Atlanta partner Tiffany McKenzie was featured in The Mortmain, which is the Atlanta Bar Association Estate Planning and Probate Section’s newsletter. This article discusses McKenzie’s lecture, held on December 11, 2019 at the Estate Planning Section’s breakfast meeting, detailing how to create the ultimate digital estate planning checklist for clients. The complete article can be found here.

The Treasury Department issued final regulations on  November 26, 2019 (Treasury Decision 9884) confirming that taxpayers will not be subject to “clawback” of the value of their pre-2026 gifts of the temporarily increased gift and estate tax exemption.

Pursuant to the final regulations, taxpayers will be able to use (prior to 2026) the full increased gift and estate tax exclusion that became available beginning in 2018 under the citing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) without concern that the IRS may attempt to include gifts that exceed the post-2025 exclusion amount in the taxpayer’s taxable estate at death.  This concern that lifetime gifts in excess of the exclusion amount at death might be included in the taxable estate of the decedent has come to be known as “clawback.”  The TCJA itself directed the IRS to publish regulations clarifying the clawback question and

Lawrence Brody authored an article in the December 2019/ January 2020 STEP Journal titled US Taxation of Death Benefits.  This article discusses the US income taxation of life insurance death benefits, particularly the exceptions to the general rule that proceeds paid by reason of the death of insured are not included as a part of the beneficiary’s taxable income. The complete article can be accessed by STEP members here.

The 7520 rate for January 2020 remained at 2%.

The January 2020 Applicable Federal Interest Rates can be found here.

A recent New York case, Estate of Swezey (NYLJ, 1/17/19 at pp. 23, col. 3) highlights the confusion in the laws of many states regarding the administration and distribution of digital assets at a decedent’s death.  In this case, decedent’s executor asked Apple to turn over decedent’s photographs stored in his iTunes and iCloud account.  No provision in decedent’s Will specifically authorized the executor to access decedent’s digital account.  The Court relied on the relatively new section 13-A in the New York Estates, Powers and Trusts Law (“EPTL”), Administration of Digital Assets which provides for different procedures for the disclosure of electronic communications, in contrast to the digital assets.  To disclose electronic communication specific user consent is required or a specific court order for an identifiable reason.  Other digital assets, such

Please enjoy our first cross-Atlantic blog post since the merger of Bryan Cave and Berwin Leighton Paisner.  Caroline Ferrigan is a Senior Associate in the Private Client team in Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner’s London office.  Stephanie Moll is a Private Client Partner in Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner’s Denver and St Louis offices.

The music world was left mourning the death of another legend recently with the passing of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.  A woman with a voice full of power and emotion, her death leaves a musical landscape with few (if any) who can emulate someone rated by Rolling Stone as the greatest singer of all time.  However, as well as leaving a gaping hole in the music industry, Aretha Franklin’s death may also leave an estate administration headache,

With research and drafting assistance provided by our extern from Washington University School of Law, Rachael Lynch.

Now that we’ve scared you with the potentially high taxes for self-dealing in private foundations, what is self dealing?

Self dealing includes any of the following transactions:

1. sale or exchange, or leasing, of property between a private foundation and a disqualified person (click here for a definition of a disqualified person); 2. lending of money or other extension of credit between a private foundation and a disqualified person; 3. furnishing of goods, services, or facilities between a private foundation and a disqualified person; 4. payment of compensation by a foundation to a disqualified person; 5. transfer of income or assets of a private foundation to a disqualified person; and 6. agreement by a private foundation to make any payment to a government official (other than an agreement to hire the official when

The 7520 rate for January 2018 will remain at 2.6%.

The January 2018 Applicable Federal Interest Rates can be found here.

Notice 2017-73, released on December 4, 2017, describes potential approaches that may be taken to address issues raised regarding the use of donor advised funds (“DAF”). The Treasury and IRS are considering developing proposed regulations under § 4967 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) that would, if finalized, provide that: (1) certain distributions from a DAF that pay for the purchase of tickets that enable a donor, donor advisor, or related person to attend or participate in a charity-sponsored event result in a more than incidental benefit to such person under § 4967; and (2) certain distributions from a DAF that the distributee charity treats as fulfilling a pledge made by a donor, donor advisor, or related person, do not result in a more than incidental benefit under § 4967 if certain requirements are met. In addition, the Treasury Department and the IRS are considering developing proposed regulations that would

In a long-awaited move, the IRS announced recently that taxpayers will now have at least two years to file an estate tax return to elect portability of a decedent’s unused estate tax exemption to the decedent’s surviving spouse.

The new rule was articulated by the IRS in Revenue Procedure 2017-34 and became effective as of June 9, 2017.  Under this new two year filing window, which the IRS characterizes as a “simplified method for certain taxpayers to obtain an extension of time  . . . to make a ‘portability’ election”, a decedent’s estate will have until the later of January 2, 2018 or the second anniversary of the decedent’s death to file an estate tax return to elect portability.  In order to take advantage of this simplified method for obtaining an extension