Connecticut Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts Library: Forms and Practice Manual
Prominent Connecticut attorney, Robert F. Cohn, Esq., has drawn from his extensive experience to bring you insightful strategies and relevant forms for virtually every estate-planning situation you may encounter, in this newly revised three-volume manual featuring a bonus CD with more than 220 electronic forms.
This extensive, updated Manual, featuring more than 1,900 pages of content, will help you stay current and efficient by providing appropriate statutes and regulations – complemented by thorough discussions and analyses of the changing federal and Connecticut state laws. Plus, you’ll be expertly guided through an extensive selection of wills and trusts forms using an easy-to-follow, situation-oriented format. Included are client presentation charts, customizable electronic forms for wills and trusts as well as explanations and planning strategies for estate, gift, and generation-skipping tax.
As of January 1, 2023, for the first time, the Connecticut estate tax and the federal estate tax grant the same exempt amount, $12,920,000. For most clients Connecticut is now a state with no “death” taxes to be concerned about. This supplements the Manual by explaining that planning for large estates is simplified because a Bypass Trust for a surviving spouse can hold the maximum federal exemption without paying Connecticut estate taxes. Also, a gift can be made now of up to $12,920,000 to “lock in” the current high federal exemption without incurring Connecticut Gift tax. There would be less of a need to create a Connecticut Q-TIP trust to in effect create two Bypass Trusts. As explained in the Supplement, the federal exemption is still scheduled to “sunset” in 2026 and be reduced to approximately less than $8,000,000 depending on continued inflation.
Connecticut Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts Library: Forms and Practice Manual is also available as an eBook. Click here to order.
Robert F. Cohn, Esq., a principal at Zangari Cohn Cuthbertson Duhl & Grello, P.C., has developed substantial expertise in the areas of estate planning, estate administration, and elder law as well as business succession planning and corporate business transactions. His clients have been successful in achieving family harmony, reducing estate and income taxes, reducing administrative costs, and minimizing aggravation. The practice has grown from preparing wills, trusts, and other estate planning strategies for business owners and retired individuals, to guiding closely held business owners in the transition of ownership and management to their children or a younger generation of owners. Mr. Cohn is a member of the Estate and Probate Sections of the Connecticut Bar Association and a member of the Connecticut Estate and Tax Planning Council. He is a frequent speaker on estate, trust, and elder law issues, a speaker for the National Business Institute, and has written articles for various publications, including the Connecticut Law Tribune. Mr. Cohn also acts as estate planning advisor for many top financial institutions and trust departments and serves as Vice-President of The Connection Fund, Inc., a large non-profit organization in Connecticut that provides housing and clinical assistance to those with mental illness or drug dependency. Mr. Cohn received his B.S. Degree in accounting from the State University of New York at Binghamton, his J.D. from Washington University, and an LL.M. in taxation from New York University. Mr. Cohn is admitted to the bar in New York and Connecticut.
