Videos
Planning for a Step-up in Basis in a High Exemption Environment
November 2019In this video, Daniel G. Johnson, a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood’s Private Clients Group, discusses planning for a step up in basis in a high exemption environment. (27:55)
2018 Federal and Connecticut Estate and Gift Tax
November 2018Rachel Rhein Zarghami, a trusts and estates attorney in Cummings & Lockwood’s Private Clients Group in Stamford, Connecticut, discusses the changes to federal and Connecticut estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax laws in 2018, as well as changes to the laws of other states that have changed their estate tax exemptions. (6:30)
Estate Planning for Individuals in Their Earlier Years
November 2018David W. Thal, a trusts and estates attorney in Cummings & Lockwood’s Private Clients Group in Stamford, Connecticut, discusses how professional advisors can assist young clients in their estate planning. (18:25)
Estate Planning for Individuals Interested in Making Small Gifts to Children or Grandchildren
November 2018Jessie A. Gilbert, a trusts and estates attorney in Cummings & Lockwood’s Private Clients Group in Greenwich, Connecticut, explains simple ways to make smaller gifts that add up over time, as well as “freeze” techniques that allow clients to transfer assets to trusts, retaining the use of the assets but giving the appreciation on the assets to children and other family members. (17:03)
Estate Planning for Individuals Who Are Ready to Make Large Gifts to Family Members
November 2018Daniel G. Johnson, a trusts and estates attorney in Cummings & Lockwood’s Private Clients Group in Stamford, Connecticut, addresses various questions such as the following: Should clients be taking advantage of higher federal and state gift tax exemptions? (36:26)
Estate Planning for Individuals Interested in Giving to Charity
November 2018Stefania L. Bartlett and Cara Howe Santoro, trusts and estates attorneys in Cummings & Lockwood’s Private Clients Group in Stamford, Connecticut, discuss how, even with higher exemptions, many individuals are still motivated to give to charity to reduce taxes and to fulfill philanthropic goals. (19:49)
Estate Planning for Individuals Whose Circumstances Have Changed as a Result of Divorce or Remarriage
November 2018Susan Huffard, a trusts and estates attorney in Cummings & Lockwood’s Private Clients Group in Greenwich, Connecticut, discusses the many ways in which a divorce or remarriage can impact an individual’s estate planning needs. (15:48)
Practical Steps to Take When Downsizing from a Home
November 2018Kathleen M. Merrigan, a residential real estate attorney in Cummings & Lockwood’s Private Clients Group in Greenwich, Connecticut, discusses the tax and practical steps individuals should be taking before they downsize, including figuring out the cost basis in their home, preparing for sale, cleaning up open permits, and resolving the estate tax lien from a predeceased spouse. (11:00)
Estate Planning for an Individual in Their Later Life
November 2018Daniel P. Fitzgerald, a trusts and estates attorney in Cummings & Lockwood’s Private Clients Group in Greenwich, Connecticut, discusses how to navigate the sensitive issues surrounding the incapacity and last days of an individual’s life, including deathbed gifts, funding of revocable trusts, simplification of asset base and step up in basis planning. (17:28)
Connecticut and Federal Tax Law Changes
November 2017This presentation addresses recent Connecticut state tax law changes, as well as those being proposed at the Federal level. (19:23)
When and to Whom Does a Trust Pay Income Tax?
November 2017This presentation provides a comprehensive review of how trusts, including grantor trusts, are taxed and the states to avoid. (18:40)
Unhappy with the Terms of a Trust? Decanting the Problem Away
November 2017This presentation reviews how to draft trusts with flexibility and built-in asset protection features, as well as how to use decanting to “fix” problematic trusts to address changes in circumstances when old trusts are not flexible enough. (32:01)