Security Trusts for UHNW and ULNW Families
The recent shooting of a healthcare CEO has promoted increasing discussion of new security protocols among ultra high net worth (UHNW) families and their businesses, involving perhaps purpose-built security trusts funded with business interests, provisions in family...US Persons and Entities Now Exempt from Corporate Transparency Act BOI Reporting
Pursuant to new interim final rule issued by FINCEN on March 21, 2025, US persons and entities are now exempt from Beneficial Ownership Interest (BOI) reporting under the Corporate Transparency Act. Aside from being extremely burdensome and vague in some cases, the...Fifth Circuit Vacates Stay on Injunction Against CTA
The Fifth Circuit on December 26 vacated its December 23 stay of a Texas federal judge’s injunction against Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). Although the merits panel still has the matter set for expedited appeal to the next available oral arguments panel,...Fifth Circuit Stays Injunction Against CTA
Earlier this month, a Texas federal judge issued a nationwide injunction against the heinous and unconstitutional Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), which required burdensome reporting for many types of entities, even non-business entities created f0r family estate...Succession Fail as Lack of Trust Protector Dooms Murdoch Plan to Control Woke Kids
As my practice matures and I take on more high-net-worth clients, it’s amazing how poor the estate planning is among some of these families. Sometimes, there is no planning at all! In other cases, there is very simple cookie-cutter planning, which is always bad...Atty Dave Duringer on Hometown Radio with Dave Congalton KVEC 920AM 20241203
TAX.GD updated with IRS Inflation Adjustments for 2025
The IRS has released Revenue Procedure 2024-40, which specifies annual inflation adjustments for tax year 2025. Some highlights: Gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer tax exemption amounts: $13.99 million (up from $13.61 million) Annual gift tax exclusion (IRC...Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) and other Charitable Planning
Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) planning can be quite complex, and the expenses involved usually are justified only with a very large gift to charity, well north of a million. Practically speaking most of this planning is tax-driven and must be to make it feasible,...Yes California, BDOT can Yield Better Asset Protection
There seems to be a misconception among some California estate planning attorneys that BDOT planning (BDOT stands for Beneficiary Deemed Owner Trust; also called a 678 trust, named after IRC §678) is inconsistent with, and should never be used with, a trust designed...Firearms and the California Uniform Directed Trust Act
At the beginning of this year, the California Uniform Directed Trust Act (CUDTA) went into effect, codified in Probate Code §§ 16600-16632. It was a long time coming, having been first proposed back in 2010 by our state bar’s trust and estate section. When it...Gun HEET Revisited
Six years ago I posted this article proposing use of an advanced planning technique known as the Health and Education Exclusion Trust (HEET) to leave a dynastic legacy of firearm training. Such a trust might be called a Gun HEET. The Fall of the Republic and...What You Give Up with a Local Estate Planning Attorney
[Central Coast residents: You can safely ignore this article because we are here to help you with comprehensive planning.] Most of our local clients prefer to have the first meeting in person at our office in Morro Bay. After that initial meeting, many of these local...IRS Allows Late Filing of QSST Election (PLR 202428003)
Under Private Letter Ruling 202428003, the IRS has allowed late filing of a Qualified Subchapter S Trust (QSST) election, to obtain relief from termination of S corporation status. The corporation represented that the termination was inadvertent and not for tax...What Is an LLC Distribution?
A distribution from a limited liability company (LLC) is a payment of cash or property made by an LLC to the LLC’s owners, also known as members. Although state law sets forth certain default rules, LLC members can specify in the LLC’s operating agreement when and how...Is your Trust a Parachute or merely a Safety Net?
