Tax & estate planning: archive
Every Tax & estate planning story in Advisors, newest first. 184 stories
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Social Security retirement trust fund 2032 exhaustion date holds; funding gap widens to 4.42%
Without congressional action, exhaustion would cut retirement benefits about 22%, Morningstar reports.
Washington voters to decide in November whether to block 9.9% tax on income above $1 million
The tax is not scheduled to take effect until 2028, and for some Seattle earners the combined top state and local rate could reach 18.037%.
Ed Slott's mailbag: hospice client, 52, can qualify for IRA penalty exception
A physician certification that the illness is reasonably expected to result in death within 84 months is required.
Hybrid clients are 67% more likely to consider leaving their advisor, Greenwich finds
About 22% of affluent investors use both a full-service advisor and a self-directed account, and the study puts their average age at 63.
IRS Notice 2026-62 treats one 351 ETF conversion sequence as taxable
The guidance expresses no view on funds that keep assets matching their strategy, and Baird's Steffen says sound conversions remain viable.
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IRS guidance targets abusive 351 ETF conversions; Baird's Steffen says sound deals remain viable
Notice 2026-62 and companion Rev. Rul. 2026-20, issued Sept. 28, treat one seeding-and-redemption sequence as a taxable exchange while expressing no view on funds that keep assets matching their strategy.
One in six $25M clients have no estate plan, will or trust
A WealthManagement.com column cites surveys showing two in five wealthy individuals lack a comprehensive estate plan and few affluent investors get charitable planning advice.
A WealthManagement.com column says hotel estate plans must transfer operating authority, not just ownership
The column breaks succession into three transfers: ownership, decision rights and operating authority.
Social Security sets 3.6% COLA for 2027, lifting benefits in January
The adjustment covers more than 72 million recipients and raises the average retired-worker benefit to $2,170 a month.
Donor-advised funds hold $328 billion as advisors weigh income-spike and complex-asset gifts
Sponsors assess complex gifts case by case; advisors should confirm capabilities first.
WealthManagement.com column argues client pride and leverage worsen premium-financed insurance losses
The author recommends independent scrutiny rather than automatic unwinding for troubled premium-financed arrangements.
NIL pay comes as 1099 income with nothing withheld, Dynasty's LaPorta says
A Wealth Solutions Report Q&A with four advisors covers taxes, budgeting and LLC formation for college athletes earning NIL money.
Ed Slott's top-10 RMD mistakes: rollovers, aggregation and a double-RMD trap
Delaying a first RMD to April 1 means two distributions that year, one of ten errors on an Oct. 14 list.
Treasury rules auto-enroll every eligible U.S. child in a Trump Account
Kitces' Oct. 14 analysis says families must claim the auto-opened account to control it, and that auto-enrollment widens the pool for charitable gifts.
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Cerulli: 46% of 401(k) participants want anytime withdrawals, 40% a personalized retirement plan
The report also finds 39% of participants want guaranteed monthly payments that last after their savings are used up.
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Treasury auto-opens about 60 million Trump Accounts and allows foundation stock gifts
Auto Accounts hold the $1,000 federal contribution and tax-exempt gifts; a parent must claim the Auto Account before individual or employer money can go in.
Northwestern Mutual study: 83% of boomers, Silent Generation prefer aging at home
The study projects an eight-hour-a-day home health aide at $105,120 out of pocket in 2026, rising to $552,232 by 2060.
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How a family's advisors can each see only part of its finances
WealthManagement.com's analysis argues individually sound recommendations on company shares, taxes or a move abroad can conflict once combined.
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WealthManagement.com: equity plan portals explain awards but not tax and concentration decisions
The October 8 analysis says record-keeper sites show vesting schedules and plan rules but leave employees to weigh tax bills and concentration.
Bryn Mawr Trust's Jamie Hopkins weighs CRUTs for inherited IRAs
In a Trusts & Estates video, Jamie Hopkins says non-spouse heirs now have 10 years to distribute an inherited IRA, down from decades of potential deferral.
Roth IRA transfers to a new custodian do not reset the five-year clock, Ed Slott's IRAHelp says
Brenner says an inherited IRA passes to the primary beneficiary at death; if the spouse then dies without naming a beneficiary, the custodian's default—often the estate—decides.
