Newsletters
2025
January
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
January 1, 2025
Estate Article Title
"3 things we learned about estate planning in 2024"
Estate Article Excerpt
As 2025 is about to begin, many Americans are looking to the future — but they may not be looking far enough ahead....
Hint Title
"Date of Death Valuations, Stock Splits, Adjusted, & Unadjusted Prices"
Hint Excerpt
The adjusted cost basis for the security was $30.6709 while the un-adjusted cost basis was $306.7091 due to the 10:1 Reverse Split in June 2024....
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
January 7, 2025
Estate Article Title
"3 things we learned about estate planning in 2024"
Estate Article Excerpt
As 2025 is about to begin, many Americans are looking to the future — but they may not be looking far enough ahead....
Hint Title
"Date of Death Valuations, Stock Splits, Adjusted, & Unadjusted Prices"
Hint Excerpt
Can you please check the mean price of NVIDIA for 12/28/2021? We are expecting $30.6709 per share and your date of death valuation had $306.709....
2024
December
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
December 3, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Estate Planning Services Are Becoming Table Stakes"
Estate Article Excerpt
Clients increasingly view estate planning as a core element of holistic wealth management, not just a one-time task...
Hint Title
"Pricing Options: Calls, Puts"
Hint Excerpt
We have a research tool to look up the necessary identifier for pricing. The tool requires: ticker symbol, maturity date, strike price, and number of options....
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
December 10, 2024
Estate Article Title
"The Double-Edged Sword Of Sharing Your Estate Plan With Family"
Estate Article Excerpt
Warren Buffett stirred debate among estate planning professionals by recommending that individuals share their estate plans with adult children before signing....
Hint Title
"Universal Import"
Hint Excerpt
We released our updated Universal Import program which automates the process of entering CUSIP #s/Ticker symbols and shares into Appraise....
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
December 17, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Post-Election Estate Tax Planning Requires A Cautious Approach"
Estate Article Excerpt
Like many people, you may have put off finalizing estate tax planning until the 2024 election results were in. Now that the results are in, what comes next?...
Hint Title
"Stock market holidays & half days 2024: A complete list"
Hint Excerpt
For the next two weeks, the financial markets will be following a holiday schedule. You can read their holiday schedule by clicking...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
December 31, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Stock markets to close for Jimmy Carter day of mourning"
Estate Article Excerpt
Financial markets will be largely — but not entirely — closed for the National Day of Mourning for Jimmy Carter on Thursday, Jan 9....
Hint Title
"Impact of Jimmy Carter Nation Day of Mourning on the estate and gift tax valuations."
Hint Excerpt
Since the financial markets will be largely closed for the National Day of Mourning on Jan 9, this will complicate estate and gift tax valuations....
November
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
November 5, 2024
Estate Article Title
"IRS Announces 2025 Gift and Estate Tax Exemptions."
Estate Article Excerpt
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has released its tax inflation adjustment figures for tax year 2025....
Hint Title
"We will be releasing an update to our APPRAISE software this month."
Hint Excerpt
Clients can expect an email from us with a link to the download....
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
November 12, 2024
Estate Article Title
"What Trump's Win Means for Estate Tax Planning"
Estate Article Excerpt
Republican control in the White House and Congress makes extension of the 2017 tax overhaul likely....
Hint Title
"Save time entering CUSIP numbers, Ticker symbols, and shares"
Hint Excerpt
If you use one of our technology solutions (API, Software, Software as a Service, Web), we have tools to import the holdings instead of entering them manually....
October
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
October 1, 2024
Estate Article Title
"The most overlooked aspect of estate planning, and how to address it"
Estate Article Excerpt
Advisors may be used to guiding clients through the estate planning process. But, what about less tangible assets, like those stored digitally?...
Hint Title
"Estate & Gift Tax Valuations in the Cloud"
Hint Excerpt
If you want to learn more about webappraise, our internet service for stock and bond valuations...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
October 8, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Good Estate Planning Never Goes Out of Style"
Estate Article Excerpt
Don’t let the uncertainty about future tax policy interfere with taking action to meet your client’s goals....
Hint Title
"Why CUSIP numbers are better identifiers than ticker symbols for valuations"
Hint Excerpt
CUSIPs are more reliable identifiers than tickers because they cannot be reused....
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
October 15, 2024
Estate Article Title
"National Estate Planning Awareness Week"
Estate Article Excerpt
National Estate Planning Awareness Week occurs during the third full week of October and was adopted to help the public understand what estate planning is...
Hint Title
"The US stock exchanges were open and the bond markets were closed"
Hint Excerpt
On Monday, October 14, the Columbus / Indigenous People day holiday, the stock markets were open and the bond markets were closed....
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
October 22, 2024
Estate Article Title
"The Top 5 Issues Facing High-Net-Worth Individuals in 2025"
Estate Article Excerpt
Here, we explore the top five issues likely to affect HNWIs in 2025 and the strategies they should consider to stay ahead....
Hint Title
"Enter the Check Digit Setting"
Hint Excerpt
There is a setting in Appraise in "System Setup" from the Main Menu. This setting is called "Enter Check Digit"....
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
October 29, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Regulation, Wealth Management and the Elections"
Estate Article Excerpt
Let’s consider the impact of the elections on two specific issues: Regulation of the wealth management industry and tax legislation....
Hint Title
"Did you know we can prepare the valuations for you?"
Hint Excerpt
While many of our clients use one of our self help online solutions, many also have us prepare the valuations for them....
September
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
September 3, 2024
Estate Article Title
"In both estate administration and angling, it pays to prepare for the unexpected"
Estate Article Excerpt
Financial advisors can address property challenges, encourage clarity in wills...
Hint Title
"How many decimal positions does NASDAQ carry prices out to?"
Hint Excerpt
We were recently asked how many decimal positions does NASDAQ carry its prices out to...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
September 10, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Navigating Estate Planning As The TCJA Nears Expiration"
Estate Article Excerpt
As I’ve referenced in my last few articles, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) expires at the end of 2025...