There is a wonderful recent story about a Minnesota family that has baptized 27 babies over three generations with a baptismal gown made from the World War II parachute that saved grandpa’s life! I’m always coming up with analogies for trusts and often use...US Supreme Court Rejects Use of Corporate Redemption Obligation as Estate Deduction
In a major unanimous decision (Connelly v US) sure to cause revision of many business succession plans, the US Supreme Court earlier this month on June 6, 2024, rejected use of a corporate redemption obligation as an estate deduction. While the Court pointed out in a...Seven Types of Gun Trusts
Here is a quick overview of seven major types of gun trusts: Trust Mill NFA Trust: This is a “simple” (sometimes shockingly simple) “cookie-cutter” type boilerplate trust designed for purchase of firearms and/or suppressors regulated under the...Advisors Panic over Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)’s Orwellian Reporting Requirements
Did you ever put off studying for a final, until the night before the final? That’s pretty much how the planning community is feeling about the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), which will go into effect January 1, 2024. Congress passed the devilish law several...SECURE 2.0 Act, You, and Your IRA Beneficiaries
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement 2.0 Act (SECURE 2.0 Act). The previous SECURE Act in 2020 made several changes to retirement planning: It increased the required beginning date (RBD) for required...CRPA Mag Must Retract Erroneous Bulletin Slamming Gun Trusts
The March/April 2023 edition of the bimonthly magazine “California Firing Line”, published by the California Rifle& Pistol Association (CRPA), includes an “Information Bulletin” at pages 19-24 entitled Firearm Estate Planning —“Gun Trusts” which, rife with errors,...California Gun Trust Planning
Presentation by Attorney Dave Duringer clears up confusion over California Gun Trust Planning. What is a Gun Trust? Is a Gun Trust Effective? Is a Gun Trust Necessary? Is a Gun Trust Recommended? This video is the best way for gun owners and attorneys who help them to...Critique of “California Gun Laws” (2023 edition)
Last year I wrote this scathing review of Michel & Cubeiro’s 2022 edition of their popular book “California Gun Laws”. Actually, my harsh criticism was limited to the portions touching on estate planning. As far as I knew, the rest of the book...Died Suddenly #DiedSuddenly
[Hi it’s me Dave Duringer — no, I didn’t “die suddenly” (a concerned relative thought I did because this post came up on google in a way that gave that impression). No one in my family took the clot shot, although a distant cousin of mine...Use a Grant Deed to Fund Your Trust (NOT a Quitclaim)
Even simple estate plans can fail if the revocable trust is not properly funded, especially with all real estate owned by decedent. If the decedent’s real estate is not properly transferred to trust, then unless there are other viable options (like an expensive...Critique of “California Gun Laws” (2022 edition)
This critique of the 2022 (9th) edition of “California Gun Laws” by C.D. “Chuck” Michel and Matthew D. Cubeiro is not a critique of the entire book, but only a small portion consisting of two sections, Section 3 (“Operation of Law”...Mortgage Lenders Stop Funding Loans in Trust
UPDATE: After a week of turmoil, looks like the mortgage bond market has stabilized a bit and mortgage loans on properties held in trusts are again saleable in the secondary market. Sanity has returned for now, at least while the market is taking whatever...Share Your Cryptocurrency Passwords
For years, cryptocurrency owners have focused on coin security. Many of our clients protect their coins and accounts from online hackers through offline storage and complex passwords that are memorized but never written down. A recent Canadian bankruptcy filing...Insolvent Estates of Wealthy Decedents
Insolvent estates happen and are full of minefields for all involved: Begin With a Plan When faced with such an estate, the advisor should meet with the executor and together they should set out a plan for success. The plan should include a beginning inventory...Rev Proc 2017-34 simplifies getting extension for portability election
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 §...Yes, a Firearm Safety Certificate is required for trustees and agents!
I am often asked by professional fiduciaries whether they need to have a Firearm Safety Certificate (FSC) for the work they do. Professional fiduciaries are subject to the same penal code as lay fiduciaries so the answer is yes, generally, fiduciaries (whether...Does a Thicke Living Trust Work Better? We Shall Soon See
The trusts I draft are usually pretty thick, thicker than clients expect. But no matter how thick the trust, the plan can fail if spouses are not in agreement on the underlying character of the property (separate or community). This might have been the case with the...Beware The Constructive Trust When Relying On ‘Informal’ Estate Distributions
In Georgia, generally, a constructive trust cannot be imposed on real property based solely on a broken verbal promise to hold or transfer the land for the benefit of another. However, a broken verbal promise may give rise to a constructive trust if it was...A Case for Tennessee PFTCs
Tennessee recently updated its private family trust company (PFTC) laws in 2016 to expand both the family clients and family office employees that they can serve. These changes can help ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) families and family offices meet their needs....Residual liability in the trust context of excluded fiduciaries
Some states by statute have introduced into their trust jurisprudence the concept of the excluded fiduciary: In the case of a trust the terms of which allocate fiduciary functions between the trustee and, say, a trust protector, the trustee is an excluded...How to Explain the Value of a Trust Protector to Your Clients
As an attorney, you understand the value of a trust protector for an irrevocable trust. While “set in stone,” the trust still needs someone to watch over it and ensure it can adapt to changes in the law and/or resolve differences between trustees and...Antemortem Probate? RIDICULOUS! “Living Trust” is better, more probative, etc.
