Category Archives: QPRTs

Protecting Your Business and Assets

Posted on by under Asset Protection, BDITs, Business Succession Planning, Digital Estate Planning, Estate & Trust Litigation, Estate Planning, Family Business, Family Limited Partnerships, Financial Powers of Attorney, Kansas, Living Wills, LLCs, Medical Powers of Attorney, Missouri, Prenups, Probate, QPRTs, Retirement, Small Business, Trusts, Wills

The Kansas City Business Journal has this helpful article with strategies for protecting your business and assets if a divorce or other unpleasantness arises in your life.

While divorce or creditor lawsuits are never welcome developments in someone’s game plan, the best offense is a good defense. My firm has experience working with individuals and families throughout the business and estate planning processes. I’ve enjoyed working with clients ranging from single young professionals who want to plan for the future to business owners with complex trusts and tens of millions in assets. If my law firm can help you or your family with your estate planning, elder law, asset protection, business law needs, or digital estate planning, call me (913-707-9220) or email me (steve@johnsonlawkc.com) for a free, convenient appointment. I want to make business and estate planning simple and straightforward to serve your legal needs and help protect you and your business from lurking liabilities.

(c) 2014, Stephen M. Johnson, Esq.

 

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Final Boarding Call: Estate Planning in 2012

Posted on by under BDITs, Business Succession Planning, Business Transitions, Dynasty Trusts, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Family Business, Family Limited Partnerships, Financial Powers of Attorney, Generation Skipping Tax, Gift Tax, Gifts to Minors, Illiquid Assets, Kansas, Living Wills, LLCs, Medical Powers of Attorney, Missouri, QPRTs, Small Business, Special Needs Trusts, Trusts, Wills

The WSJ has this helpful article reminding folks to get their estate plans in order, especially for families with $1 to 5 million+ in assets. As we ring in the new year in a few short months, if Congress hasn’t done anything on the tax front, you’ll see several changes hitting your pocketbook. The Bush tax cuts will expire – so you’ll owe tax if you (1) die with more than a $1 million estate, if you (2) give more than $1 million to family or friends, or (3) if you do more than $1 million generation skipping transfers (e.g. grandparents to grandchildren). Portability is also set to expire, so you won’t be able to use your predeceased spouse’s estate tax exemption. The Obama payroll tax cut will also expire – so you’ll have less take home pay from each paycheck. Like the historically low interest rates now in play, we may not see estate and gift tax laws that allow you to pass on your hard-earned wealth and leave a legacy for your family again in our lifetimes.

Echoing the anecdotes offered in the WSJ article, our firm has been very busy lately, and our appointment calendars are filling up with work, as are the other professionals we work with to best serve clients with a holistic approach. If you need to do any estate planning, business, or real estate work before 2013, it’s time to act. If you have a small business, real estate interests, or other potentially hard-to-value assets, you may need to have an appraisal done before structuring your business succession plan, or setting up a family limited partnership (FLP) or family LLC. Appraisers’ schedules are filling up, so if you’re thinking of passing on your business or real estate holdings, it’s time to bite the bullet and get it done. Your family will thank you and you’ll be able to enjoy the holidays with the peace of mind that everything’s taken care of according to your desires.

We offer a free 1/2 hour consultation, convenient and affordable flat fee billing, and we’re a simple phone call or email away at (913) 7o7-9220 or steve@johnsonlawkc.com. At Johnson Law KC LLC, we look forward to serving your legal needs.

(c) 2012, Stephen M. Johnson, Esq.

Heckerling Insights: Part 3

Posted on by under BDITs, Business Succession Planning, Business Transitions, Dynasty Trusts, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Family Business, Family Limited Partnerships, Generation Skipping Tax, Gift Tax, Income Tax, Kansas, Missouri, Probate, QPRTs, Small Business, Trust protector, Trusts, Wills

Here are some interesting insights from our colleagues at the Heckerling Institute from this year’s conference. Among other topics, beneficiary defective inheritor’s trusts (BDITs), generation skipping tax planning (GST), trust protectors, qualified personal residence trusts (QPRTs), grantor trusts, and various probate planning issues are discussed. If we can help you and your family with any of these issues or address other estate planning or small business issues you have, please call (913-707-9220) or email us (steve@johnsonlawkc.com) for a convenient appointment.

Our firm, Johnson Law KC LLC, is developing a practice in Missouri inheritor’s trust and other beneficiary defective inheritor’s trusts (BDITs) and excited about sharing this new tool with clients to help meet their estate planning needs now and for generations to come.

(c) 2012, Stephen M. Johnson, Esq.