Hint Title
"What is a daily dividend fund and how to include daily dividends which are earned, but not yet paid, in your Appraise valuation"
Hint Excerpt
A daily dividend fund is an investment in which dividends are earned each day and, generally, paid monthly...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
September 17, 2024
Estate Article Title
"What Clients Can Learn from Warren Buffett’s Estate Plan"
Estate Article Excerpt
His three children control what becomes of his remaining fortune....
Hint Title
"Have you considered the possibility of preparing estate and gift tax valuations using an integrated API solution instead of software?"
Hint Excerpt
Appraise API provides a secure interface that streamlines portfolio pricing. This is done by...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
September 24, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Treasury Department Finalizes Basis Consistency Regulations"
Estate Article Excerpt
The Department of the Treasury finalized regulations related to the basis consistency requirements. This comes 8 1/2 years after it issued proposed regulations....
Hint Title
"We are developing a Form 8971 add on for our clients."
Hint Excerpt
It would be utilized after preparing a valuation using Appraise....
August
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
August 6, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Supreme Court Ruling In Loper Bright Changes Estate Planning"
Estate Article Excerpt
A recent Supreme Court case will change the dynamic of key aspects of tax planning, including estate tax planning...
Hint Title
"Including sales, and other account activity, in your alternate valuation"
Hint Excerpt
If you prepare alternate valuations which have transactions between the date of death and alternate date, Appraise allows you to input 17 unique types...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
August 13, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Back To School…Estate Planning? POAs For College Bound Kids"
Estate Article Excerpt
What is often lost amidst the flurry of college preparations is a discussion on estate planning...
Hint Title
"Gift Tax Regulations for Stocks & Bonds"
Hint Excerpt
Many of our clients use us for gift tax valuations as well as estate tax valuations...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
August 20, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Succession: The Brewing Controversy Over The Murdoch Family Trust"
Estate Article Excerpt
The Murdoch Family Trust, a key player in controlling Rupert Murdoch's vast media empire...
Hint Title
"Export to comma delimited & Excel"
Hint Excerpt
We had quite a few queries about our export to Excel function...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
August 27, 2024
Estate Article Title
"The Hidden Realities Of Probate: Are Americans Prepared?"
Estate Article Excerpt
With the “great wealth transfer” currently underway, Americans stand to inherit up to $84 trillion over the next two decades...
Hint Title
"IRS Regulations Which Apply To Accruals"
Hint Excerpt
A client recently asked which IRS regulations apply to accruals for estate tax valuations...
July
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
July 2, 2024
Estate Article Title
"A Crucial Window for Estate Planning: Preparing for 2026 Changes"
Estate Article Excerpt
Contrary to common belief, the benefits of estate planning aren’t exclusive to the ultra-wealthy...
Hint Title
"How can I have ESI-APPRAISE prepare the valuation for me If I don't want to do it myself?"
Hint Excerpt
We have an outsourcing service. If you want us to prepare the valuation for you, please complete our OUTSOURCING ORDER FORM...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
July 9, 2024
Estate Article Title
"How Biden And Trump’s Tax And Estate Planning Proposals Differ"
Estate Article Excerpt
Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have proposed significant changes to the tax landscape...
Hint Title
"We have options identifiers & ticker symbol research"
Hint Excerpt
If you are pricing equities, funds, or options, and do not have the required identifier/symbol...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
July 16, 2024
Estate Article Title
"UBS Sees $83T Wealth Transfer Over Next Three Decades"
Estate Article Excerpt
Almost a third of the world’s millionaires will be in emerging markets by 2028, according to the Global Wealth Report 2024...
Hint Title
"Why you should take a look at Appraise SaaS"
Hint Excerpt
Here are a few reasons you should consider taking a closer look at Appraise SaaS, our Software as a Service solution...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
July 23, 2024
Estate Article Title
"A Crucial Window For Estate Planning"
Estate Article Excerpt
Contrary to common belief, the benefits of estate planning aren’t exclusive to those with massive amounts of assets above $20 million...
Hint Title
"Estate & Gift Tax Valuations in the Cloud"
Hint Excerpt
WealthManagement.com recently published an article entitled, The Estate Tax Tech Revolution Is Picking Up Speed...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
July 30, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Wealth Advisers Must Ensure Estates Use Pre-Sunset Exclusion"
Estate Article Excerpt
Thanks to Inflation Reduction Act funding, the IRS has pushed to increase enforcement and compliance on...
Hint Title
"Exporting ESI-APPRAISE valuations in ONESOURCE FPS & 706 Format"
Hint Excerpt
However you get your valuations from us, you have the option of exporting the reports to a file...
June
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
June 4, 2024
Estate Article Title
"How To Avoid Faulty Advice On IRS Form 706 And The Portability Election"
Estate Article Excerpt
There is an onerous issue plaguing the tax community. Some tax professionals have been advising their clients that...
Hint Title
"SEDOL Valuation Date Question"
Hint Excerpt
We recently received an email from a client asking a SEDOL valuation date question...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
June 11, 2024
Estate Article Title
"IRS can tax death benefits used to purchase stocks, high court rules"
Estate Article Excerpt
The justices said the IRS could seek an additional $1 million for the death benefits used in a stock handoff deal...
Hint Title
"How are CUSIP numbers derived?"
Hint Excerpt
We were asked, "How are CUSIP numbers derived?" Please click HERE for an answer...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
June 18, 2024
Estate Article Title
"High Court Estate Tax Ruling Forces Succession Planning Revamps"
Estate Article Excerpt
Estate lawyers will have to reevaluate their options for reducing taxes for family businesses creating succession plans...
Hint Title
"Wed, June 26 Webinar: "Estate & Gift Tax Valuations in the Cloud"
Hint Excerpt
WealthManagement.com recently published an article entitled, The Estate Tax Tech Revolution Is Picking Up Speed...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
June 25, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Estate Planning To Protect Generational Wealth Transfers: Lessons From The Gilded Age"
Estate Article Excerpt
HBO's The Gilded Age dramatizes the privileged lives of some of America's wealthiest families in late 19th century...