A 60-day IRA rollover can bridge a cash crunch, with two rules to track
IRAHelp says the once-a-year limit counts traditional and Roth IRAs together, and a missed deadline can leave the distribution taxable and penalized.
Colorado Amendment 87 would set top income tax rate at 8.4%
Amendment 87 would apply top initial rates of 7.4%, 7.9% and 8.4% above $500,000, $750,000 and $1 million, replacing the state's 4.4% flat tax.
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WealthManagement.com column: entity structure determines what a judgment can reach
The column says a personal judgment usually cannot reach business profits, though owners can lose access to their own assets.
Bank of America survey: 47% of wealthy see next generation prepared for family giving
Wealthy parents' confidence that their children share their commitment to philanthropy fell to 65% from 76% in 2024.
IRAHelp: IRA loans are barred, but a 60-day rollover can bridge a cash crunch
Miss the 60-day window and the distribution may be taxable and penalized; the once-a-year rollover rule counts traditional and Roth IRAs together.
Envestnet column says ultra-high-net-worth clients now expect family-office coordination
The WealthManagement.com column defines high-net-worth as $1 million to $5 million in investable assets and ultra-high-net-worth as anything above $30 million in investable assets, then argues those clients want coordinated family-office service without paying to build one.
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Wealth coach: a child who looks unmotivated may simply be unpracticed
In a WealthManagement.com column, a coach with 15 years among ultra-high-net-worth families argues that well-intentioned rescues protect a child from succeeding or failing on their own.
J.P. Morgan survey finds millennial and Gen Z respondents report more emotional friction
A 2026 J.P. Morgan survey reported by Wealth Solutions Report found a majority of millennial and Gen Z respondents calling emotional factors a significant challenge in family wealth discussions, against 38% of Gen X and 29% of baby boomers.
Emory & Henry halves tuition as at least five colleges plan fall 2027 cuts
The University of Tulsa plans to cut tuition and fees to $25,000 from $54,000 next year, and a survey of more than 250 private nonprofits puts the average aid discount at 57%.
Vanguard data shows fewer high earners maxing out 401(k) deferrals
The max-out rate among $150,000-plus earners in Vanguard plans fell to 51% from 60% since 2018, and projections built on the old number need re-running.
WealthManagement.com argues the $124 trillion wealth transfer needs a risk review
Inherited assets carry exposures that get less attention than the tax and estate work, the coverage says.
Chip Wilson's divorce has no reported prenup, and the planning gap advisors can fill
A 2026 Harris poll found 53% of engaged or married respondents under 45 had signed a prenup, a share that complicates the assumption the document is for people in certain brackets.
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SEC, FINRA, CFTC, NASAA, NFA and SIPC issue a joint investor bulletin
The bulletin pairs market-volatility planning with warnings that AI is making impersonation scams harder to detect and directs investors to registration checks.
Coastal 360 and Sovereign Financial use projections to show wealthy retirees they can spend
Alicia Fuller and Charles Failla walk clients through cash-flow projections before spending; one preceded a $150,000 world trip.
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Prudential survey: only 14% of retirees and pre-retirees feel at ease spending savings
Financial planning improved spending confidence, the study found, while 61% of respondents with more than $500,000 in investable assets reported discomfort about discretionary spending.
IRS guidance sets boundaries for 351 exchanges used in ETFs
Kitces reports the deferral strategy remains viable for clients with large embedded gains; the agency flags rapid turnover, mismatched seed baskets and pre-arranged contributions.
Colorado voters choose between a 4.4% flat tax and an 8.4% top rate
Amendment 87 would authorize a graduated-rate income tax, with initial statutory rates of 7.4, 7.9 and 8.4 percent above $500,000, $750,000 and $1 million.
Goldman Sachs retirement survey: 37% of respondents earning over $500,000 live paycheck to paycheck
The poll of 5,106 workers and retirees aged 45 to 75 also finds annuity demand rising, a T. Rowe Price executive said in the same briefing.
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SEC staff statement details Trump Account auto-enrollment and names BNY as trustee
Eligible children will have Auto Accounts established on or about Oct. 1, 2026, under IRA rules that end the year the beneficiary turns 17.