Amy Neifeld Shkedy

November 02, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

As we approach the end of 2017, it's a great time to start thinking about year-end tax planning issues. Rather than wait until the end of December, getting a head start on planning can improve your chances of concluding matters by Dec. 31.

By Amy Neifeld Shkedy and Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen

6 minute read

September 28, 2017 | Corporate Counsel

We thought it would be worthwhile to remind our readers about ­popular approaches for significant year-end charitable giving. In particular,…

By Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen and Amy Neifeld Shkedy

8 minute read

September 28, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

We thought it would be worthwhile to remind our readers about ­popular approaches for significant year-end charitable giving. In particular, this article will review ­various charitable planning techniques whereby valuable income tax deductions can be generated currently, but the distributions to charitable recipients, and the decision ­making about which charitable recipients will benefit, may be postponed to later years.

By Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen and Amy Neifeld Shkedy

8 minute read

September 07, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

As summer has been winding down, so many of our clients' children and grandchildren have headed off to college in the last few weeks and have begun (or resumed) tackling hefty tuition bills. Many families have set aside funds, in one form or another, in advance for these college costs.

By Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen and Amy Neifeld Shkedy

8 minute read

July 03, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

On June 9, the IRS issued Rev. Proc. 2017-34, 2017-26 IRB, which ­provides a more liberal timeframe for certain estates to make the federal estate tax portability election.

By Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen and Amy Neifeld Shkedy

12 minute read

May 08, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

In our last article, we mentioned that the project of getting around to signing a will is generally met with moderate to extreme procrastination. Many times people think about their wills right before embarking on a vacation—worrying about the plane going down. Like all things in life, though, it's better when the terms of a will are thought out in advance and not in a last-minute scramble. In the case of one's will, it is advisable to have a lawyer prepare it since a do-it-yourself will can easily lead to more problems than it solves.

By Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen and Amy Neifeld Shkedy

19 minute read

March 06, 2017 | The Legal Intelligencer

For most folks, given that it is the last task on their "to do" lists, we find that the project of getting around to signing a will and implementing an estate plan (or even thinking about it) is met with moderate to extreme procrastination. When a set of estate planning documents is finally executed by clients, they typically experience a sense of relief and peace of mind.

By Amy Neifeld Shkedy 
and Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen

16 minute read

November 04, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

It's that time of the year again—time to begin considering year-end tax planning issues. Rather than wait until the end of December, when most people would rather be enjoying the holiday festivities, it is best to get a head start on year-end planning to improve your chances of concluding ­matters as optimally as possible by Dec. 31. Here are some items that we suggest you consider before the end of 2016 to enable you to start 2017 in the best wealth planning shape possible.

By Amy Neifeld Shkedy and Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen

11 minute read

September 01, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

On Aug. 2, the U.S. Department of Treasury issued long-awaited ­proposed regulations under Section 2704 of the Internal Revenue Code, which are designed to eliminate the opportunity for "discounts" on inter-family gifts of interests in family controlled business entities.

By Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen 
and Amy Neifeld Shkedy

17 minute read

May 06, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

Twenty years ago, when the exemption from the federal gift and estate tax was "only" $600,000 per ­taxpayer, estate planners advised nearly all of their clients who owned life insurance policies to implement a life insurance trust to hold such policies. Now that the exemption from such tax has increased nearly 1,000 percent to $5.45 million, and it has become "portable" between spouses, it is significantly less common for clients to need to consider implementing such trusts and they are thus not nearly as ubiquitous as they used to be. In addition, many clients for whom life insurance trusts made sense to only five years ago (when the exemption was scheduled to revert to $1 million per taxpayer) need to consider whether to dismantle trusts that now may seem to be more of a hassle to administer than they ­appear to be worth.

By Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen 
and Amy Neifeld Shkedy

8 minute read