The Psychology of Wealth and Complex Family Dynamics

August 6, 2020 Below is a transcript of the video interview. Sara Craven: Welcome everyone to another episode of the Sand Hill interview series, where we discuss the science and art of navigating complex wealth. In this series, we speak with subject matter experts and thought leaders around all things pertaining to managing and dealing … Continued

Don’t Miss the Boat on Gifting and Estate Tax Exemptions

July 20, 2020 In December 2017, Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), creating a significant but temporary opportunity for high-net-worth individuals to transfer a portion of their wealth to heirs free of gift and estate tax. The act included a provision to increase the federal gift and estate tax exclusion from $5.45M … Continued

GRATs are Great!

April 28, 2020 A GRAT may sound like a character from a Dr. Seuss book, but in reality, it is a great estate planning tool for clients with large estates who are concerned about paying gift and estate taxes. A Grantor Retained Annuity Trust, known as a GRAT, is an irrevocable trust established by an … Continued

The Importance of the Family Meeting

When Gloria Vanderbilt, the great-great-granddaughter of a railroad tycoon with significant wealth, passed away this summer at age 95, the subject of her fortune and the family drama of her childhood was brought up in every article I read. While I was certainly aware of these sad details of her early life, as a child … Continued

Extra Planning Matters When Traveling During Retirement

Travel during retirement typically requires more planning and preparation than vacations taken earlier in life. These vacations tend to last longer, and, for a variety of reasons, they can often place you in more vulnerable situations than experienced previously. In addition, later-in-life travel involves financial, estate and health considerations that are usually not as necessary … Continued

When Does It Make Sense to Hire a Professional Fiduciary?

Silicon Valley has long served as a beacon throughout the country and world for the best and brightest technology professionals seeking career and economic opportunities. Within the counties of Santa Clara and San Mateo, 38% of the residents were born outside of the United States as of 2017,1 and countless more are domestic transplants from … Continued

2019: New Year, New (Financial) You

There is no better time than the first few months of the year to utilize the momentum of the season to ensure your financial health is given proper attention. To kick off the process, you must first take a moment to reflect on 2018 to determine what is working and what needs attention. From there, … Continued

Can You Trust Your Trustee?

In the simplest of terms, a trust is a financial arrangement that allows another person, known as the trustee, to hold assets for the well-being of a beneficiary. There are many benefits to creating a trust: privacy, control, legacy protection and tax savings. Once the trust has been created and funded, it is the trustee’s … Continued