Articles
Deducting Charitable Art Donations
April 16, 2019Girl With a Balloon by British street artist Banksy was shredded in its frame seconds after the winning telephone bid of $1.4 million at a Sotheby’s London auction on Oct. 6, 2018. The prank—believed to be arranged by the artist himself — was accomplished by a remote-control device at the back of the frame.
Trusts & Estates Magazine
How Does Portability Effect Your Estate Plan?
March 26, 2019Portability is the term used to describe a relatively new provision in federal estate tax law that allows a widow or widower to use any unused federal estate tax exemption of his or her deceased spouse to shelter assets from gift tax during the surviving spouse’s life and/or estate tax at the surviving spouse’s death.
Falling From Legislative Grace
March 25, 2019The charitable deduction is meant to incentivize taxpayers to contribute to charities, not find ways to cheat the system.
Trusts & Estates Magazine Website
The IRS Man Cometh for College Admission Scammers
March 25, 2019The charitable deduction is meant to incentivize taxpayers to contribute to charities, not find ways to cheat the system.
Trusts & Estates Magazine Website
Have You Ever Been Asked to Serve as Trustee of a Trust? What Does That Mean for You?
March 17, 2019Have you ever been asked by a family member or friend to serve as Trustee of a trust for the benefit of their children or family members?
Charitable Deduction Deconstruction
February 11, 2019There will always be reasons to be charitable. But, if your client is looking to claim a deduction, be sure she follows the rules.
Trusts & Estates Magazine Website
Retirement Planning: It's a Good Time to Review your Estate Plan
January 9, 2019Laura Weintraub Beck, Chairman of Cummings & Lockwood Private Clients Group was interviewed for an article by Julie Jason, "Retirement Planning: It's a Good Time to Review your Estate Plan" which was syndicated through King Features, a Unit of Hearst which ran January 10, 2019.
Are You Prepared? The Importance of Planning Your Estate
Fall 2018 - Winter 2019Are you prepared? Have you given serious thought to your estate planning, final wishes, and your beneficiaries?
Beyond the Gates
Cryptocurrency - Estate and Charitable Planning and Compliance
Getting up to speed on virtual currencies for fiduciaries, heirs and charities
January 2019Trusts & Estates Magazine
Ancillary Probate in Florida
December 3, 2018The “Sunshine State” is well-known for attracting individuals, such as snowbirds, who often own Florida property without becoming residents of the state. However, if a non-resident of Florida dies leaving Florida property, administration of the decedent’s estate may be complicated by the need for an ancillary probate proceeding in Florida to dispose of the Florida property.
Practical Law Journal
Disclaimer Danger: IRS Deems Disclaimer of Trust Interest Not Subject to Gift Tax
November 25, 2018A disclaimer, in the most basic estate-planning sense, is a refusal to accept an interest in property. But why would someone ever reject an interest in a trust or an inheritance? There’s actually several reasons.
Trusts & Estates Magazine Website
Modification of a GST Trust Didn't Impact Its Exclusion Status
A recent PLR demonstrates the dangers that even judicial modifications can pose to a trust's tax status.
October 25, 2018Chapter 13 of the Internal Revenue Code imposes a tax on generation-skipping transfers (that is, transfers to individuals more than one generation below the donor).
Trusts & Estates Magazine Website