Tax deal reshapes estate planning landscape

Description

Abstract: The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA), signed on Jan. 2, not only averted the United States’ descent over the "fiscal cliff," but includes some welcome relief from both the large estate tax increases that had been scheduled to go into effect in 2013 and the uncertainty that has plagued the federal estate tax regime in recent years. This article examines the act’s effect on estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax rates and exemptions; exemption portability; and other estate planning provisions. A sidebar notes that the act makes it easier to convert a traditional retirement plan account into a Roth account.