Transferring Wealth Without Estate Tax

As of 2025, estates under $13.99 million in value per person or $25.98 million per couple escape federal estate tax and CA somehow forgot to tax estates (read this article for more on that).  A bit of planning today can get the money where you want it, avoiding hefty fees, lengthy court delays, or unnecessary income taxation along the way. Larger estates require more planning.

Because I am not an attorney, I can review overall estate planning strategies without selling costly time or documentation. While I can’t review or prepare legal documents, I can help you choose the right estate strategies from a tax and financial planner’s perspective. Let my years of experience and education help guide you to the best strategy, for you. I have prepared trust and CRT returns for years, and additionally have studied trust tax at Golden Gate University, where I now teach estate planning.

We’ll look at gift tax and gifting strategies, principal residence trusts (QPRTs), life insurance trusts (ILITs), and charitable remainder trusts.

Together, we will answer these questions: How can trusts be used to manage estates or make plans to protect heirs that can’t be thwarted? The estate tax doesn’t yet threaten most of us, but how can families use real estate, muni bonds, annuities, or retirement plans best to reduce income tax and get the most to heirs?

Questions to consider:

• If you have plans for the hereafter, are they protected from legal disputes or governmental overreach?

• Will your children, grandchildren, and charities receive what you desire?

• Will there be conflict or confusion at your deathbed or thereafter?

• Have you picked the right trustees and guardians for children?

• Do you have all the right documents in place?

For more on estates and trusts, you can read my published articles in the Further Reading section.