Estates & Trusts
Estates & Trusts
Your estate plan is one of the most critical and far-reaching documents of your life, with an influence that can be felt for generations. It is not a finite document with words set in stone. As circumstances in your life change, the plan should be revisited and amended as needed. To make sure it achieves all of your objectives for distributing assets with the minimum tax cost requires technical proficiency, an insightful eye, and a clear understanding of your unique vision.
At RBT CPAs, LLP, our specialists are a resource of advisors who become part of your estate planning team. During the planning process, we work towards understanding what you want to accomplish, anticipating problems and concerns, and delivering solutions. Periodically we review your estate plan to ensure that your goals will be met and, if circumstances have changed, alert you to issues and recommend adjustments. We also work closely with your attorney, investment advisor, insurance specialist, and other advisors to see that your planning is coordinated and able to fulfill your needs and expectations.
Preserving Wealth
An Array of Approaches
- Clarifying family goals and identifying the specific needs of individuals
- Reviewing wills, trust instruments, and schedules of assets
- Estimating estate taxes under current estate plans
- Devising various alternatives to existing estate plans and quantifying potential tax savings
- Reviewing issues related to interests in closely held businesses, including valuation, alternative methods of paying estate tax, and transfer and/or disposition of business interests
- Planning for the unique complexities of such assets as life insurance and retirement plans to ensure that beneficiaries receive the maximum after-tax return
- Identifying potential liquidity problems at death caused by:
- Federal and State estate taxes
- Generation-skipping transfer tax
- Probate and administration costs
- Debts
- Cash bequests
- Need for funds to continue operation of a family business
- Developing a lifetime gifting program using a variety of vehicles:
- Family limited partnerships or LLCs
- Generation-skipping trusts
- Charitable trusts
- Qualified personal residence trusts
- Exploring options to fund education of children and grandchildren
- Ensuring that the estate plan is properly implemented
Specialized Services for Trusts and Estates
- Planning and preparing Federal and State estate tax returns
- Preparing accountings in surrogate court format
- Planning and preparing fiduciary income tax returns and decedent’s final returns
- Representing the executor in Federal and State estate tax examinations and individuals in Federal gift tax examinations
- Accessing our dedicated valuation team to establish value of businesses or other assets for estate and gift tax planning and administration
When it comes to your estate, the stakes are too high to trust advice that is anything less than perceptive and forward-thinking.
Generation after Generation of clients have turned to RBT CPAs estate planning—confident that the future of their wealth is in the best hands.
We also provide accounting services to a diverse client base in the following industries:
For further information on our International Tax Services please contact:
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