by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Sep 6, 2022 | Blog, Operation & Governance, Tax Planning
Giving money to charity might seem counterintuitive to those running a for-profit company. However, it is important to keep in mind that charitable giving can not only make a big difference to the recipients of your generosity, but it can also provide a net gain to...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Aug 23, 2022 | Blog, Entity Formation, Estate Planning, Limitation of Liability, Operation & Governance, Tax Planning, Venture Protection
Farming brings to mind kinship with nature and a simpler way of life. But the farming industry is highly regulated, and navigating the applicable laws and regulations can be far from simple. A rising world population creates greater demand for food and the farmers who...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Aug 15, 2022 | Asset Protection, Blog, Business Succession, Estate Planning, Family Protection, Financial Mentorship, Fortune, Tax Planning, Venture Protection
You spend a significant part of your life building your business, and it becomes a major part of your legacy. But when you die, everything you have built could fall apart if you have not taken the time to create a business succession plan. Without a plan in place,...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Aug 8, 2022 | Asset Protection, Blog, Business Succession, Buying or Selling a Closely Held Business, Creditors & Predators, Entity Formation, Estate Planning, Family Maintenance, Financial Mentorship, Fortune, Limitation of Liability, Operation & Governance, Regulatory Compliance, Tax Planning, Venture Protection
Trusts are usually associated with estate planning, but trusts can also apply to business operations. As a small business owner, you can hold the business in a trust instead of using a business entity such as a limited liability company (LLC) or corporation. Business...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Jul 27, 2022 | Blog, Entity Formation, Operation & Governance, Regulatory Compliance, Tax Planning, Venture Protection
The number of people working from home has never been higher. During the pandemic, many workers got a taste of the remote-work future and realized that they prefer to work from home. Now, as companies move ahead with return-to-office plans, there is an emerging power...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Jul 21, 2022 | Blog, Income Tax, Limitation of Liability, Operation & Governance, Tax Planning
Tax day is one of the most important—and one of the most dreaded—days on the calendar for working Americans. If you have had a side gig or even transitioned to full-time self-employment, you may have to make estimated quarterly tax payments. Not everybody who earns...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Jul 20, 2022 | Blog, Income Tax, Tax Planning, Venture Protection
The war for talent is heating up. A record number of workers have quit their jobs this year, creating a massive problem for employers. While higher pay can help get new workers in the door of your business, wages alone may not be enough to keep them there. Employers...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Jun 16, 2022 | Asset Protection, Blended Families, Blog, Creditors & Predators, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Fortune, Income Tax, Tax Planning
The Basis Optimized Trust (BOT) is an advanced option for planning that may yield better results than the more common types of irrevocable trusts, such as credit shelter (bypass) trusts, or qualified terminable interest property (QTIP) trusts, which have been the...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Mar 31, 2022 | Asset Protection, Blog, Bloodline Protection, Creditors & Predators, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Fortune, Income Tax, Spendthrift Children, Tax Planning
The Beneficiary Deemed Owner Trust (BDOT) is one of several options to consider for “trusted beneficiaries” (pun intended) to whom you are open to giving some access to trust income and/or principal. (Another option might be the Beneficiary Controlled...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Sep 1, 2021 | Asset Protection, Blog, Estate Planning, Family Protection, Firearm Legacy, Firearm Training, Tax Planning
Check out our new radio ad, commencing today on the Andy Caldwell Show, K-NEWS 98.5 FM…best talk radio on the Central Coast! Posted with permission of the Andy Caldwell Show and Dimes Media. Click here: Script: Ronald Reagan warned us: “Freedom is never more...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Nov 28, 2020 | Property Tax
Barring any assistance from a Kraken tentacle or two, it looks like California’s Prop 19 passed. Many families will be negatively affected and you should contact us right away for preliminary legal advice on whether you might benefit from taking immediate...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Dec 30, 2019 | Asset Protection, Bloodline Protection, Creditors & Predators, Estate Planning, Income Tax, Retirement Planning, Spendthrift Children, Tax Planning
Dear Clients and Students, On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act). The SECURE Act, which is effective January 1, 2020. The Act is the most impactful legislation affecting...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Dec 21, 2019 | Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Income Tax, Tax Planning
Yesterday with all eyes focused on impeachment, President Trump signed into law the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, part of the 1,700 page, $1.4 trillion Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 1865, as amended)....