Wow, what a ridiculous idea — ante-mortem probate! I have two simpler words that offer a better solution: “LIVING TRUST” What better way to gauge a testator’s true intent than a trust arrangement the testator lives with day in and day out,...Basis Consistency and Reporting for Property Acquired from a Decedent
Significant coverage was devoted at the recently concluded 51st Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning in Orlando, Fla. to the Internal Revenue Service’s proposed regulations (proposed regs) concerning basis consistency and reporting for property...The Biggest Lie in Life Insurance
Valid point, especially now that the estate tax beast so rarely bites and may soon be destroyed. The article points out a few reasons for having life insurance, but omits some important ones such as estate creation for young families. Thus, the biggest lie in...Tailoring the Trust Protector’s Role
The Bespoke Trust Protector – Tailoring the Protector's Role from Matthew McClintock WealthCounsel VP Matt McClintock has been at the forefront in this cutting edge planning area — adapting the age-old concept of trust protector, commonly used in...Could you be David Bowie’s lovechild? Deadline looms to claim share
According to the article, Bowie admitted to being “incredibly promiscuous” — yikes, bad planning or no planning here to avoid pretermitted child claims. Anyone who believes they are David Bowie’s secret love child should make their case...Who’s Charging What for Trust Services?
A survey of fees charged by some major trust companies. Fees and minimums vary quite a bit. Trust fees are headed higher according to our pricing survey completed this week. Some firms work strictly from a rate card. Others decide what your client will pay when...Executors Personally Liable for Tax Liabilities of Estate Under Federal Priority Statute, 31 U.S.C. 3713
This is an appeal of summary judgment by the personal representative (the “PR”) of an estate. The lower court found the PR to be personally liable under the federal priority statute, Section 3713, for tax liabilities due from an insolvent estate. Under the...Account Transcript, Substitute for Estate Tax Closing Letter
With certain exceptions and prior to June 1, 2015, the IRS issued an ETCL for every estate tax return filed. After that date, the IRS changed its policy and only issued such a letter upon formal request by an estate and not sooner than four months after the...Current Political Violence Highlights Importance of Private Trust Planning
By now, hopefully most people are aware that probate avoidance is one of the core benefits of a properly drafted and funded revocable trust, even one done by a trust mill that lacks the sort of comprehensive planning we do. Why is probate bad? Well, one of the...Income Sprinkling to Minimize Tax Liability
Income sprinkling is often a good strategy to avoid such high tax rates. In such a scenario, the income accumulated in a trust is distributed before December 31st of the year, and it is counted as income for the beneficiary. Unless the beneficiary is also in...Repeal and Uncertainty Impacts Estate Administration
Good advice in this article, but much of the uncertainty can be removed with thorough, comprehensive planning with an eye toward flexibility. For example, in our planning (http://Protect.LIFE), we offer not only the current flexibility of the Clayton election,...Massive Art Forgery Ring Reinforces Need for Vigilance Among Buyers
Conduct due diligence. Always ask questions and conduct research to find out about the work of art’s history, as well as exhibition and literature citations prior to purchase. Ideally, a buyer should be able to trace the history of the painting all the way back...World’s oldest man Mbah Goto celebrates what he claims to be his 146th birthday
He has outlived all 10 of his siblings as well as his four wives, the last of whom died in 1988. All of his children have also died, and now he is survived by his grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. Source: World’s oldest...New Transfer on Death Deed; An Alternative to a Living Trust ?
From a respected WealthCounsel colleague: The Good: The new TOD Deed Will be simple to use; Will be less expensive than creating a Living Trust; Will eliminate the time and expense of a probate; Will remain revocable during the lifetime of the grantor; and, Will...
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