#estate-planning
9 articles
Selling $500K of Stock Through a CRAT Instead of Directly Avoids $80,000 in Capital Gains Tax
We ran $500,000 of appreciated stock through the calculator — a charitable remainder annuity trust avoids $80,000 in capital gains tax entirely, pays $25,000/year for 20 years, and generates a $67,781 tax-saving deduction today.
$800K Estate Tax Bill, $200K in Cash: The $650K Gap That Forces a Business Sale
We ran a family-business estate through the calculator — $850,000 in total cash needed against $200,000 in liquid assets leaves a $650,000 gap on a $3,000,000 business, due in cash within 9 months of death.
Moving a $1M Life Insurance Policy Into an ILIT Saves $400,000 in Estate Tax
We ran a $1,000,000 policy through the calculator at a 40% combined marginal estate tax rate — an ILIT saves $400,000, against roughly $24,750 in setup and 25 years of administration cost.
A $4,000 Prenup to Protect a $200,000 Business Nets $37,000 in Expected Value
We ran $200K of premarital business equity through the expected-value math: 50% likely split without a prenup, times a 41% divorce probability, comes to $41,000 of expected risk against a $4,000 attorney bill.
The $108,000 IRA-to-Charity Move That Can Save More on Medicare Than on Your Tax Bill
A Qualified Charitable Distribution keeps donated RMD dollars out of your AGI entirely — which matters more than the direct tax savings once Medicare IRMAA and Social Security taxability enter the picture.
The Stretch IRA Is Dead. Here's What Replaced It for the 10-Year Window
SECURE Act 2019 forced non-spouse heirs to empty an inherited IRA within 10 years. We compared equal-annual, lump-year-1, and lump-year-10 withdrawal strategies on the same balance.
Holding a $1M Stock Position to Death Instead of Selling Now Can Leave Heirs $290K Richer
IRC §1014 resets an inherited asset's cost basis to its value at death — erasing decades of unrealized gains for tax purposes. We ran the 15-year hold-vs-sell math on a real position size.
A Couple Gifting to 8 Grandkids Can Shelter $304,000/Year From Estate Tax — With No Return to File
The 2025 annual gift-tax exclusion is $19,000 per donor per recipient, $38,000 with spousal gift-splitting. We ran the 20-year math on a family with 3 children and 5 grandchildren.
Only 5,000 Estates Owe Federal Estate Tax Each Year — But 12 States Have Their Own
The 2025 federal exemption is $13.99M per person. Below that, zero federal estate tax. We checked why state exposure catches far more families — Oregon's exemption is just $1M.