Hint Title
"Which IRS regulations are applied to estate and gift tax valuations?"
Hint Excerpt
Here is a link to a summary of the IRS regulations we apply...
May
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
May 7, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Forgoing marriage? Estate planning for unmarried couples"
Estate Article Excerpt
While many couples choose to live together as a precursor to marriage these days, more and more are choosing to skip marriage altogether...
Hint Title
"Estate & Gift Tax or EZPrice?"
Hint Excerpt
Our software and software as a service clients have a choice between selecting an Estate & Gift Tax valuation or an EZPrice valuation...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
May 14, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Prepare large estates for TCJA sunset now"
Estate Article Excerpt
CPA financial planners need to talk with high-net-worth clients now about the idea of shifting ownership of millions of dollars...
Hint Title
"Daily Dividends for Mutual Funds"
Hint Excerpt
Many income-focused funds that invest primarily in bonds and money-market securities accrue...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
May 21, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Key Tax Provisions That Are Expiring After 2025"
Estate Article Excerpt
Unless Congress decides to act, lots of tax changes will take effect in 2026...
Hint Title
"Queries about our API service"
Hint Excerpt
We've been receiving more inquiries related to our Appraise API (Application Programming Interface) service lately. Appraise API...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
May 28, 2024
Estate Article Title
"The 11 U.S. Cities With the Most Millionaires"
Estate Article Excerpt
In our increasingly global society, millionaires can be found just about anywhere...
Hint Title
"Can you restore lost portfolios?"
Hint Excerpt
This is a question we received last week which has a two part answer...
April
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
April 2, 2024
Estate Article Title
"SCOTUS Hears Arguments in Estate Tax Life Insurance Stock Redemption Case"
Estate Article Excerpt
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments to settle a circuit court split over whether life insurance proceeds following a shareholder’s death that are intended for a closely held corporation’s stock redemption are included in its valuation for estate tax purposes....
Hint Title
"Exporting trust and estate valuations to ONESOURCE Trust & Estate software"
Hint Excerpt
Our clients are able to export their ESIAPPRAISE trust and estate valuations in ONESOURCE format....
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
April 9, 2024
Estate Article Title
"IRS Form W-9 Changes And Their Impact On Trusts And Estates"
Estate Article Excerpt
In March 2024, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) unveiled a revised version of Form W-9[1], Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, marking a significant update since its last revision in 2018. This change introduces new reporting requirements, particularly affecting flow-through entities such as trusts and estates....
Hint Title
"What do I do if a security with a legitimate CUSIP, SEDOL, or Ticker does not price?"
Hint Excerpt
Although our data vendor, Intercontinental Exchange Inc., has a very extensive pricing universe, they occasionally cannot price an issue for a particular day....
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
April 16, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Q1 In Review: The Trending Topics That Affect Family Offices"
Estate Article Excerpt
Looking into the major news headlines of the first quarter of the year, the family office market has lost none of its pace. Monitoring services have picked up on 130 significant articles from major news platforms on the topic of family offices, and the changes that affect them....
Hint Title
"What a fantastic service!"
Hint Excerpt
We recently received this compliment from a client...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
April 23, 2024
Estate Article Title
"How Higher Interest Rates Change Tax And Estate Planning Strategies"
Estate Article Excerpt
Many people know how Federal Reserve policies influence the economy and investment markets. But they don’t realize how interest rate moves change the results of estate planning strategies...
Hint Title
"Inverse Relation Between Interest Rates and Bond Prices"
Hint Excerpt
This week's trusts and estates article (see above) discusses how interest rates affect estate planning. Two cited items impact the valuations we provide for our clients...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
April 30, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Hash Out the Inheritance Now, or Fight Your Family Later"
Estate Article Excerpt
Death and money aren’t fun subjects to bring up over dinner. Yet families who make time for that awkward chat now can spare deep regrets and...
Hint Title
"Pricing savings bonds using Appraise"
Hint Excerpt
We were asked if we can value savings bonds historically...
March
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
March 5, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Estate Planning For Singles"
Estate Article Excerpt
Estate planning for singles: make a will, draft a durable power-of-attorney, name an attorney-in-fact, and a health care proxy. Here's how...
Hint Title
"Why people have been inquiring about APPRAISE Software as a Service for valuations"
Hint Excerpt
Over the past few weeks, we have received a significant number of inquiries about our "Software as a Service" platform for valuations...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
March 12, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Rich People Rush to Offload Wealth Before Estate Tax Break Drops"
Estate Article Excerpt
Wealthy taxpayers are hurrying to use the increased estate tax exemption amount before it potentially expires at the end of 2025....
Hint Title
"Two New Research Products"
Hint Excerpt
We are pleased to announce that we have added two new research products...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
March 19, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Hot Topics for Private Clients and Family Offices from 2024 Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning"
Estate Article Excerpt
Earlier this year several Warner attorneys attended the annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, the country’s most well-respected educational event for professionals working in the trusts and estates area. The programs offered in-depth coverage of important court decisions, tax law changes and other developments in wealth planning. In this first of two blog posts, we wish to share some of the conference’s relevant takeaways for high-net-worth clients and family offices on “hot topics” related to valuation issues....
Hint Title
"Which Continuing Education Institutes do you attend?"
Hint Excerpt
Our Industry News article in this Newsletter discusses the annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning....
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
March 26, 2024
Estate Article Title
"How Estate Planning Can Thwart the ‘Third-Generation Curse’"
Estate Article Excerpt
Thorough communication with heirs about values and various elements of your estate plan could help younger generations better manage their inherited wealth....
Hint Title
"Inverse Weighting For the Good Friday Weekend"
Hint Excerpt
Friday, March 29, is the Good Friday holiday. The stock exchanges are closed while the bond markets are open till 2:00p ET. The Federal Reserve and banks are open as well....
