Steve Akers' Heckerling Musings (2011)

Steve AkersSteve Akers of Bessemer Trust has published his summary of discussions and presentations at the 45th Annual Philip E. Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning held in January 2011. It is hard to imagine anyone more qualified to report on such an event than Steve. The 96-page paper goes beyond a mere summary to include general discussions of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Authorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 and its implications on estate planning.

Steve's summary is available here and on Bessemer's website.

Among the many topics covered is the possible clawback tax on gifts made in 2011 and 2012 if the tax-free amount is reduced in later years. Steve also summarizes the planning suggestions of prominent tax practitioners as well as their predictions about what will happen in 2012.