Legacy Contacts and Digital Supplementation to your Estate Planning

Current Events, Elder Planning, Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Fiduciaries

As of the release of iOS 15.2, December 13, 2021, Apple released a new feature for its users, “Legacy Contacts”.[1] Historically, estate fiduciaries could receive this information with a court order, but the new process is designed to minimize the expense of time and money associated with getting access to a decedent’s account information. So,…
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Navigating Gift Tax and QTIP: A Landmark Case

Cases, Estate Administration, Estate and Gift Tax, Estate Planning, Fiduciaries, Revenue Rulings, Tax, Tax Court

In a recent decision, the Tax Court addressed the complexities of gift tax and qualified terminable interest property (“QTIP”) rules, providing important insights for estate planning professionals and taxpayers alike.[1] The case centered on the interpretation of provisions related to the taxation of transfers between spouses, and in this context, termination of QTIP interests and…
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Crider Trust Case – The Case for the Cautious Fiduciary

Cases, Compliance, Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Fiduciaries, Tax Related Cases

On February 8, 2024, the Mississippi Supreme Court issued its opinion[1] regarding an issue of first impression regarding Mississippi’s Principal and Income Act of 2013 (the “Act”).[2] As a worthwhile note, the Court noted that this is an issue of first impression and acknowledged as well as appeared to oblige the parties so as to…
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ETA 2026 – Switching from Inclusion to Exclusion Planning for the Estate Tax

Estate and Gift Tax, Estate Planning, Income Tax, Tax

Currently (and since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017), we, like many other practitioners, have seen an incredible uptick in inclusion planning[1] instead of the traditional exclusion planning (getting assets out of one’s taxable estate). A primary driving force for this major shift was the essential doubling of the estate tax exemption (from…
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Evaluating the Landscape: Impact of CIC Services, LLC Case on Attorneys’ Fees and Government Fairness

Cases, Compliance, Current Events, District Court, Income Tax, Tax, Tax Controversy, Tax Related Cases

The recent opinion from the United States District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee, continues the saga of the case of CIC Services, LLC (“CIC”) and has implications for taxpayers seeking to recover attorneys’ fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act (“EAJA”) and for its broader reflections on governmental fairness, particularly those looking to challenge…
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Tax Effect of Protocol Updates to Blockchain-Based Cryptocurrency

Chief Counsel Advice, Cryptocurrency, Income Tax, Regulatory

A recent Chief Counsel Advice Memorandum (“CCA”) discusses certain tax consequences pertaining to a taxpayer owning cryptocurrency native to a blockchain that undergoes a protocol upgrade. CCA 202316008. In the hypothetical scenario discussed in the CCA, a hypothetical blockchain, very similar to Ethereum, underwent a change in the method in which it approved and processed…
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Crypto Update: NFTs in the Crosshairs as Collectibles

Income Tax, Regulatory

In a recent Notice issuance, the IRS and Treasury put taxpayers on notice that they intend to issue guidance related to the treatment of certain nonfungible tokens (“NFTs”) as collectibles under IRC § 408(m). Notice 2023-27 does not itself pass any regulations but instead puts taxpayers on notice for future guidance and that the IRS…
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Passive Activity Loss Rules Lead To Yet Another Taxpayer Loss In Court – Why Keeping Adequate Records Is Essential

Cases, Compliance, Income Tax, Tax Controversy, Tax Court

Passive Activity Loss Rules Lead To Yet Another Taxpayer Loss In Court – Why Keeping Adequate Records Is Essential In a recently issued Memorandum Opinion[1], the United States Tax Court found that a husband and wife who owned and operated real estate investment properties were not entitled to deduct losses derived from properties owned in…
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