by Dave Duringer | Nov 3, 2018 | Estate Admin, Probate Admin, Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | Jul 22, 2017 | Death Tax, Estate Admin, Estate Planning, 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 | Jul 15, 2017 | Estate Admin, Estate Planning, Firearm Legacy, Firearm Training, Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | May 17, 2017 | Estate Admin, Estate Planning, Family Protection, Probate Admin, Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | Apr 8, 2017 | Estate Admin, Probate Admin, Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | Apr 7, 2017 | Estate Admin, Estate Planning, Trust Admin
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....
by Dave Duringer | Apr 2, 2017 | Asset Protection, Estate Admin, Estate Planning, Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | Mar 13, 2017 | Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | Mar 11, 2017 | Estate Admin, Estate Planning, Probate Admin, Trust Admin
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,...
by Dave Duringer | Mar 3, 2017 | Archived, Death Tax, Estate Admin, Estate Planning, Gift Tax, Income Tax, Probate Admin, Tax Planning, Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | Feb 26, 2017 | Asset Protection, Death Tax, Estate Planning, Family Protection, Tax Planning, Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | Feb 26, 2017 | Creditors & Predators, Estate Planning, Tax Planning, Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | Feb 26, 2017 | Archived, Estate Admin, Estate Planning, Horror Stories, Probate Admin, Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | Feb 25, 2017 | Estate Admin, Estate Planning, Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | Feb 10, 2017 | Estate Admin, Horror Stories, Probate Admin, Tax Planning, Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | Feb 3, 2017 | Estate Admin, Probate Admin, Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | Jan 29, 2017 | Asset Protection, Estate Admin, Estate Planning, Family Protection, Probate Admin, Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | Jan 29, 2017 | Estate Admin, Income Tax, Trust Admin
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...
by Dave Duringer | Jan 15, 2017 | Archived, Asset Protection, Death Tax, Estate Admin, Estate Planning, Gift Tax, Income Tax, Probate Admin, Tax Planning, Trust Admin
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,...
by Dave Duringer | Jan 9, 2017 | Asset Protection, Estate Admin, Estate Planning, Probate Admin, Trust Admin
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...
