FAN LAW OFFICE

One of the most counterintuitive realities of significant wealth is that transferring it to the next generation without protections in place can actually harm the people you're trying to help. An outright inheritance received at the wrong moment — during a divorce, at a time of financial naivety, or in the middle of a lawsuit — can be lost, depleted, or seized. The assets you spent a lifetime building can disappear within a generation. Sophisticated estate planning for high-n

For families with substantial assets — particularly those holding assets expected to appreciate significantly — a Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT) is one of the most powerful estate tax reduction tools available. Here's the basic concept: You transfer assets into a GRAT and receive fixed annuity payments from the trust for a set number of years (the trust term). When the term ends, whatever remains in the trust — the original assets plus any appreciation above a threshol

If you have grandchildren — or plan to — a 529 college savings plan is one of the most tax-advantaged wealth transfer tools available. And a strategy called 'superfunding' makes it even more powerful. A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings account designed for education expenses. Contributions grow tax-free, and withdrawals used for qualified education expenses — tuition, fees, books, room and board — are also tax-free. Funds can be used at virtually any accredited college, u

If you have an IRA, a 401(k), or another tax-deferred retirement account, the rules governing what happens to those funds at your death changed significantly — and not to most families' benefit. Before 2020, a non-spouse beneficiary who inherited an IRA could stretch distributions over their own lifetime. A 40-year-old inheriting a $500,000 IRA could take small required minimum distributions over 40+ years, keeping the bulk of the money growing tax-deferred. The SECURE Act of