Tax Reform: Solutions for Your Clients and Their Estate Planning

In December 2017, Congress passed, and President Trump signed a sweeping tax reform bill commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This new Act contains several significant changes that will impact your clients and their estate planning. Estate Tax Changes Starting January 1, 2018, the estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax exemptions double from $5 million to $10 million (adjusted for inflation). For 2018, the exemption is now $11.2 million per person ($22.4 million for a married couple). As was the case under prior law, the exemption will adjust annually for inflation, providing us with additional opportunities each year for clients who decide to utilize this new exemption sooner, rather than later. This doubled exemption remains in effect until December 31, 2025, at which time the law sunsets and the exemptions revert to the $5 million level (indexed for inflation). These changes open significant opportunities to remove

Avoiding Disastrous Will or Trust Lawsuits: How to Keep Family Squabbles from Undermining Estate Plans

Family discord that results in a will or trust contest can be costly, time-consuming, and emotionally painful for your client’s family. For you, the advisor, this disharmony usually leads to severely damaged relationships and a loss of assets under management. As we approach the holiday season and close 2017, it’s important to keep a close eye on your clients’ familial rifts and work with us to use proactive planning to mitigate the risk of potential litigation. Sometimes the holidays bring out the best behavior in a family, but other times they can serve to highlight the division and risk of conflict. Although no one wants to think about this issue at this time of year, it’s worth being educated as an advisor so you can have a discussion point while everything is still top of mind for your clients after New Years. How a will or trust lawsuit can begin

It’s Not Too Late for a Portability Election

Posted by Robert L. Arone – New Opportunity for Late Portability Just Opened Up by IRS Portability has brought both convenience and confusion to the estate planning community. Available for surviving spouses after 2011, portability allows an unused estate tax exemption to be transferred from a deceased spouse to his or her surviving spouse. While this sounds like an appealing prospect to look into for your clients, it has come with its fair share of hassle thanks to ever-shifting policies and narrow windows of time in which to take action. Taking advantage of portability has been harder in practice than was anticipated. IRS Revenue Procedure 2017-34 Previously, surviving spouses had a mere 15 months (9 months plus a 6-month automatic extension) in which to elect portability after the death of their partner. As you know, your clients are only human: The experience of losing a spouse is always a trying

Dynasty Trusts – A Planning Tool for the Masses?

Posted by Robert L. Arone – Think Twice Before Ruling One Out When most people hear the term “dynasty trust,” they assume it is something for only the wealthiest of families. Dynasty trusts are not as out of reach as many people and advisors might think, and can be used by many more families of a greater wealth spectrum than currently use them. Read on to see whether this type of trust is the perfect estate planning solution for keeping your clients’ financial resources within the family from one generation to the next. Demystifying dynasty trusts Dynasty trusts keep your clients’ wealth within their family for a long time. When properly designed, they can last forever, which is a draw for many individuals and families who want to ensure lasting security. Dynasty trusts are, however, irrevocable. That means that adjustments to the plan require a great deal more work than

Trump’s First 100 Days: Looking Back and Planning Ahead

Posted by Robert L. Arone – How to Help Your Clients Future-Proof Their Estate Plans Through tried and true estate planning measures, we can make sure your clients’ plans are both flexible enough to handle change and sturdy enough to weather the uncertainty. In addition to providing wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and other core documents that make up a sound estate plan, we will continue to keep our fingers on the pulse of the legislative developments that will matter to them most. While there have been several proposals that may impact estate planning, no significant changes have already taken effect. Let’s begin with a quick look back at these first 100 days and consider what they’ve meant for the U.S. tax and healthcare landscape. Then we’ll discuss strategies that can be used to make sure your clients’ estate plan are future-proof. Actions from the first 100 days that could

Articles

Tax Reform: Solutions for Your Clients and Their Estate Planning

Avoiding Disastrous Will or Trust Lawsuits: How to Keep Family Squabbles from Undermining Estate Plans

It’s Not Too Late for a Portability Election

Dynasty Trusts – A Planning Tool for the Masses?

Trump’s First 100 Days: Looking Back and Planning Ahead

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© 2025 by Orsi Arone Rothenberg Turner, LLP. All rights reserved.

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Articles

Tax Reform: Solutions for Your Clients and Their Estate Planning

Avoiding Disastrous Will or Trust Lawsuits: How to Keep Family Squabbles from Undermining Estate Plans

It’s Not Too Late for a Portability Election

Dynasty Trusts – A Planning Tool for the Masses?

Trump’s First 100 Days: Looking Back and Planning Ahead

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How Can We Help?

© 2025 by Orsi Arone Rothenberg Turner, LLP. All rights reserved.

Attorney Marketing by Bardorf Legal Marketing

Have A Question?