February
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
February 6, 2024
Estate Article Title
"New House GOP Bill Repeals Estate Tax"
Estate Article Excerpt
House Republicans have introduced new legislation to repeal the estate tax and generation-skipping transfer tax...
Hint Title
"APPRAISE Software as a Service"
Hint Excerpt
APPRAISE Software as a Service (SaaS) is our proprietary APPRAISE software, bundled with additional features, and hosted online for your convenience...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
February 13, 2024
Estate Article Title
"The IRS Is Recruiting an Army to Take on Wealthy Taxpayers"
Estate Article Excerpt
It's focusing on recruiting those with specialized tax expertise....
Hint Title
"The IRS is investing in compliance. Are you ready?"
Hint Excerpt
This week's Trusts & Estates article states, "While the IRS’s recruiting efforts in 2023 were mostly targeted at hiring customer service personnel, it is now focusing on those with specialized tax expertise...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
February 20, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Mom and dad are giving away $84 trillion in the ‘great wealth transfer.’ And they have some thoughts on how to spend it"
Estate Article Excerpt
"How the wealthiest individuals decide to give some of their wealth away is changing."...
Hint Title
"2024-Q1 Poll Results"
Hint Excerpt
Earlier this month, we asked our clients this question: "Which APPRAISE delivery option do you prefer?"...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
February 27, 2024
Estate Article Title
"IRS audits? Back taxes? Don’t freak out if you get this letter in your mailbox."
Estate Article Excerpt
Taxpayers across the country are starting to receive letters from the IRS. The agency started to send out the automated collection notices — which were on pause during the COVID pandemic — to 3.7 million taxpayers, it said. The IRS said the reminder notices will go to individuals who owe back taxes before tax year 2022. Businesses, tax-exempt organizations, trusts and estates that owe taxes from before tax year 2023 may also get the letters, the agency said....
Hint Title
"What Is a Collateralized Mortgage Obligation?"
Hint Excerpt
One of the more difficult security types we value are Collateralized Mortgage Obligations...
January
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
January 2, 2024
Estate Article Title
"The Best Estate Planning Stories of 2023"
Estate Article Excerpt
Check out our selection of Financial Planning's 2023 coverage of estate planning. Learn how to sharpen your mind on practice areas ranging from working with couples to supporting artists and entertainers, to factoring caregiving into an estate plan...
Hint Title
"Adjusted vs Unadjusted Prices"
Hint Excerpt
We recently received a question from one of our clients asking why the price on our valuation for ticker symbol PRF, as of 07-03-2023, was different that the price reported on the month end brokerage statement. The reason is...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
January 9, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Spreading the Love: Tax Savings strategies for Wealth Transfer"
Estate Article Excerpt
Use these smart planning tips to set the stage for your loved ones' futures...
Hint Title
"58th Annual Heckerling Institute"
Hint Excerpt
We are exhibiting at the 58th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning in Orlando from January 8 to 12. Our booth (#501) is in the same place as past years, right next to the registration area, and across from the walkway to the sessions...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
January 16, 2024
Estate Article Title
"IRS flip-flops on gift tax question involving grantor trusts"
Estate Article Excerpt
The IRS flipped a stance the agency took seven years earlier on the question of whether certain trust distributions amount to a taxable gift...
Hint Title
"Introducing Appraise.API"
Hint Excerpt
Appraise.API is a secure, programmable interface that provides portfolio pricing by allowing your proprietary systems to communicate with ours directly...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
January 30, 2024
Estate Article Title
"Live from Heckerling: Modern Estate Administration"
Estate Article Excerpt
In a 50-minute presentation based on his 100-plus page outline, Steve R. Akers from Bessemer Trust touched on a myriad of post-death administration challenges....
Hint Title
"IRS Forms 706 & 8971"
Hint Excerpt
In this week's "Trust & Estates" article (see above), Steve Akers mentions basis reporting requirements for the IRS Form 8971 as well as alternate valuations. We can help you with both of these. We have an IRS Form 8971 reporting tool and our Form 706 alternate valuations have a utility to account for assets which are sold or distributed...
2023
December
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
December 5, 2023
Estate Article Title
"6 Effective Gifting Strategies To Minimize Your Estate Taxes"
Estate Article Excerpt
Understanding and applying the principles of strategic gifting allows you to reduce your estate tax liabilities significantly. It facilitates a seamless wealth transition and upholds your financial objectives, aligning with preserving wealth across generations. Beyond being an act of generosity, gifting ensures that a significant portion of your wealth is preserved rather than diminished by taxes...
Hint Title
"Why is there no interest accrual for the U.S. Treasuries bills?"
Hint Excerpt
Treasury Bills are short-term securities that mature in one year or less. They are sold at face value (also called par value) or at a discount...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
December 12, 2023
Estate Article Title
"How Financial Advisors Can Seize Opportunities in the $129T Wealth Transfer"
Estate Article Excerpt
Wealth managers have a unique opportunity to highlight their digital capabilities during the estate administration process. Advances in technology like AI and automation have made it possible for advisors to effortlessly add trust and estate administration services to their practices. Unlike traditional estate planning, serving as an administrator does not require an advisor to become an estate planning specialist. Rather, with the right technological support, they can play a critical role in quarterbacking the estate process, ensuring that their client's wishes are carried out as planned, and showcasing their skills to beneficiaries—their potential new clients...
Hint Title
"CRUT & GRAT Valuations"
Hint Excerpt
Last week, our featured trusts and estates news article was titled, “6 Effective Gifting Strategies to Minimize Your Estate Taxes.” Within the article, two of the strategies suggested were creating a Charitable Remainder Trust or a Grantor Retained Annuity Trust...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
December 19, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Three Estate Planning To-Dos For Before Year's End"
Estate Article Excerpt
Thoughtful estate planning takes time, but financial advisors should be mindful of certain year-end deadlines that have use-it-or-lose-it consequences for clients. Aimed at reducing the possibility of paying estate taxes, here are three time-sensitive estate planning issues advisors should consider reviewing with clients during the critical month of December....