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SUMMARY TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I: ESTATE PLANNING: A PRACTICE-ORIENTED APPROACH
Chapter 1: How to Use this Book
Chapter 2: Estate Planning: Fundamental Objective
PART II: SIMPLE WILLS: FOR MARRIED COUPLES WITH COMBINED ESTATES NOT EXCEEDING FEDERAL AND CONNECTICUT EXEMPTION
Chapter 3: Non-tax Wills for Married Couples with Adult Children
Chapter 4: Non-tax Wills for Married Couples with Minor Children
PART III: TAX PLANNING WILLS WITH BYPASS TRUSTS IN COMBINATION WITH MARITAL BEQUEST (OUTRIGHT OR QTIP TRUST): FOR MARRIED COUPLES WITH COMBINED ESTATES EXCEEDING FEDERAL ESTATE TAX EXEMPTION OR CONNECTICUT ESTATE EXEMPTION
Chapter 5: Strategic Planning with Bypass Trusts
Chapter 6: Tax Planning Wills with Bypass Trusts in Combination with Outright Marital Bequest — for Married Couples with Adult Children and Combined Estates Exceeding Connecticut Exclusion Amount
Chapter 7: Strategic Tax Planning with Marital/QTIP Trusts in Combination with a Bypass Trust
Chapter 8: Tax Planning Wills with QTIP and Bypass Trusts: for Married Couples with Combined Estates Exceeding Applicable Exclusion Amount (Pecuniary Formula)
Chapter 9: Tax Planning Wills with Marital and Exclusion Shares: Use of Pecuniary Bypass Trust and Residuary Marital Bequests (Reverse Pecuniary Formula)
PART IV: "FLEXIBLE" TAX PLANNING WILLS WITH DISCLAIMER TRUSTS: MARRIED COUPLES WITH COMBINED ESTATES APPROACHING OR EXPECTED TO EXCEED CONNECTICUT OR FEDERAL ESTATE EXEMPTION OR WHO DESIRE A FLEXIBLE APPROACH
Chapter 10: Strategic Planning with "Flexible" Disclaimer Trusts
Chapter 11: Tax Planning Wills with Disclaimer Trusts
PART V: GENERATION-SKIPPING TRANSFER ("GST") TAX PLANNING WITH GENERATION-SKIPPING TRUSTS — FOR LARGE ESTATES
Chapter 12: Strategic Planning with Generation-Skipping Trusts
Chapter 13: Tax Planning Wills with Generation-Skipping Trusts
PART VI: WILLS FOR UNMARRIED INDIVIDUALS (SINGLE, WIDOWED, DIVORCED)
Chapter 14: Wills for Unmarried Individuals
PART VII: REVOCABLE (LIVING) TRUSTS AND POUR-OVER WILLS
Chapter 15: Strategic Planning with Revocable Trusts as Primary Testamentary Instrument
Chapter 16: Revocable Trusts and Pour-Over Wills for Unmarried Individuals
Chapter 17: Revocable Trusts and Pour-Over Wills for Married Couples without Tax Planning (Combined Estates Not Exceeding Connecticut Exclusion Amount)
Chapter 17A: Use of Joint Revocable Trusts for Married Couples without Tax Planning (Combined Estates Not Exceeding Connecticut Exclusion Amount)
Chapter 18: Revocable Trusts and Pour-Over Wills with Bypass Trusts — for Married Couples and Combined Estates Exceeding Connecticut Exclusion Amount
Chapter 19: Revocable Trusts and Pour-Over Wills with Marital/QTIP Trust in Combination with Bypass Trust (Combined Estates Exceed Connecticut Exclusion Amount)
Chapter 20: Revocable Trust and Pour-Over Will for Married Couple with Children with Disclaimer Trust Option Upon Death of Settlor
Chapter 21: Revocable Trust for Married Settlors with Generation-Skipping Trusts
Chapter 21A: Trusts for the Care of Pets
Chapter 21B: Retirement Plans in Estate Planning
PART VIII: STRATEGIC ESTATE PLANNING WITH IRREVOCABLE TRUSTS
Chapter 22: Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITS)
Chapter 23: Trusts for Minors
Chapter 24: Trusts for S Corporation Stock
Chapter 25: Retained Interest Trusts: QPRTs and GRATs
Chapter 26: Trusts for Individuals with Special Needs
PART IX: ALTERNATIVE DRAFTING FORMS
Chapter 27: Alternative Drafting Forms
PART X: SUMMARIES OF SELECT ESTATE PLANNING PRACTICE AREAS AND STRATEGIES
Chapter 28: Select Estate Planning Summaries: Connecticut and Federal Law
Chapter 29: Selected Planning Strategies and Techniques
PART XI: POWERS OF ATTORNEY
Chapter 30: Durable Powers of Attorney for Financial Matters
Chapter 31: Health Care Powers of Attorney and Medical Directives
PART XII: CHARITABLE GIFT PLANNING
Chapter 32: Charitable Gift Planning
Chapter 33: The Connecticut Transfer Tax System and the Connecticut Estate Tax
Chapter 34: Connecticut Gift Tax
Chapter 35: Summary of Federal Estate Changes
Chapter 36: Connecticut Uniform Trust Code
PART XIII: APPENDICES
PART XIV: INDICES
