Legal Updates & Commentary for Tax & Estate Planning
What would you do?
The decedent was an extremely wealthy man, with a net worth in excess of $3 billion. You are the executor of his estate.
Prior to his death in 2009, he retained one of the top tax firms in the country to review his existing estate plan.
Under his existing plan, which…
At the beginning of every year, the IRS informs the public of those tax matters on which the IRS will not issue letter rulings. Typically, these are areas of the tax law that are under study at the IRS, and that the IRS hopes to address through the publication of a revenue ruling, a…
Davidson was dead to begin with. Dead as a door-nail. His death did not come as a great surprise, at least to some, though few (other than the IRS) expected him to go as quickly as he did. And that was the root of the problem. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself.…
Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
Mayor: What do you mean, “biblical”?
Dr Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath of God type stuff.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Exactly.
Dr Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the…
When people hear about a family business dispute, what most often comes to mind are sibling rivalries and disagreements, or a falling out between a parent and a child, with each side seeking to go its own way. In fact, these are the usual scenarios. There is a set of circumstances, however, that arises with…
In a previous post, we noted that individual shareholders often seek to reduce the double income taxation (at both the corporate and shareholder levels) that accompanies a sale of assets by, and liquidation of, a C corporation by arguing that they own personal goodwill. By claiming goodwill as a business asset that is separate…
Our last post covered certain gifting techniques. Today, we will look at some non-gift approaches to transferring a parent’s interest in the family business to his or her children.
Sale
The most common means for transferring a business interest to someone is through a sale of the interest. Thus, it not unusual for a parent…
“Blood may be thicker than water,” begins an advertisement in a recent edition of the NY Times Magazine, “but can it hold a business together?” The advertisement continues, “It’s a little-known fact that nearly 90% of U.S. businesses are family firms. All over America, people pour their heart and soul into building family companies.…
In an earlier post, we noted that a parent who owns a business faces some difficult issues regarding the disposition of that business among his or her children. Among the options to be considered is a sale of the business, which would allow the parent to treat the children equally, inasmuch as each may…
When the owner of a closely-held business dies, his or her estate immediately encounters what may be a major challenge: liability for the estate tax resulting from the value of the decedent’s interest in the closely-held business. In general, this tax must be paid within nine months of the decedent’s death, and it is often…