Hint Title
"IRS Form 709 Gift Tax Valuations"
Hint Excerpt
Providing gift tax valuations, in full compliance with the stringent IRS Form 709 regulations, is part of our suite of valuation services...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
December 26, 2023
Estate Article Title
"How to Prepare for Upcoming Estate Tax Law Changes"
Estate Article Excerpt
High-net-worth families have time to take advantage of higher estate and gift tax exemptions before they're significantly reduced if provisions of the Tax Cuts and Job Act are allowed to sunset....
Hint Title
"When can I send a portfolio for pricing if the valuation date is New Year's Day?"
Hint Excerpt
Means are inversely weighted with respect to the number of trading days between the valuation date and pricing dates...
November
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
November 7, 2023
Estate Article Title
"IRS Indefinitely Extends Policy on Electronic Signatures"
Estate Article Excerpt
The rules on using email with encryption in certain instances also were updated...
Hint Title
"Why you should take a closer look at APPRAISE Software as a Service for estate and gift tax valuations"
Hint Excerpt
We received some inquiries last week about our software as a service (SaaS) solution for estate and gift tax valuations. Here are a few reasons you might want to take a look as well...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
November 14, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Maximizing Your 2023 Year-End Tax Planning Benefits"
Estate Article Excerpt
As the year-end approaches, it offers a strategic opportunity for individuals to review their wealth and estate planning strategies. This is the perfect time to reflect on your financial objectives and align them with your current and future financial commitments...
Hint Title
"Using Ticker Symbols With Appraise"
Hint Excerpt
Did you know that all of our valuation services, online do it yourself, as well as outsourcing the work to us, accept ticker symbols?...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
November 21, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Debt Management in Estate Planning"
Estate Article Excerpt
What if a client burdened with substantial debts or liabilities from their business unexpectedly passes away?...
Hint Title
"Updated version of Appraise coming soon"
Hint Excerpt
The current version, now in use, is 8.03. We will be releasing 8.04, a minor but mandatory update, in the next few weeks. When the new version is ready, the current software will let you know, and you will receive email alerts as well. Then proceed to download and install the update...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
November 28, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Estate Tax Exemption Amount Increases for 2024"
Estate Article Excerpt
The federal estate tax exemption amount is going up again for 2024. A higher exemption means more estates may be exempt from the federal tax, which can save heirs from a hefty tax bill. The amount is inflation-adjusted by the IRS each year. So, while the increase probably isn't a surprise, it's still a big deal for many wealthy taxpayers...
Hint Title
"Gift tax valuations with and without dividends"
Hint Excerpt
We receive requests for gift tax valuations with and without dividends...
October
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
October 3, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Uncertain Times Call for Creative Estate Planning Strategies"
Estate Article Excerpt
Flexibility in the estate planning process is key so you can adjust your plans to address changes in your goals or accommodate legislative shifts...
Hint Title
"Including CASH, and other user defined assets in Web Appraise"
Hint Excerpt
Web Appraise is our web based service for stock and bond valuations for trusts and estates...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
October 10, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Tips for Handling IRS Estate and Gift Tax Audits"
Estate Article Excerpt
A respectful and honest approach may be your best bet...
Hint Title
"Helping a client through the audit process"
Hint Excerpt
Earlier this month, one of our clients contacted us as they were working through an audit process. We supported them by providing the nuances behind the financial data we provided as well as the applicable IRS regulations applied to the valuations...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
October 17, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Preserve Your Wealth: A Tale of the History of The Estate Tax Unified Credit"
Estate Article Excerpt
The financial landscape, particularly in relation to estate taxes, is experiencing a sense of déjà vu...
Hint Title
"Determination of dividends for estate and gift tax returns"
Hint Excerpt
This week we were asked to provide the IRS regulations we apply for determining applicable dividends for estate & gift tax returns. The answer is...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
October 24, 2023
Estate Article Title
"It's Estate Planning Week: Here's How to Get Started"
Estate Article Excerpt
You're not too young, you do have enough assets, and don't you want to make things easier for your loved ones after you pass away?...
Hint Title
"Correctly valuing Mortgage Backed Securities for Estate & Gift Tax"
Hint Excerpt
Correctly valuing mortgage backed securities for estate and gift tax requires nuance. We recently received a question like this...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
October 31, 2023
Estate Article Title
"States That Won't Tax Your Death"
Estate Article Excerpt
How much will your children — or other heirs — pay when you die? That depends on whether you live in a state with no death tax...
Hint Title
"Check Digits"
Hint Excerpt
I have six securities that were entered manually in Appraise and populated a different ninth digit in the Cusip than what was provided for each. Are you able to tell what the issue is with these six?...
September
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
September 5, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Trust's Incorrect Tax Form Forfeited Large Tax Refund Claim: A Lesson For Trustees"
Estate Article Excerpt
Trust lost a large tax refund because it sought because it filed on the wrong form. So the moral of this tax tale is that you have to be careful about making sure you file the right tax form to get what you want...
Hint Title
"IRS Forms 1040 & 1041 Income"
Hint Excerpt
Did you know that we have a valuation which calculates and prorates the dividends to a decedent's final income (Form 1040) and trust/estate (Form 1041) tax returns for a calendar or fiscal year...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
September 12, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Planning for Personal Property"
Estate Article Excerpt
It's key to consider the emotional, financial, and tax implications of gifts of tangible personal property...
Hint Title
"Pricing Securities Using Ticker Symbols"
Hint Excerpt
Appraise users can use either CUSIP numbers or ticker symbols to price securities...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
September 19, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Get Ready: Sneak Peek Of 2024 Tax Rates!"
