Our nation’s estate tax celebrates the hundred year mark in 2015. The often controversial estate tax stands to gain even more attention as the 2016 Presidential election draws near. The estate tax has been central to many debates during past Presidential elections. Republicans continue to call for the abolition of…
Owning a fractional interest in a piece of highly valued art has never been a simple matter where estate taxes are concerned. How the IRS values and applies the estate tax for estates that include fractional interests in art may be changing due to a recent Fifth Circuit Court of…
Estate taxes are seen by some as instruments of public policy, an attempt to fight economic inequality by diminishing the ability of wealthy families to aggregate vast amounts of wealth. Others see estate taxes as a “death tax” that penalizes those who are financially successful. Whatever your opinion, estate tax…
The Internal Revenue Service has won a settlement of $388 million from the estate of Detroit Pistons owner Bill Davidson. According to the IRS, the estate owned more than $2 billion in additional taxes. To gain some perspective: in 2013, the US Treasury took in a total of $12.7 billion…
Some high-net worth families still face the challenge of reducing their estate to minimize or eliminate estate taxes, although the federal estate tax exclusion is currently larger than it has ever been. The portability of unused exclusion amounts are at $5.43 million for individuals and $10.86 million for couples. But…
Most of us don’t want to just enjoy our retirement and have enough money for old age, but to leave something behind as well. But what's the best way to do that? Should you leave an inheritance, or give your money away while you're still around? Let’s take a look…
Sixteen states and the District of Columbia levy an estate tax with some taking a bigger piece of your estate than others. For this reason, it is critical to understand which states are going to take more out of your beneficiaries pocket when you die. So which states are the…
The House voted last week to repeal the estate tax, a longtime priority of Republicans that also spurred Democratic charges that the GOP is in the pockets of the rich. The 240-179 vote broke down largely on partisan lines, with seven Democrats voting to repeal the estate tax and three…
In 2015, only estates worth more than $5.43 million per individual would owe federal estate taxes if the estate owner dies this year. That's up from last year's $5.34 million estate tax exemption. (In addition, the federal lifetime gift tax exemption also rises to $5.43 million in 2015.) 2015 brings…
Here are four rules you need to know about the estate tax for 2015. The estate tax exclusion is now $5.43 million. The federal estate tax applies only to those whose taxable estates exceed a certain amount. The U.S. has a unified gift and estate tax system, so if you…