A Refresher on Qualified Small Business Stock

Business Transactions, Income Tax, Tax, TCJA

By holding qualified small business stock (“QSBS”), noncorporate shareholders of qualifying C corporations can sell their stock tax free after a five-year holding period. Tax benefits associated with QSBS are nothing new. However, until recently, planning with QSBS has been neglected. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) breathed new life into the potential benefits…
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Tax Court Allows Rollover Contribution Past Deadline

Income Tax, Tax, Tax Controversy

In a recent Memorandum opinion issued by the Tax Court, the Court held that the 60-day time limit for individual retirement account (“IRA”) rollovers was met for a distribution and subsequent recontribution of IRA funds despite the funds not being credited back to the IRA upon recontribution until 62 days after the initial distribution. The IRS…
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IRS Audits: Why Me and What to Expect

Income Tax, Tax, Tax Controversy

Introduction This article is the first article in a multi-part series of articles that I will be doing on IRS audits. The purpose of this series is to demystify the audit process, inform readers about how audits are conducted, and provide readers with an understanding of what to expect if selected for examination. This article…
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Asset Protection Trusts: Update on Recent Litigation

Asset Protection, Estate Planning

Offshore and domestic asset protection trusts (“APT”) have been around for a while. Currently, there are seventeen states that allow a person to contribute assets to trust for their own benefit (i.e. a self-settled trust) and exempt those assets from claims of their own creditors subject to certain statutes of limitations and exception creditors. Other than…
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Kaestner: Trust’s Beneficiary Residency Alone Insufficient Grounds for State Taxation

Current Events, Estate Planning, Income Tax, State and Local Tax

Overview The United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion on June 21, 2019 in North Carolina Department of Revenue v. Kimberley Rice Kaestner 1992 Family Trust ruling that a trust beneficiary’s residence alone is not sufficient grounds for a state to tax a trust’s undistributed income. This decision disallowed the assessment of  more than…
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Collection Actions Invalidated for Failure to Follow Required Procedures

Tax, Tax Controversy

The Tax Court recently issued decisions in Kearse v. Commissionerand Commission v. Romano-Murphy (“Romano-Murphy II“). Both cases involved review of administrative determinations made by IRS appeals officers in collections due process (“CDP”) proceedings. Section 6330(c)(1) requires appeals officers conducting CDP hearings to verify that the requirements of any applicable law or administrative procedure related to the assessment…
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Recent Celebrity Estate Planning Blunders

Current Events, Estate Planning

This week, I have decided to take a break from our normal more technical writing and discuss some recent celebrity estate planning blunders that have come to light. Not only are these cases interesting and entertaining, but they also can provide valuable lessons when it comes to estate planning. In a previous article, I wrote…
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