Tax & estate planning: archive
Every Tax & estate planning story in Advisors, newest first. 189 stories
6 stories
Washington voters to decide in November whether to block 9.9% tax on income above $1 million
The tax is not scheduled to take effect until 2028, and for some Seattle earners the combined top state and local rate could reach 18.037%.
Ed Slott's mailbag: hospice client, 52, can qualify for IRA penalty exception
A physician certification that the illness is reasonably expected to result in death within 84 months is required.
US ultra wealthy gave $107bn in 2025, Altrata reports
High-net-worth client demand for philanthropic advice has roughly doubled since 2018 while fewer than half of advisors deliver it, separate 2026 studies find.
Hybrid clients are 67% more likely to consider leaving their advisor, Greenwich finds
About 22% of affluent investors use both a full-service advisor and a self-directed account, and the study puts their average age at 63.
Treasury opens Trump Accounts for more than 60 million eligible children; parents must claim
Baird's Tim Steffen tells InvestmentNews parents must verify identity before contributions or investment changes, and that 529 plans remain the first choice for education savings.
IRS Notice 2026-62 treats one 351 ETF conversion sequence as taxable
The guidance expresses no view on funds that keep assets matching their strategy, and Baird's Steffen says sound conversions remain viable.
11 stories
IRS guidance targets abusive 351 ETF conversions; Baird's Steffen says sound deals remain viable
Notice 2026-62 and companion Rev. Rul. 2026-20, issued Sept. 28, treat one seeding-and-redemption sequence as a taxable exchange while expressing no view on funds that keep assets matching their strategy.
Social Security sets a 3.6% COLA for 2027, lifting average retired-worker checks by $75
Payments start in January, SSI checks rise Dec. 31, and the earnings cap climbs to $192,300 from $184,500.
One in six $25M clients have no estate plan, will or trust
A WealthManagement.com column cites surveys showing two in five wealthy individuals lack a comprehensive estate plan and few affluent investors get charitable planning advice.
A WealthManagement.com column says hotel estate plans must transfer operating authority, not just ownership
The column breaks succession into three transfers: ownership, decision rights and operating authority.
Social Security sets a 3.6% COLA for 2027
The raise averages about $75 a month and lifts the average retired-worker benefit to $2,162.67, according to The Senior Citizens League.
Social Security sets 3.6% COLA for 2027, lifting benefits in January
The adjustment covers more than 72 million recipients and raises the average retired-worker benefit to $2,170 a month.
Donor-advised funds hold $328 billion as advisors weigh income-spike and complex-asset gifts
Sponsors assess complex gifts case by case; advisors should confirm capabilities first.
WealthManagement.com column argues client pride and leverage worsen premium-financed insurance losses
The author recommends independent scrutiny rather than automatic unwinding for troubled premium-financed arrangements.
NIL pay comes as 1099 income with nothing withheld, Dynasty's LaPorta says
A Wealth Solutions Report Q&A with four advisors covers taxes, budgeting and LLC formation for college athletes earning NIL money.
Ed Slott's top-10 RMD mistakes: rollovers, aggregation and a double-RMD trap
Delaying a first RMD to April 1 means two distributions that year, one of ten errors on an Oct. 14 list.
Treasury rules auto-enroll every eligible U.S. child in a Trump Account
Kitces' Oct. 14 analysis says families must claim the auto-opened account to control it, and that auto-enrollment widens the pool for charitable gifts.
1 story
Cerulli: 46% of 401(k) participants want anytime withdrawals, 40% a personalized retirement plan
The report also finds 39% of participants want guaranteed monthly payments that last after their savings are used up.
2 stories
Treasury auto-opens about 60 million Trump Accounts and allows foundation stock gifts
Auto Accounts hold the $1,000 federal contribution and tax-exempt gifts; a parent must claim the Auto Account before individual or employer money can go in.
Northwestern Mutual study: 83% of boomers, Silent Generation prefer aging at home
The study projects an eight-hour-a-day home health aide at $105,120 out of pocket in 2026, rising to $552,232 by 2060.
1 story
How a family's advisors can each see only part of its finances
WealthManagement.com's analysis argues individually sound recommendations on company shares, taxes or a move abroad can conflict once combined.
