There has been a longstanding effort globally and a lot of pressure on the United States to implement some sort of registry on a federal level for ownership of small and mid-sized entities. On today’s episode of “Future Focused: Sophisticated Estate Planning,” Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear chat with Partner Carolyn Reers about the
Trustees behaving badly? In this episode of “Future Focused,” Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear discuss trusts and mechanisms available for a trust beneficiary to remove a trustee. From understanding the roles of trustees and educating beneficiaries to exploring communication breakdowns, compromise options, and even judicial routes, Michael and Erin provide expert insights and strategies
On this episode, join Partners Dan Daniels and Michael Clear as they discuss the importance of educating the next generation on estate planning matters. From the protection of assets in cases of divorce or litigation, to aligning a child’s assumptions with reality, you will gain insight on how best to structure a family meeting and
On this episode, join Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear as they discuss mechanisms we have at our disposal to “fix” an irrevocable trust. The use of decanting, which is traditionally thought of as moving all the assets of one trust to a new trust, is one such mechanism. With the adoption of the Uniform
Our world today is more interconnected than ever before, and our clients are increasingly living, working, and investing across borders. That interconnectivity can create risks for trusts. If a trust is deemed a “foreign trust” for U.S. federal tax purposes, that can cause unintended and adverse tax consequences for both the grantor (creator) of the
On this episode, join Partners Michael Clear and Vanessa Maczko as they discuss estate planning considerations for digital assets, which often require special attention when compared to more traditional assets, like real property and marketable securities. For example, sentimental digital assets (such as social media accounts, email, photos on your computer or cell phone), may
On this episode, join Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear as they discuss strategies for preserving family legacy assets across generations. With a particular focus on the management and division of interests in real property, such as family compounds and homesteads, Erin and Michael discuss considerations related to carrying costs, ownership structures, bloodline protection and
On this episode, join Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear as they delve deeper into a discussion on creating SLATs for married clients to use up both clients’ lifetime exemption amounts, while also reducing the likelihood of the imposition of the Reciprocal Trust Doctrine by the IRS. Citing several examples, Erin and Michael provide strategies
On this episode, join Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear as they discuss one of the hottest topics in the estate planning world, spousal lifetime access trusts (SLATs), and the implications of using SLATs in a post-Tax Cuts and Jobs Act world. Focusing primarily on maximizing the use of one’s lifetime exemption amount and removing
On this episode, join Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear as they dispel some of the common misconceptions related to trust planning and delve into the three reasons why trust planning is important for many clients. With an understanding that most clients do not want to “rule from the grave,” Erin and Michael highlight the