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Oct 18, 2019 | Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Family Protection, Tax Planning
Dynasty trusts may be a tough sell when it comes to some millenials. How long did AOC say we have, twelve years? On the other hand, clients who are sane may benefit from acting now to create a dynasty trust before the window closes in 2026 — or perhaps...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Oct 18, 2019 | Retirement Planning, Tax Planning
You may find Kiplinger’s updated tax map surprising: Click on any state in the map below for a detailed summary of state taxes on income, property, and everything you buy. Check out our slideshows below, including our picks for the 10 most tax-friendly and the...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Apr 9, 2019 | Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Tax Planning
Using quantitative analysis, we’ll show that the grantor’s choice is almost always clear: If her two-year GRAT is funded with marketable securities and is underwater at all prior to the first annuity date, she should cut her losses and start a new GRAT. That...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Apr 6, 2019 | Asset Protection, Creditors & Predators, Estate Planning, Tax Planning
Outright distributions, even if staged at various ages, signify outdated planning. The Beneficiary Controlled Trust, pioneered by my friend Steve Oshins and his father, fills the gap between outright distribution and extreme asset protection — very...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Feb 4, 2019 | Estate Planning, Estate Tax, News & Commentary, Property Tax, Tax Planning
While the estate tax is a perennial boomerang, Warren’s wealth tax tomahawk chop flies in the face of the Constitution’s prohibition on unapportioned scalping: The Constitution prohibits federal direct taxes that are not apportioned by population,...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Nov 3, 2018 | Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Family Protection, Firearm Legacy, Firearm Training, Health Planning, Incapacity Planning, Tax Planning
Here is a great little slideshow on top estate planning priorities to avoid tragedy and missed opportunity (“Top 10 Dangers Facing Senior Citizen Clients”) which I summarize below (adding a little California-relevant detail of my own), with a link...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Nov 1, 2018 | Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Tax Planning
Our Firearms Instruction and Responsible Stewardship Trust (F.I.R.S.T. Family Trust) takes many forms as it is custom like all our planning, but one variant involves a Health and Education Exclusion Trust. This type of trust allows you to give much greater...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Oct 24, 2018 | Creditors & Predators, Estate Planning, Income Tax, Tax Planning
This Virginia attorney writes a very good article summarizing some of the problems of transferring real estate to a child as an alternative to actual estate planning. Capital gains tax due to loss of basis step-up, medicaid lookback (California’s medi-cal...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Oct 19, 2018 | Asset Protection, Bloodline Protection, Creditors & Predators, Estate Planning, Income Tax, Spendthrift Children, Tax Planning
California recently (9/14/18) joined a few other states that have enacted the Uniform Trust Decanting Act. A lot of states have decanting statutes, several dozen in fact, but they vary greatly and this uniform act is more restrictive than those in some of the more...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Feb 28, 2018 | Asset Protection, Tax Planning
In addition to changes in life insurance purchase reporting requirements and basis calculation, the recent Tax Cuts and Jobs Act brings the following changes to life insurance planning: The doubling of the estate tax exemption will eliminate the need for most...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Jan 26, 2018 | Archived, Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Property Tax, Tax Planning
One of the hidden costs of cheap estate planning is the unexpected and very unpleasant surprise of property tax reassessment. We’ll focus on this topic at our Family Protection Clinic (aka estate planning seminar) lunch meeting on Tuesday, March 27, 2018. (Our...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Jan 25, 2018 | Archived, Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Family Protection, Firearm Legacy, Income Tax, Tax Planning
When it comes to taxes and gun control, it’s hard to keep up with Sacramento and DC. One way is to have your estate planning attorney on speed dial. A smarter way is to have that attorney draft with flexibility in mind, so you can have peace of mind. We’ll focus...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Jan 13, 2018 | Archived, Asset Protection, Creditors & Predators, Estate Planning, Income Tax, Retirement Planning, Spendthrift Children, Tax Planning
For many families, a large portion of the estate rests in a retirement plan which, on its own and without further planning, is essentially a separate estate plan with assets left completely unprotected. How do you protect and preserve the inheritance of retirement...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Dec 27, 2017 | Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Gift Tax, Tax Planning
Under either formulation of purpose, that is, the “unified” approach or the “fairness” approach, in issuing its regulations, the IRS would be compelled to use the basic exclusion amount in effect the time of the decedent’s death for purpose of computing the...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Dec 23, 2017 | Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Gift Tax, Income Tax, Tax Planning
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act((In both the House and Senate versions, the bill was called the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.” Due to a last-minute change in response to a procedural issue, the official title was changed to “To provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Dec 21, 2017 | Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Firearm Training, Tax Planning
The expected new Tax Cut and Jobs Act (not the official title anymore, but i’m sticking with it) doubles the applicable exclusion amount for estate tax but reverts to current law on January 1, 2026. That sunset provision reminds me of this funny old video...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Nov 25, 2017 | Estate Planning, Tax Planning
Don’t just sit there, plan but plan flexibly! Article here: Your clients may think that their best course of action is to hold tight until the political landscape becomes clear. This is an attitude that could cost them. Now is not the time to wait for...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Nov 25, 2017 | Asset Protection, Business Succession, Creditors & Predators, Estate Planning, Family Protection, Tax Planning, Venture Protection
Some of the reasons listed here: Despite the proposed high estate, GST and gift tax exemptions and whether there’s repeal, trusts will remain extremely popular for many non-tax reasons, including: family governance/succession/education; ability to override the...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Nov 4, 2017 | Estate Tax, Tax Planning
So far, the House GOP’s proposed tax plan avoids the carryover basis regime that would have been necessary if it would have imposed a capital gains tax at death to replace the estate and generation skipping transfer taxes, as the Trump campaign seemed to favor....