Estate Article Excerpt
Bloomberg has released its predictions for the tax rates in 2024. These predictions are based on the Chained Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) data reported from September 2022 to August 2023 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The IRS relies on this data for annual adjustments to account for inflation. Here are the anticipated changes...
Hint Title
"What is dirty price vs clean price of a bond?"
Hint Excerpt
The dirty price is typically quoted between brokers and investors, but the clean price or the price without accrued interest is usually considered the published price...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
September 26, 2023
Estate Article Title
"What Clients Should Do As Clock Runs Out On Estate Planning"
Estate Article Excerpt
Planners have long been talking about the sunset of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Now with the 2026 deadline looming, they are focusing on some of the biggest potential changes affecting estates. They note that advisors have two years to plan, which is a short period of time in the estate planning business...
Hint Title
"We now have call/put identifier lookup & ticker symbol lookup!"
Hint Excerpt
We are pleased to announce that we have added two new research products...
August
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
August 1, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Aretha Franklin's Estate: Why Copyrights Require Estate Planning"
Estate Article Excerpt
The news of the recent resolution of the Aretha Franklin estate is a high profile, and expensive, lesson in how not to manage copyrights in an estate...
Hint Title
"Pricing Money Market Funds"
Hint Excerpt
A client recently asked why we were unable to price a Fidelity Money Market Mutual Fund...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
August 8, 2023
Estate Article Title
"For Want of a Proper Acknowledgement, Taxpayer Loses A $5.2 Million Deduction."
Estate Article Excerpt
Previously, I discussed the impact of failure to get a goods thank you letter from a charity to be able to take a deduction for a charitable gift. The Tax Court has again denied a charitable deduction on the same grounds, now to the tune of $5.2 million...
Hint Title
"Gift Tax Valuations"
Hint Excerpt
Did you know, in addition to estate tax valuations, we also provide gift tax valuations...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
August 15, 2023
Estate Article Title
"U.S. Appeals Court: Deathbed Checks Are Includible in Decedent's Estate"
Estate Article Excerpt
Time is precious, especially when a donor contemplates making deathbed gifts before their ultimate demise. Although the donor's time to make such gifts is limited, the conflict between the donor's fiduciaries and the Internal Revenue Service may continue for years. In a ruling released on July 12, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed a Tax Court ruling that certain deathbed gifts made by separate checks nearly eight years earlier are includible in the decedent's gross estate...
Hint Title
"Using SEDOL numbers to price international securities"
Hint Excerpt
We have the ability to price international securities using SEDOL numbers. The stock exchange daily official list (SEDOL) is a seven-character identification code assigned to securities that trade on the London Stock Exchange and various smaller exchanges in the United Kingdom...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
August 22, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Wealth Transfers Can Protect Families From Sunsetting Tax Breaks"
Estate Article Excerpt
With many federal gift and estate tax exclusions set to expire, Baker Tilly's Michael Lum says now is the time to consider transferring family assets to protect intergenerational wealth...
Hint Title
"Including sales, and other account activity, in your alternate valuation"
Hint Excerpt
If you prepare alternate valuations which have transactions between the date of death and alternate date, Appraise allows you to input 17 unique types. They are...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
August 29, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Portability of Deceased Spousal Unused Exclusion Extended"
Estate Article Excerpt
Revenue Procedure 2022-32 (2022-30 IRB 101) became effective on July 8, 2022. This guidance issued by the IRS allows certain taxpayers an extended amount of time (five years) to make a “portability election” regarding estate and gift taxes...
Hint Title
"Daily Dividends for Mutual Funds"
Hint Excerpt
Many income-focused funds that invest primarily in bonds and money-market securities accrue their dividends on a daily basis despite being only paid out on a monthly or less frequent basis...
July
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
July 11, 2023
Estate Article Title
"AICPA Recommends Changes to IRS Form 706-GS (D-1)"
Estate Article Excerpt
The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), provided the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issues and recommendations for improvements to the Form 706-GS(D-1), Notification of Distribution from a Generation-Skipping Trust, and instructions and extensions, as well as guidance and regulations updates if Treasury and the IRS find that there are issues beyond changes to the form and instructions...
Hint Title
"Bond Pricing"
Hint Excerpt
While equity pricing is relatively easy to find, bond valuations are much more difficult...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
July 18, 2023
Estate Article Title
"How to Handle Estate Planning for Multigenerational Living Arrangements"
Estate Article Excerpt
When multiple generations live on the same property, issues over ownership, who inherits what and who provides what can get complicated fast...
Hint Title
"Bond Pricing...Again"
Hint Excerpt
As we mentioned last week, while equity pricing is easy to find, bond pricing including yield, is much harder...
June
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
June 6, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Five Estate Planning Lessons We Can Learn From Elvis' Mistakes"
Estate Article Excerpt
Elvis' estate planning failures certainly adversely affected the life of his daughter, Lisa Marie, and have carried over into issues with her estate...
Hint Title
"Our New IRS Form 8971 Product"
Hint Excerpt
We introduced a new IRS Form 8971 reporting product...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
June 13, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Biden Administration's Green Book Proposes Dramatic Estate Planning Changes"
Estate Article Excerpt
The Biden Administration recently released its fiscal 2024 revenue proposal, which includes many dramatic changes that will affect most aspects of estate planning...
Hint Title
"Did you know you can include assets other than stocks and bonds in an APPRAISE valuation?"
Hint Excerpt
Many of our clients, in order to do complete reporting, include assets which are not securities in their APPRAISE valuations...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
June 20, 2023
Estate Article Title
"An Estate & Trust Professional's Four Takeaways From Tax Season 2023"
Estate Article Excerpt
Another tax season has come and gone. As we shift our focus to extended and fiscal year returns, other duties, and possibly a well-earned vacation, here are four things I noticed as an estate and trust professional during the most recent tax season...
