A Ranking of Good Assets and Bad Assets

by Leslie Marenco | Sep 2, 2014 | Articles, Asset Protection, Estate Tax, Income Tax

This is a Forbes article by William Baldwin which I found to be extremely helpful and easy to follow. I also agree with his advice…. Some assets are terrific holdings in estates. Go to your grave clutching them. Some are bad for heirs. Play hot potato with them...

Mid-Year Tax Planning Checklist

by Leslie Marenco | Aug 22, 2014 | Articles, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Gift Tax, Income Tax, Inheritance, IRAs / 401(k), IRS, Liens/Debt

Okay, clearly we are past midyear. But now that kids are back to school things can begin to normalize again. All too often, taxpayers wait until after the close of the tax year to worry about their taxes and miss opportunities that could reduce their tax liability or...

3 Planning Considerations For a Non-Citizen Spouse

by Leslie Marenco | Aug 17, 2014 | Articles, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, High Net Worth, Non - US Citizen, Trusts

This is South Florida so I commonly encounter married couples with mixed nationalities.  That is, one spouse is an American citizen and the other is not.  The U.S. estate and gift tax rules are generally the same for U.S. citizens and resident aliens.  However, the...

Gift Tax Explained: Strategies for Wealthier Families

by Leslie Marenco | Aug 12, 2014 | Articles, Estate Tax, Gift Tax, High Net Worth

With tax rates somewhat higher than in prior years based on increases in income taxes, capital gains, and the new so-called Medicare tax, (which is basically an investment income tax for those who earned more than $200,000 if single and $250,000 if married) the net...

The REAL Lessons Learned From James Gandolfini’s Estate

by Leslie Marenco | Aug 10, 2014 | Articles, Celebrity Estates, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, High Net Worth, Probate, Wills

James Gandolfini, who won three Emmy awards portraying mob-boss Tony Soprano for eight years on HBO’s The Sopranos, died on June 19th, 2013 in a very unexpected manner.  That day, he was touring Rome with his 13-year old son, Michael, when he suffered the sudden and...

The Clintons Use Trusts to Limit Estate Taxes

by Leslie Marenco | Jul 3, 2014 | Articles, Celebrity Estates, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Trusts

Now you guys know (because you read by Newsletters and Blog, right?) that all of us Estate Planning Attorneys are tax nerds at heart so it should be no surprise that I would comment on this story. Estate Planning and tax saving techniques really do go hand in hand...