Thanks to the favorable estate and gift tax rates and exemptions made “permanent” by the American Tax Relief Act of 2012, you have—for the time being—a relatively reliable framework for tax planning. This is an excellent opportunity to preserve more of your estate wealth and reduce your estate taxes.

It’s important to evaluate your estate strategy and make updates, if needed, in a timely manner, since the rates are only permanent until Congress decides to change them.

In addition to taxes, family issues, fairness, asset protection, and effective wealth transfer also factor heavily into your estate planning decisions. Consider—

• What is your future estate tax liability and how it will be funded?
• Are you confident your estate planning goals will be accomplished with the current documents in place?
• Will estate taxes or inheritance taxes affect the structure of your current investments?
• How should a family with international connections approach estate planning?

If your estate plan fails to adequately address these issues, you run the risk of missed opportunities to reduce estate tax, unintended distribution of assets, or disputes. The key is having the right estate planning strategy in place.

We can help you assess your needs and work with you to create a plan that meets your personal, family, and business requirements. We analyze your financial picture and provide a written plan to address and achieve your comprehensive estate planning goals. Our focus is on empowering you to provide for your loved ones in a tax-efficient manner while protecting your assets, reducing risk, and complying with federal and state rules and regulations.