Purpose Trusts in Michigan

Michigan has a new purpose trust statute.

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Required Written Crummey Notices – An Old Wives Tale?

The trustee’s failure to provide written Crummey withdrawal notices to a trust beneficiary is not a reason to lose sleep.

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Non-Fungible Tokens

Investing in a non-fungible token (NFT) may provide an exciting investment opportunity, but its tax and administrative complications could easily outweigh the benefits of such a speculative investment.

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A Trustee is Not the Beneficiary’s Agent- Except for Predispute Arbitration

In the past we have covered that a Trust is not a contract with the beneficiaries. No, it is a fiduciary relationship, not a contract. In the same vein, some think that a trustee acts as the agent for the trust beneficiaries.

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Uniform Direct Trust Act and the UPIA

A directed Trust can override the duty of diversification under the Prudent Investor Act.

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GST Relief

The IRS just made it a bit easer to apply for an extension of time to make generation skipping transfer tax (GST) elections.

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NILs and Charitable Income Tax Deductions

The IRS continues to ramp up its challenge to claims of tax-exempt status by organizations that are created to facilitate name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities between student-athletes and their universities.

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FDIC Insurance and Trusts

FDIC insurance coverage for trust accounts just changed, and maybe not for the better.

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Trusts and the Conflict of Laws

A trust settlor can choose the law that is to govern his/her Trust. Until a court finds that there is a conflict of laws at which point the court gets to decide which state law applies in the construction or validity of the Trust or one of its provisions.

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The Michigan Uniform Power of Attorney Act- A Bit More on Powers

Individuals need to review their existing durable powers of attorney to confirm if the powers given to their agent are consistent with, or available, under Michigan’s new Uniform Durable Power of Attorney Act.

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