Hint Title
"Gift Tax Valuations"
Hint Excerpt
We provide stock and bond gift tax valuations in full compliance with the stringent IRS Form 709 reporting requirements...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
June 27, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Heirs Can Be Personally Liable For Estate's Taxes"
Estate Article Excerpt
The heirs of an estate can be liable to pay the estate or income taxes (and perhaps other obligations) of the estate...
Hint Title
"New IRS Form 8971 product for Appraise clients"
Hint Excerpt
We have developed a new IRS Form 8971 product which imports Appraise portfolios...
May
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
May 2, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Avoiding Taxes on the Sale or Gifting of Art"
Estate Article Excerpt
There are several ways that a donor can use the tax-exempt status of a charity to reduce and defer taxes on transactions. This is especially relevant to artists and their family when it comes to artwork...
Hint Title
"Always Current, Always Secure"
Hint Excerpt
One of our clients, who was a software subscriber but recently switched to our Appraise.ASP software as a service solution, asked if they needed to install any updates to be on the latest version...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
May 9, 2023
Estate Article Title
"IRS: Gifts to Irrevocable Grantor Trust Will Not Receive Basis Step-Up At Death"
Estate Article Excerpt
The IRS has confirmed its view that when assets are gifted to an irrevocable grantor trust and not included in the grantor's estate, the trust assets will not receive a step-up in basis at the death of the grantor...
Hint Title
"Which dividends are included in date of death valuations?"
Hint Excerpt
We received a question last week from a client asking how do we decide which dividends should appear on an estate tax valuation...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
May 16, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Estate Planning Strategies For Gen Z Beneficiaries"
Estate Article Excerpt
Estate plans are frequently designed to create a legacy that extends beyond a single generation. For this reason, if you are creating an estate plan, you may wish to consider the characteristics of the younger generations—particularly Gen Z—to ensure your estate planning goals are met...
Hint Title
"Embracing Gen-Z's Zealous Use of Technology"
Hint Excerpt
One of the points of this week's feature Trust & Estate news article is that Gen-Z is zealous about their use of technology...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
May 23, 2023
Estate Article Title
"8 estate planning tips for advisors with artists and entertainer clients"
Estate Article Excerpt
Whether they are an award-winning musician, a successful visual artist, a television producer or a bestselling author, wealthy individuals in the creative professions can be exciting clients for financial advisors...
Hint Title
"Which browser(s) work best with webappraise for estate and gift tax valuations?"
Hint Excerpt
Last week, our topic was how Gen-Z is embracing our webappraise platform for estate and gift tax valuations...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
May 30, 2023
Estate Article Title
"How to Tackle Digital Estate Planning in Four Easy Steps"
Estate Article Excerpt
Your digital life includes dozens of usernames and passwords. Providing a digital estate plan can help your family deal with your accounts with minimal fuss...
Hint Title
"Digital Estate Valuations"
Hint Excerpt
This week's trust and estate feature article discusses digital estate planning which is becoming more essential as people embrace the power of the internet. The same phenomenon is happening in estate valuations as customers migrate the pricing and accrual function to the internet...
April
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
April 4, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Democratic senators take aim at estate tax strategies for ultra-wealthy"
Estate Article Excerpt
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and three colleagues urge Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to curb the use of grantor retained annuity trusts in the name of tax fairness...
Hint Title
"NASDAQ & NYSE stock exchanges are closed on Good Friday but the bond markets are open"
Hint Excerpt
This is a complicated holiday for estate and gift tax valuation purposes because the stock exchanges are closed but the bond markets are open. The safest way to ensure you get a correct valuation, if someone passes over the three day weekend, is to wait till Tuesday so the Monday prices can be updated from the stock exchanges...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
April 11, 2023
Estate Article Title
"The Mystery Behind a $7B Estate Tax Payment"
Estate Article Excerpt
On Feb. 28, 2023, the U.S. Treasury received a payment of $7 billion in the category of “estate and gift” taxes. It was the highest collection of that kind of tax since at least 2005...
Hint Title
"Mandatory CUSIP Number Exchanges"
Hint Excerpt
One of our clients was valuing a security which had a mandatory CUSIP number exchange from (11271J107) to (113004105) on December 1, 2022...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
April 18, 2023
Estate Article Title
"More Americans are dealing with tax filings for trusts as older boomers pass away"
Estate Article Excerpt
More Americans are dealing with estate and trust taxes as their baby boomer parents and older loved ones pass away. The number of income tax returns for estates and trusts (Form 1041) increased by 14.9% to 3.24 million in 2021 from 2.82 million in 2020, according to Accounting Today. Similarly, the number of forms used for estimated income tax for estates and trusts (1041-ES) totaled 644,024 in 2021, or 1.6% higher than the previous year...
Hint Title
"ESI-APPRAISE 1040/1041 Income Allocator"
Hint Excerpt
Determining how much income to allocate to the 1040 and 1041, when a death is involved, entails going through 1099s and then approximating the allocation using a spreadsheet. It's even more complicated for bonds and when a fiscal year is elected...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
April 25, 2023
Estate Article Title
"How Estates Can Reduce a Double Death Tax on Decedents' Income"
Estate Article Excerpt
If one thing is anathema to taxpayers and their advisers, it's paying tax twice on the same income. Sometimes, they'll twist themselves and the Tax Code into a pretzel to avoid it. Other times, the relief they seek is hiding in plain sight. Such is the case with the deduction for federal estate tax on income in respect of a decedent, which simply is income that is earned before death but paid after death. It's taxed to whoever receives it. In some cases, an estate will be the recipient; in others, it may be a designated beneficiary...
Hint Title
"Simplifying IRS Form 1040 and 1041 preparation."
Hint Excerpt
We are considering enhancing our existing IRS Form 1040/1041 reporting tool which carves out interest and dividends accrued before and after death...
March
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
March 7, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Estate Planning for Memorabilia Collectors: Don't Leave Your Family in the Lurch"
Estate Article Excerpt
No one else in this financial planner's family has any interest in the sports memorabilia he's accumulated. But he's made a plan and has some advice for people like him...
