The Tools & Techniques of Estate Planning, 20th Edition

The Tools & Techniques of Estate Planning covers all aspects of estate planning, from behavioral and ethical issues to estate and gift tax planning, to planning for nontraditional couples and the risk of health issues for aging clients. With topics that are applicable for both large and small estates, this title enables estate planners to:

• Help clients plan every aspect of their estate, including tax, investment, insurance, and estate administration decisions;
• Help clients effectively preserve their assets under current law;
• Handle a wide variety of estates and specific circumstances; and
• Save significant amounts of time with exclusive estate planning tools.

This book features easy-to-understand, real-world examples from expert authors on which techniques are best suited for a wide variety of circumstances, and equally important advice on how to avoid future problems.

New in the 20th Edition:

There have been several updates in tax legislation since the release of the prior edition, many of which affect estate planning. When rules change, every estate planner must stay completely up-to-date with all the opportunities—and pitfalls—arising from the new legislation. This edition features:

• Updates resulting from the SECURE Act, affecting qualified retirement plans;
• New information on COVID-19 related tax changes for employee benefit plans;
• Employee retention credit under the CARES Act;
• Coverage of new IRS valuation tables in addition to the prior valuation tables;
• Updated ERISA compliance and reporting requirements; and
• Updated tax information, including the new 2021 COVID-19 stimulus and CAA bills.

Topics Covered:

• Practice of estate planning
• Choosing the right professionals for estate planning
• Ownership and transfer of property
• Estate, gift, GST, and income tax considerations for estate planning
• The use of revocable and irrevocable trusts in estate planning
• The use of life insurance in estate planning
• Planning for incapacity and special needs
• Valuations issues
• Charitable giving
• Using employee benefits to meet estate planning goals
• Intra-family wealth transfers and business succession planning
• And more! See the “Table of Contents” section for a full list of topics

As with all of the resources in the highly acclaimed Leimberg Library, every area covered in this book is accompanied by the tools, techniques, practice tips, and examples you can use to help your clients successfully navigate the complex course of estate planning and confidently meet their needs.