3 pitfalls to avoid when naming a beneficiary of a life insurance policy BY THEUS LAW OFFICES Life insurance can be a powerful financial and estate planning tool, but its benefits can be reduced or even eliminated if you designate the wrong beneficiary or fail to change beneficiaries when your circumstances change. Common pitfalls to avoid [...]Continue reading

IRS confirms large gifts now won’t hurt post-2025 estates BY THEUS LAW OFFICES The IRS has issued final regulations that should provide comfort to taxpayers interested in making large gifts under the current gift and estate tax regime. The final regs generally adopt, with some revisions, proposed regs that the IRS released in November 2018. The [...]Continue reading

Qualified Opportunity Funds: A new weapon in the estate planning arsenal BY THEUS LAW OFFICES The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act created a new program to encourage investment in economically distressed areas through generous tax incentives. The Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) program relies on investments in Qualified Opportunity Funds (QOFs) — funds that can provide wealthy [...]Continue reading

Nondeductible IRA contributions require careful tracking BY THEUS LAW OFFICES If, like many people, your traditional IRA holds a mixture of deductible (after-tax) and nondeductible (pretax) contributions, it’s important to track your contributions carefully to avoid double taxation of distributions. Why? Because the IRS treats distributions as a blend of pretax and after-tax dollars. If you [...]Continue reading

What Happens After a Grant of Asylum? BY THEUS LAW OFFICES After receiving your final approval of asylum, you are now legally allowed to live in the U.S., seek U.S. employment, and travel freely with the proper documentation in and out of the U.S. As time passes, you will be able to secure greater rights. As [...]Continue reading

Use nongrantor trusts to bypass the SALT deduction limit BY THEUS LAW OFFICES If you reside in a high-tax state, you may want to consider using nongrantor trusts to soften the blow of the $10,000 federal limit on state and local tax (SALT) deductions. The limit can significantly reduce itemized deductions if your state income and [...]Continue reading

If you’re a non-U.S. citizen, the estate planning rules are different BY THEUS LAW OFFICES Traditional estate planning strategies generally are based on the assumption that all family members involved are U.S. citizens. However, if you or your spouse is a noncitizen, special rules apply that may require additional planning. Defining “residency” and “domicile” If you’re [...]Continue reading

Inheriting property? Be aware of the basis consistency rules BY THEUS LAW OFFICES If you’re in line to inherit property from a parent or other loved one, it’s critical to understand the basis consistency rules. Current tax law, passed in 2015, provides that the income tax basis of property received from a deceased person can’t exceed [...]Continue reading

The Process of Obtaining Green Cards for Family Members BY THEUS LAW OFFICES First thing first, determining which family members you can petition for is of upmost importance. In this matter, depending on how your family member is related determines whether they will be able to come to the U.S. It is a myth that just [...]Continue reading

Determining whether you need to file a gift tax return can be tricky BY THEUS LAW OFFICES For 2020, the lifetime gift and estate tax exemption has reached a whopping $11.58 million ($23.16 million for married couples). As a result, few people will be subject to federal gift taxes. If your wealth is well within the [...]Continue reading