Hint Title
"Stock Splits"
Hint Excerpt
We receive many questions about the terms of stock splits and their impact on particular date of death and alternate date valuations...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
March 14, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Top things for estate planners to do before Tax Day 2023"
Estate Article Excerpt
What estate planners need to accomplish for their clients before Tax Day, as well as the regulatory changes they need to be aware of while preparing for the big day...
Hint Title
"Pricing Multiple Portfolios Simultaneously"
Hint Excerpt
During Charitable Remainder Unitrust (CRUT) season, many of our clients take advantage of a standard Appraise feature which allows the user to price multiple portfolios at the same time...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
March 21, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Six Reasons Tax Season Should Also Be Estate Planning Season"
Estate Article Excerpt
Helping improve your clients' estate plans can ensure their financial wellness for generations to come...
Hint Title
"Using SEDOL numbers to price international securities"
Hint Excerpt
We have the ability to price international securities using SEDOL numbers...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
March 28, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Wealthy Clients Could Get Hammered By Estate Tax In 2026"
Estate Article Excerpt
The possible expiration of some provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in three years is beginning to turn up the heat on estate tax planning...
Hint Title
"Existing fax/email client wants to know more about Appraise-Web service"
Hint Excerpt
We recently received this question from an existing client: "Hi there! I've always utilized your fax/email service for years, but I'm curious about trying out your Appraise-Web service. Would I create a new account to access it?"...
February
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
February 7, 2023
Estate Article Title
"State Experimentation With Wealth Taxes"
Estate Article Excerpt
The idea of a wealth tax as a panacea for budgetary shortfalls at the federal and state levels has been around since at least the 1930s. Recently, using wealth as a source of tax revenues has heated up...
Hint Title
"Regulations for preparing Alternate valuation date reporting"
Hint Excerpt
Recently, one of our clients asked for the IRS regulations which we utilize for IRS Form 706 Alternate valuation date reporting...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
February 14, 2023
Estate Article Title
"How to Help Middle-Rich Clients"
Estate Article Excerpt
Techniques to help minimize estate tax liability for the merely rich, without the cutting-edge strategies often used by the ultra-wealthy...
Hint Title
"Setting up a Web Appraise account"
Hint Excerpt
One of the options we offer our clients for estate and gift tax valuations, in addition to software and software as a service, is a web based solution...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
February 21, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Estate Planning? Four Strategies for Leaving Assets to Your Heirs"
Estate Article Excerpt
No family is exactly like another, so here are some considerations to help you decide which distribution strategy best suits your situation, values and goals...
Hint Title
"Investing in our client's experience"
Hint Excerpt
This past three day weekend we completed a significant technology upgrade to our data centers. We upgraded the speed of our digital storage, switches, and internet connections. This is part of our commitment to consistently improve our client's experience with us....
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
February 28, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Presley beneficiary battle sets example of poor estate planning practices"
Estate Article Excerpt
A badly in debt woman dies leaving the proceeds of substantial insurance policies to her children only to have her trust contested by relatives who claim an amendment naming the children as beneficiaries is invalid with no witnesses, misspelled names, suspicious signatures, and was never given to previous trustees for review as required by agreement. A long, expensive, and protracted legal battle likely is brewing...
Hint Title
"System Maintenance on Weekends"
Hint Excerpt
As we mentioned in last week's eNewsletter (see below), we are consistently maintaining and upgrading our data centers to serve you better. We schedule this work between 6:00p ET Friday and 6:00p ET on Sunday to minimize the impact on our clients. The system may be intermittently unavailable during that time....
January
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
January 3, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Estate Planning Techniques in a High-Interest-Rate Environment"
Estate Article Excerpt
Rising Section 7520 rates do not spell doom for good planning, and there is plenty of silver lining to be found even in inflation. As part of our look ahead for 2023, Lathrop GPM's Edward Tully and Jim Thomson offer four key planning concepts that may help make the new year a little brighter for estate planners and their clients...
Hint Title
"57th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning"
Hint Excerpt
We will be exhibiting at the 2023 Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning in Orlando from January 9 to 13. Our booth (#501) is in the same place as past years, right next to the registration area, and across from the walkway to the sessions...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
January 10, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Smarter Ways To Make Estate Planning Gifts"
Estate Article Excerpt
Last year I reviewed the three best ways to maximize tax-free gifts, an article that continues to draw a lot of online views. In this post I discuss how to decide which assets to give loved ones to minimize not only estate and gift taxes but also income and capital gains taxes....
Hint Title
"Reducing the time required to process valuations"
Hint Excerpt
Some of our customers who prepare the valuations themselves, using one of our online solutions, ask for ways to reduce the processing time. Here are two tips...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
January 17, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Inflation Reset Lets Wealthy Americans Give Heirs More Tax-Free"
Estate Article Excerpt
The US lifetime estate-and-gift tax exemption is up to almost $26 million for married couples after the highest inflation in decades adjusted the threshold...
Hint Title
"Fiduciary Accounting Valuations"
Hint Excerpt
Did you know you can use our valuations for fiduciary accounting reporting?...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
January 24, 2023
Estate Article Title
"The State of the Estate Planning Practice"
Estate Article Excerpt
What issues and developments are attorneys encountering as we head into 2023?...
Hint Title
"Helping our clients control their costs"
Hint Excerpt
The final paragraph of this week's feature article includes a sentence which says, "Many firms have had to raise their rates due to inflation and other factors." For 2023, knowing our clients are trying to control their costs in an inflationary environment, we only raised our prices 3%...
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Industry News, Helpful Hint, & Upcoming Events
January 31, 2023
Estate Article Title
"Need an Estate Planning Checkup? Now Is the Perfect Time"
Estate Article Excerpt
An appointment with your estate planning attorney can address any holes that have developed and ensure everything is in place...
Hint Title
"Phone call from retiring client"
Hint Excerpt
We recently received a phone call from a client who retired and touched us with her kind words. This is what she said...