5 stories
WealthManagement.com: equity plan portals explain awards but not tax and concentration decisions
The October 8 analysis says record-keeper sites show vesting schedules and plan rules but leave employees to weigh tax bills and concentration.
Bryn Mawr Trust's Jamie Hopkins weighs CRUTs for inherited IRAs
In a Trusts & Estates video, Jamie Hopkins says non-spouse heirs now have 10 years to distribute an inherited IRA, down from decades of potential deferral.
Roth IRA transfers to a new custodian do not reset the five-year clock, Ed Slott's IRAHelp says
Brenner says an inherited IRA passes to the primary beneficiary at death; if the spouse then dies without naming a beneficiary, the custodian's default—often the estate—decides.
A 60-day IRA rollover can bridge a cash crunch, with two rules to track
IRAHelp says the once-a-year limit counts traditional and Roth IRAs together, and a missed deadline can leave the distribution taxable and penalized.
Tax Foundation counts roughly 40 state tax measures; Colorado top rate would reach 8.4%
Amendment 87 would apply top initial rates of 7.4%, 7.9% and 8.4% above $500,000, $750,000 and $1 million, replacing the state's 4.4% flat tax.
6 stories
Schwab agrees to sell Forge Trust self-directed IRA custodian to Alto
Advisors with clients in Forge Trust self-directed IRAs could face a custodian move to Alto, a Nashville custodian and marketplace for private-market retirement investing.
Harris poll: 85% of workers 40–61 find guaranteed monthly retirement income appealing
The poll for Athene found 23% had purchased annuities and only 34% said they mostly or fully understood them.
WealthManagement.com column: entity structure determines what a judgment can reach
The column says a personal judgment usually cannot reach business profits, though owners can lose access to their own assets.
Bank of America survey: 47% of wealthy see next generation prepared for family giving
Wealthy parents' confidence that their children share their commitment to philanthropy fell to 65% from 76% in 2024.
IRAHelp: IRA loans are barred, but a 60-day rollover can bridge a cash crunch
Miss the 60-day window and the distribution may be taxable and penalized; the once-a-year rollover rule counts traditional and Roth IRAs together.
Envestnet column says ultra-high-net-worth clients now expect family-office coordination
The WealthManagement.com column defines high-net-worth as $1 million to $5 million in investable assets and ultra-high-net-worth as anything above $30 million in investable assets, then argues those clients want coordinated family-office service without paying to build one.
7 stories
Wealth coach: a child who looks unmotivated may simply be unpracticed
In a WealthManagement.com column, a coach with 15 years among ultra-high-net-worth families argues that well-intentioned rescues protect a child from succeeding or failing on their own.
Cresset-NAT combination would create a $13.1 billion trust platform for advisors
Cresset would move its $5.4 billion trust division onto National Advisors Trust's national charter, which already serves more than 340 wealth firms.
J.P. Morgan survey finds millennial and Gen Z respondents report more emotional friction
A 2026 J.P. Morgan survey reported by Wealth Solutions Report found a majority of millennial and Gen Z respondents calling emotional factors a significant challenge in family wealth discussions, against 38% of Gen X and 29% of baby boomers.
Emory & Henry halves tuition as at least five colleges plan fall 2027 cuts
The University of Tulsa plans to cut tuition and fees to $25,000 from $54,000 next year, and a survey of more than 250 private nonprofits puts the average aid discount at 57%.
Vanguard data shows fewer high earners maxing out 401(k) deferrals
The max-out rate among $150,000-plus earners in Vanguard plans fell to 51% from 60% since 2018, and projections built on the old number need re-running.
WealthManagement.com argues the $124 trillion wealth transfer needs a risk review
Inherited assets carry exposures that get less attention than the tax and estate work, the coverage says.
Chip Wilson's divorce has no reported prenup, and the planning gap advisors can fill
A 2026 Harris poll found 53% of engaged or married respondents under 45 had signed a prenup, a share that complicates the assumption the document is for people in certain brackets.
1 story
SEC, FINRA, CFTC, NASAA, NFA and SIPC issue a joint investor bulletin
The bulletin pairs market-volatility planning with warnings that AI is making impersonation scams harder to detect and directs investors to registration checks.