Health and Education Exclusion Trusts (HEETs) are an effective way to pay for tuition and medical expenses while avoiding the generation skipping transfer tax (GSTT.)

The one-year statute of limitations with regard to claims against a trustee will still apply, even if the trustee’s periodic reports and accountings fail to include the written alert that the trust beneficiaries have one year in which to bring their claims against the trustee.

Individuals who expect to receive large lifetime gifts, or inheritance, often enter into a prenuptial agreement in order to protect their separate property.

Gift taxes can be a surprise to some individuals who have just completed their divorce. While most transfers of assets incident to a divorce do not cause a federal gift tax, there are some circumstances when a surprise taxable gift can occur.

As we inch towards 2026 and a return to planning for (or around) federal estate taxes, some surviving spouses should take a look at their existing QTIP trusts which may cause their estates to pay federal estate taxes on their deaths.

Other uses for a Michigan Qualified Dispositions in Trust exist, more than just protecting assets from future creditor claims.

Social Security Old Age & Survivors Insurance benefits are now projected to be cut to 77% starting in 2033.

Foreign trusts frequently have annual FinCEN reporting requirements, which carry stiff penalties for their failure to report. The challenge is to determine when a trust actually exists under the laws of foreign nations, and in particular, civil law jurisdictions.

As the law progresses, the historic nature of a trust as a fiduciary relationship seems to be giving way to a new approach to treat a trust as a separate legal entity.

Lifetime gifts maximize the value of a portability election.