The federal estate and gift tax exemption is scheduled to decrease from the current amount of $13.99 million per person to approximately $7 million per person. Without action by Congress, this change will take effect on January 1, 2026. Background…
Read MoreBeginning January 1, 2025, certain estates can avoid filing a Washington state estate tax return if the deceased person had a surviving spouse and a “qualifying family residence.” Return Filing Threshold; HB 1867 In general, when a Washington resident (or…
Read MoreThe IRS recently issued Revenue Procedure 2024-40 announcing increases to the federal estate and gift tax exemption and the gift tax annual exclusion for the 2025 tax year, among numerous adjustments to other tax provisions. The 2025 tax law changes…
Read MoreThe Washington State estate tax exemption is currently $2.193 million. The exemption amount is meant to be adjusted for inflation, but it has not changed since 2018. That is because the inflation adjustment is tied to a Washington law that…
Read MoreThe federal estate tax exemption is currently $12.06 million per taxpayer. However, in 2026, the exemption amount is set to decrease to $5 million, indexed for inflation (estimated to be between $6-$7 million). The current high threshold means many estates…
Read MorePresident Joe Biden recently announced the American Families Plan (“the Plan”), which is summarized in the Fact Sheet provided by the President. The Plan is a proposal that has not passed Congress. If adopted, it would make several changes to…
Read MoreRetirement accounts are often the most significant asset in an estate, yet in most cases, these assets pass outside the terms of our clients' testamentary documents. As a result, planners must take particular care to coordinate beneficiary designations with overall…
Read MoreCo-author: James Nevers, CFP ® - Soundmark Wealth Management Your estate plan and financial plan should be given careful thought before the 2020 elections. The Senate currently is made up of 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and 2 independents. There…
Read MoreIf you are interested in making charitable contributions without the complexity of establishing a private foundation or a charitable trust, you may consider giving through a donor-advised fund (DAF). What is a Donor Advised Fund? Essentially, a DAF is an…
Read MoreIn Matter of Estate of Rathbone, the Washington State Supreme Court held that the trial court did not have the authority to construe an ambiguous provision in a non-intervention Will (1). Rathbone involves a dispute among three brothers (Todd, Glen,…
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