening mortality, v ...
2018 Estate and Trust Tax Planning
Inflation Adjustments and Initial Observations on the 2017 Tax Act’s Impacts: In late October, the Internal Revenue Service issued its inflation-adjusted exemptions, exclusions and tax brackets to be used for 2018 federal tax returns. See generally, Internal Revenue Notice 2 ...
Transferring Motor Vehicles To Living Trusts
Motor Vehicle Transfers to Maryland Revocable Living Trusts A question often arises when funding a new or existing revocable living trust (“living trust”) whether the trustmaker should retitle his or her motor vehicles to the trust. Two recently enacted Maryland laws have ad ...
Securing Your Family’s Future Using Inheritance Trusts: Part 3
The Logistics of Inheritance Trusts In parts 1 and 2 of this series, we described Inheritance Trusts and how they can achieve clients’ desires to maintain their assets for as long as possible as a safety net protecting themselves and their loved ones from both anticipated a ...
Maryland Trust Act Developments and Applications
Richard T. Wright will be a featured speaker and panelist on “Maryland Trust Act Developments and Applications” at the Maryland Bar Association’s Advanced Tax Institute on November 15, 2016. Learn more about the Maryland State Bar Association’s 2016 Advanced Tax Institute at ...
Don’t Get Overwhelmed With Your Estate & Trust Responsibilities
Are you a Trustee or Trust Beneficiary with financial responsibilities that seem a little overwhelming? You may have realized there are several legal obligations, processes and actions in taking on the role of a Trustee or Personal Representative. Here at the Wright Firm, we ...