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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The 2024 Dirty Dozen – The IRS’s Annual Warning

Compliance, Current Events, Employment Tax, Income Tax, Regulatory, Tax, Tax Controversy

Every year, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) releases its “Dirty Dozen.” The Dirty Dozen, as written previously about by my colleague, Devin Mills,[1] is a list of twelve prevalent scams the IRS bodes taxpayers to be weary of during tax season, as they “put taxpayers, businesses, and the tax professional community at risk of losing…
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Insurance Arrangement Found to be Split Dollar Insurance Arrangement

Asset Protection, Compliance, Estate Administration, Estate Planning, Fiduciaries, Income Tax, Tax, Tax Controversy

Split dollar life insurance arrangements can take on a number of forms, and the exact structure of the arrangement determines the tax consequences, which can become complicated quickly. In a recent case out of the District Court of Ohio, the court held that an insurance arrangement between a single member C corporation, Peter E. McGowan…
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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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Is Your Hobby Really “For Profit?” The Deductibility of Your Expenses Depends on It

Compliance, Income Tax, Tax, Tax Court

Generally, expenses related to activities that are not engaged in for profit are not deductible.[2] In a recent memorandum opinion[3], the United States Tax Court reiterated the criteria upon which the Court considers if an activity is engaged in for profit. While the recent decision was not a landmark case[4], it provides some cautionary guidance…
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