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Jul 22, 2017 | Estate Planning, Property Tax, Tax Planning
The California Supreme Court, in a 6-1 decision, has held that a city or county may impose documentary transfer tax on the transfer of the ownership interests in a legal entity that owns real property located in the locality. In 926 North Ardmore Avenue, LLC v....
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Jul 22, 2017 | Estate Admin, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Income Tax, Probate Admin, Tax Planning, Trust Admin
Rev. Proc. 2017-34 SECTION 1. PURPOSE This revenue procedure provides a simplified method for certain taxpayers to obtain an extension of time under § 301.9100-3 of the Procedure and Administration Regulations to make a “portability” election under §...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Jul 22, 2017 | Archived, Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Tax Planning
Despite facing a $400 million budget hole, Delaware is the latest state to repeal its estate tax—as of Jan. 1, 2018. Democratic Governor John Carney Jr. signed a stand-alone estate tax repeal bill today, just two days after signing the 2018 state budget, which...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Jul 22, 2017 | Estate Planning, Tax Planning
Pick the best state for your dynasty trust, while you fight state income tax drag, protect assets from creditors, and decant to your heart’s content with Steve Oshins’ state rankings charts: Steve Oshins | State Rankings Charts Steve is a nice guy...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | May 15, 2017 | Asset Protection, Creditors & Predators, Estate Planning, Income Tax, Spendthrift Children, Tax Planning
Just so we’re clear — I don’t sell IRA’s, I draft trusts, including the type that will make your IRA’s actually work as intended. Read the article, but keep in mind that although “trusteed IRAs” are an improvement over the...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | May 15, 2017 | Estate Planning, Tax Planning
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently affirmed a Tax Court’s ruling regarding a discount for lack of control and lack of marketability.1 The Tax Court had rejected an estate’s expert’s 31.7 percent discount conclusion and agreed with the...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | May 15, 2017 | Archived, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Gift Tax, Income Tax, Tax Planning
The tenuousness of the President’s plan raises a whole host of additional questions. These include: (1) whether the President’s plan would be coupled with a step-up in basis at death versus carryover basis (carryover basis would effectively increase total taxes...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | May 15, 2017 | Estate Planning, Tax Planning
If advisors don’t understand estate planning as well as they think they do (and tell their clients they do) then why do we as estate planning attorneys ingratiate ourselves to them by perpetuating the myth that “they are the quarterbacks” who...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | May 15, 2017 | Archived, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Gift Tax, Income Tax, Tax Planning
The election of Donald J. Trump to the presidency and Republican control of both houses of Congress make estate tax reform extremely probable in the next two years. However, given the new administration’s other proclaimed priorities, including the repeal of...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | May 15, 2017 | Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Retirement Planning, Tax Planning
In the current environment of uncertainty, many married clients should consider implementing non-reciprocal spousal lifetime access trusts (SLATs). This strategy can provide a flexible framework for a wide range of clients. The technique can be adapted for more...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | May 15, 2017 | Archived, Income Tax, Tax Planning
The way things ought to be! Under the Trump plan, the top income tax rate of 35 percent would be reduced to 15 percent for pass-throughs. The pass-through rate under the W&M plan would be 20 percent (instead of a top rate of 35 percent). Source:...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Apr 24, 2017 | Charity, Estate Planning, Retirement Planning, Tax Planning
And for those with qualified retirement plans, it may be time to seriously consider charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT) planning. In the case of qualified long-term appreciated property, outright gifts can be used to offset other taxable income, while bypassing the...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Apr 23, 2017 | Tax Planning
On April 6, comprehensive tax changes went into effect in the United Kingdom (U.K.) that impact wealth planning considerations for certain individuals who spend a significant amount of time in the U.K., but who are domiciled outside of the country. Source:...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Apr 21, 2017 | Archived, Estate Planning, Tax Planning, Venture Protection
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Apr 19, 2017 | Estate Planning, Tax Planning
Good examples in this article on QDOT planning: The examples above illustrate the general rules applicable to gratuitous lifetime transfers of property, or gifts. The following examples illustrate the general rules applicable to transfers at death: Source:...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Apr 19, 2017 | Estate Planning, Tax Planning
Community property is treated preferentially by the tax code — it gets a full step-up in basis at death, instead of only stepping up the decedent’s half as in joint tenancy. (Could also step down if the market timing is unlucky, but that is rare.)...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Apr 11, 2017 | Asset Protection, Tax Planning
Nations lose hundreds of billions of dollars every year through tax evasion and avoidance facilitated by havens. Gabriel Zucman, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley, has estimated that as of 2013, about 10 percent of the world’s...
by Dave Duringer - Protective Law Corp | Apr 8, 2017 | Asset Protection, Retirement Planning, Tax Planning
ETF Securities Group, a U.K.-based asset manager, launched three ETFs on the NYSE Arca exchange that track the Bloomberg Commodity Indices, on March 31. The funds are among thousands traded on the exchange but stand out because they are broad-based and...