trust – DBS

Greenbook Deja’vu: Proposed Tax Increase on Wealthy

On March 9, 2023, the Biden Administration released its budget and tax proposals for FY2024. Alongside the Budget the Treasury released its document further describing the revenue proposals in what is typically called the Greenbook. Many of the proposals are reminiscent to those in prior years’ Greenbook. The budget proposes to increase taxes for corporations […]

A Business Does Not Need to Die At the Death of a Key Employee

Read our print-friendly PDF version Businesses are born when the market has a need and someone has a great idea for meeting the need. A product or service is developed and offered to the public. Over time, the skill, knowledge, leadership, and experience of the business’s key people make it possible for it to grow […]

Key Employee Life Insurance Checklist

Read our print-friendly PDF version The purpose of key employee life insurance coverage is to help indemnify a business for the loss of a key employee’s skills and experience in the event of the death of that person. Death benefits or cash values may be used to help recruit and train a replacement, to pay […]

“SECUREing” America’s Retirement System

On March 29, 2022, in a bipartisan 414-5 vote the House passed legislation known as SECURE 2.0. The bill intends to build upon the original SECURE legislation passed in 2019. The bill aims at increasing retirement savings and expanding availability and participation in employer sponsored retirement plans. It’s likely that Congress will pass, and the […]

SLAT: Is It Possible to Have Access to Trust Assets Without Estate Inclusion?

Situation – With the amount sheltered from estate tax (exemption) at a historic high of $11.7M ($23.4M for a couple), many high net worth households are looking for opportunities to minimize their federal or state death tax exposure by gifting assets during their lifetime. By gifting assets when the exemption is high, a high net […]

Options When the Policy is Ready but the Trust Is Not

Read our print-friendly PDF version Situation: The recent outbreak of the Coronavirus has caused many people to think about their own mortality, causing a surge in estate planning and the purchase of life insurance. As a result, we are receiving a renewed interest in one of the most common estate planning techniques – that of […]

Want to Access Policy Cash Values? Beware of the MEC Rules!

Situation: Over the past several years a number of life insurance carriers and marketing organizations have been promoting the use of life insurance as a source of cash in retirement: accessing values when the market takes a down-turn on a tax-free basis. Since more economists believe that recession might be around the corner, now is a […]

Will Recent Congressional Bills Make Inherited IRAs More Taxing?

Some people who have been successful in saving for retirement have established a large enough nest egg to be able to create a legacy for their children, grandchildren or favorite charities. While tax-qualified retirement plans were designed to help people fund their retirement, they also serve a useful purpose for some in passing wealth to […]

Women and Life Insurance: Where are the Opportunities?

This article is available as a print-friendly PDF handout. Click here! Women today represent a diverse and multifaceted segment of the financial planning marketplace. In fact, women account for 85% of all consumer purchases.1 Furthermore, today’s women are highly educated and more financially empowered than ever before. However, evidence suggests that their financial planning needs […]

Life Insurance Retirement Planning for Women

This article is also available as a print-friendly PDF handout. Click here! We’re focusing this month on retirement planning with life insurance, and we’re examining how the strategies pertain to women. The numbers are clear: women face greater challenges when it comes to retirement planning, and their wants and needs are unique. The DBS Case […]