What is New York’s Pied-à-Terre Tax?

“Pied-à-terre” (French for “foot on the ground”) refers to non-primary residences used for occasional stays rather than a primary, year-round residence. On May 28, 2026, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Budget, which included a pied-à-terre surcharge tax on qualifying non-primary residences in

In this episode of Future Focused: Sophisticated Estate Planning, host Michael Clear welcomes Kenley Stark, Counsel in the Private Client Services Department at Wiggin and Dana, for an in-depth conversation about the complex lifecycle of art ownership. Together, they delve into the many stages collectors face—from the initial acquisition to the eventual sale

How is artificial intelligence reshaping estate planning discussions, and where does it fall short? In this episode of Future Focused: Sophisticated Estate Planning, host Michael Clear examines the growing role of AI in the estate planning process, as clients increasingly arrive with AI‑generated strategies in hand. While these tools can help simplify complex concepts

Gain insights into how high‑net‑worth families are leveraging Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI) in their long‑term planning strategies in the latest episode of Future Focused: Sophisticated Estate Planning. Hosts Michael Clear and Erin Nicholls sit down with Carl Peterson of Lindberg & Ripple to break down what PPLI really is, who it’s designed for

In this episode of Future Focused: Sophisticated Estate Planning, host Michael Clear sits down with Brian Lasher, Managing Director at Euclid Harding, to explore why planning so often stalls – and what it takes to move forward with clarity and confidence.

Brian shares a human‑centered perspective on estate and succession planning, challenging the idea that

As the new year approaches, we present our annual year-end advisory for 2025.  This edition highlights noteworthy estate and gift tax changes and outlines planning opportunities for year-end and beyond. We also take a moment to recognize some of our accomplishments in 2025 and provide our outlook for the new year.

2026 ESTATE, GIFT, AND

This memorandum is designed to outline some of the basic administrative steps to be followed by the Trustee of an irrevocable life insurance trust (hereinafter referred to as an “ILIT” or the “Trust”).  When properly implemented and administered, an ILIT prevents the imposition of estate tax on any life insurance policies owned by the Trust

Assets that you own at your death are included in your taxable estate. Lifetime gifting offers an excellent opportunity to remove assets from your taxable estate, yet it is often psychologically and economically difficult for people to make gifts and completely relinquish control over an asset. For a client considering a lifetime gifting program, a

A revocable trust is a flexible estate planning tool that allows you to manage and distribute your assets during your lifetime and after your death. You retain full control over the trust while you’re alive, with the ability to amend or revoke it at any time. Upon your death or incapacity, a successor trustee steps