A special kind of irrevocable trust, known as a qualified personal residence trust (or QPRT), may enable you to transfer your residence to your children (or others) at a significantly reduced value for tax purposes, yet allow you to continue to live in the residence for as long as you wish.
Setting Up a QPRT
Funding education at any level can be a large expense and may require a lot of advanced planning. In this episode of “Future Focused: Sophisticated Estate Planning,” hosts Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear discuss key strategies for funding educational expenses. They explore various options, including the direct payment of tuition, 529 educational funding plans, and
The family beach house, ski condo, lake cottage, or other vacation property is often cherished for the lifelong memories created and the traditions upheld. Understandably, many people want to keep these properties in the family for generations to come, with the intent of creating meaningful family traditions and history, strengthening family ties, and preserving a parent’s
Updated May 2025
Clients interested in assisting a family member financially can consider making an intrafamily loan. To be respected as a loan, rather than a gratuitous transfer, certain formalities should be followed. Here, we outline those formalities.
What is an intrafamily loan?
Although current tax law allows for the exclusion of gifts up to
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
Highlighted In re Trust Under Deed to Walter R. Garrison
“This irrevocable trust no longer meets our needs, what options do we have?” This is a question that clients periodically ask. A recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court case, In re Trust Under Deed to Walter R. Garrison, illustrates a trend among states to grant
Private foundations, also known as “family foundations,” can serve strategic wealth planning goals for high-net-worth individuals while also serving charitable goals. However, private foundations require oversight and annual reporting, and administering a private foundation may be more onerous than it first appears. In this publication, we discuss the key requirements and recommended practices associated with
In this episode of “Future Focused,” Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear discuss the operation of family foundations as a wealth planning strategy. They highlight the trade-offs between donor advised funds and private foundations, focusing on the annual requirements of private foundations. They cover topics such as federal reporting, the 5% minimum distribution requirement, state-level
Every month, the IRS publishes “applicable federal rates” (AFRs) and a § 7520 rate. These are the rates prescribed by the IRS for use by taxpayers for various intra-family transactions and estate planning vehicles. Importantly, these rates have steadily increased over the last few years.
The July 2023 AFRs have been released. The current short-
The Private Client Services team is pleased to share Part II of the “Estate Planning with Digital Assets” series. In the first part of this two-part series (click here to read), author Vanessa Maczko outlined terminology and concepts that estate planners must address with their clients to facilitate the ownership and transition of digital assets