Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen

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

March 04, 2016 | The Legal Intelligencer

A "bypass trust" is a common estate planning tool that has traditionally been used as a way to shelter assets from the federal estate tax for the benefit of a married couple's heirs.

By Amy Neifeld Shkedy 
and Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen

10 minute read

November 06, 2015 | The Legal Intelligencer

November is a great time to start thinking about year-end tax planning. Although we still have two months to go until the end of the year, getting a head start on planning can improve your chances of concluding matters by Dec. 31.

By Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen and Amy Neifeld Shkedy

5 minute read

November 05, 2015 | The Legal Intelligencer

November is a great time to start thinking about year-end tax planning. Although we still have two months to go until the end of the year, getting a head start on planning can improve your chances of concluding matters by Dec. 31.

By Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen and Amy Neifeld Shkedy

5 minute read

September 04, 2015 | The Legal Intelligencer

The third week of October was designated as National Estate Planning Awareness Week by HR 1499 (on Sept. 27, 2008) as a result of lobbying by the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (NAEPC). The Philadelphia Estate Planning Council (PEPC), which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary next year, has been the largest member of NAEPC for over a decade now.

By Amy Neifeld Shkedy and Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen

6 minute read

September 03, 2015 | The Legal Intelligencer

The third week of October was designated as National Estate Planning Awareness Week by HR 1499 (on Sept. 27, 2008) as a result of lobbying by the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (NAEPC). The Philadelphia Estate Planning Council (PEPC), which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary next year, has been the largest member of NAEPC for over a decade now.

By Amy Neifeld Shkedy and Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen

6 minute read

July 09, 2015 | The Legal Intelligencer

Owners of closely held businesses and their families can benefit in many ways from a well thought out and implemented estate plan that appropriately addresses the business interests, which often comprise a significant part of a family's net worth.

By Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen and Amy Neifeld Shkedy

6 minute read

July 09, 2015 | The Legal Intelligencer

Owners of closely held businesses and their families can benefit in many ways from a well thought out and implemented estate plan that appropriately addresses the business interests, which often comprise a significant part of a family's net worth.

By Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen and Amy Neifeld Shkedy

6 minute read

March 06, 2015 | The Legal Intelligencer

The statutory provisions governing powers of attorney in Pennsylvania, which can be found under Chapter 56 of the Probate, Estates and Fiduciaries Code (20 Pa. C.S. Sections 5601-5612), have recently changed. This came about by the passage of HB 1429, which was signed by then-Gov. Tom Corbett on July 2, 2014, as Act 95 of 2014. While some of the provisions became effective immediately upon the passage of Act 95, many of the changes did not take effect until Jan. 1. Now that all of the changes implemented by Act 95 have taken effect, we thought it would be helpful to highlight some of the key provisions:

By Amy Neifeld Shkedy and Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen

9 minute read

March 05, 2015 | The Legal Intelligencer

The statutory provisions governing powers of attorney in Pennsylvania, which can be found under Chapter 56 of the Probate, Estates and Fiduciaries Code (20 Pa. C.S. Sections 5601-5612), have recently changed. This came about by the passage of HB 1429, which was signed by then-Gov. Tom Corbett on July 2, 2014, as Act 95 of 2014. While some of the provisions became effective immediately upon the passage of Act 95, many of the changes did not take effect until Jan. 1. Now that all of the changes implemented by Act 95 have taken effect, we thought it would be helpful to highlight some of the key provisions:

By Amy Neifeld Shkedy and Rebecca Rosenberger Smolen

9 minute read