When fashion designer Kate Spade and chef/author/storyteller Anthony Bourdain each committed suicide in early June, they left behind grieving family and fans from around the world. They also left behind complicated estates. Both Spade and Bourdain were separated from their spouses, and at least in Bourdain’s case it was a permanent separation, according to a… Read More »
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Helping Entrepreneurs Protect What They’ve Built
Successful entrepreneurs are great at turning their visions into vibrant, thriving businesses. They’re nimble in the marketplace and aren’t afraid to take chances. They’re good at many things – but estate planning often isn’t one of them. In a recent survey of 500 business owners by Entrepreneur, 80 percent didn’t have a power of attorney,… Read More »
Tax Code Rewrite Favors Real Estate Over Art
Since the recent tax code overhaul, some of you may be confused about whether acquiring art or real estate would be a better investment for your estate and financial planning purposes. Congress kept the 1031 exchanges that allow real estate to be sold tax-free if the proceeds go to buy more property. That same advantage… Read More »
Helping our Self-Employed clients understand if they qualify for a new 20-percent tax break
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act still has that new car smell, and it’s providing us with a unique opportunity to help self-employed clients and small business owners reduce their tax burdens. For entrepreneurs, one of the most exciting aspects of the new law is a 20 percent deduction for qualified business income from “pass… Read More »
Partridge Family Star Disinherits Daughter
Pop music icon and ’70s television star David Cassidy passed away in November of organ failure at the age of 67. In his will , the late Partridge Family star left $150,000 in assets to his son, Beau, and his music memorabilia was left to his three half siblings, according to The Blast. What’s shocking… Read More »
There’s a Good Chance You Were Affected by the Equifax Data Breach
The data breach of Equifax, one of the big three major credit reporting agencies, has exposed the sensitive, personal information of 143 million Americans, according to news reports. The breach lasted from mid-May through July, 2017 according to Equifax. Hackers gained access to people’s names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and, in some cases,… Read More »
Valuation Discounts Appear to Be Sticking Around
Recent developments on Capitol Hill appear to show that valuation discounts for family-owned businesses are not going away anytime soon. In April, President Donald Trump issued an executive order requiring the U.S. Treasury to identify within 60 days any regulations that impose an undue financial burden on taxpayers, add undue complexity to federal tax laws,… Read More »
Multi-Billion Tortilla Fortune Secure, but Was 2nd ‘Wife’ Treated Fairly?
Many of our clients marry, divorce, remarry, etc. You depend on us as advisors to help protect your assets for the benefit of loved ones. Sometimes, it’s helpful to tell you a story about what could go wrong if you don’t update your plans when you make major life or relationship changes. There’s the old… Read More »
The Nevada Supreme Court Emphatically Upholds No Exception Creditor Provisions
Nevada is the only top-tier Domestic Asset Protection Trust (DAPT) jurisdiction that has no statutory exception creditors that enables creditors to pierce trusts. Some critics have opined that Nevada DAPT laws are too protective and therefore will not work as represented. However, in May the Supreme Court of the State of Nevada ruled in a… Read More »
Should Jointly Held Assets Go Into a Trust?
We’re often asked by new clients whether they should put jointly held property into a revocable trust (a.k.a. living trust). The answer is often yes. However, what ends up going into that trust depends on the structure by which the assets are held jointly by the client, as well as the structure of the trust… Read More »