"The effect is very negative for end-of-life care in the country. The way hospice is designed now may have worked fine 30 years ago, but it doesn’t work now and we need to think about alternatives." U.S. health care has been in flux since… Read More

Even if death and taxes are the only things certain in life, state legislators say they can never be certain about death taxes. The fiscal cliff-bridging budget set and made “permanent” the estate tax at a generous $5.25 million exemption amount.… Read More

Nearly 2.5 million Americans died last year, many without signing a will. One of them was apparently Roman Blum, a Holocaust survivor and New York real estate developer who was worth almost $40 million when he passed away in January 2012 at the age o… Read More

In terms of new formations, the Limited Liability Company (“LLC”) is the new King. The former King, the corporation, has been deposed, and relatively few corporations are now being formed other than for companies that have a future hope of being… Read More

If a conflict of interest arises in fact between the spouses, their estate planning attorney should withdraw and advise the spouses to retain separate counsel.  Having represented both of the spouses, the attorney may not thereafter represent on… Read More

In 1972, President Richard Nixon cruised to re-election. “The Waltons” premiered on CBS. And Sumner Redstone, who wasn’t yet a global media mogul, (allegedly) made a taxable gift to his children and failed to file a return. Why wouldn’t you f… Read More

Tax-free transfers are limited to those over age 70½ mainly to contain the drain on the federal budget. One thing you should never forget about your IRA – even though you make contributions with pre-tax dollars, and once inside these accounts your… Read More

Although the new law has been hailed as a welcome relief from the old rules, it still can be deep water. Consider consulting a reliable estate-tax pro. With budget uncertainty over our heads, it’s nice to know there are some laws that are (supposed… Read More