Individuals

Trust & Estate Tax Planning

Our seasoned professionals help you analyze your current financial situation and set and accomplish your short- and long-term goals.
Trust & Estate Tax Planning
Our Approach

Reaching Your Financial Goals

Reaching your financial goals starts with taking a serious look at your situation. When we undertake estate tax planning with you, we talk about upcoming life events to help determine the most appropriate plan for accomplishing your goals. And, if you don't yet know where you want to be financially in the next five, 10 or 20 years, we can assist you with that, too. We work to provide our clients with peace of mind by working as a team with them and their advisors (trustees, attorneys, insurance consultants, etc.) to ensure that they succeed in this process.

Services

Peace of Mind

Armanino has an experienced group of caring, seasoned professionals who specialize in estate, trust and business transition planning, compliance and related services. Our basic estate and trust services include:

  • Estate and gift tax planning - A tax-efficient gifting plan from Armanino's qualified appraisers allows you to give money, assets and real estate to loved ones and worthy causes while substantially lowering your present tax burden and the future tax burden of gift recipients.
  • Estate, gift and trust tax return preparation - Filing federal tax returns for estates, gifts and trusts is a meticulous process. Our estate tax accountants can help you take full advantage of any estate tax exemptions and other tax benefits to reduce the tax liability of your estate.
  • Post-mortem planning and estate administration - While many families have an estate plan in place, there are times when it's necessary to plan after a death to maximize tax-saving opportunities and minimize complications for both the deceased's estate and the beneficiaries of the estate. Armanino's estate tax experts can serve in this capacity, as well as act as administrators of the estate during this emotional period.
  • Charitable planning - Our private client services team can help you meet your charitable and financial goals, guiding you through philanthropic pursuits and helping you realize the tax benefits available when you support the causes that are important to you.
  • Trust and court accounting - In the event that an estate has no will or a will has no executor, Armanino can act as a court-appointed administrator, determining the distribution of assets to beneficiaries of an estate.
  • Life insurance planning - Proper life insurance planning can help protect your income, help manage taxes and help families recover from financial risks and unexpected costs. Armanino's estate planning experts can help you identify the correct type and amount of life insurance to provide peace of mind to your loved ones.
  • Elder-care consultation - A holistic viewpoint is necessary for proper long-term care planning. Our financial planners can help you determine how to preserve assets and get the best care for those you cherish, for as long as is required.
  • Accounting and bookkeeping services - From balancing your debits and credits, to paying your monthly bills, we can handle as much or as little of your day-to-day accounting as you need.
  • Retirement account planning - From employer-sponsored retirement accounts to plans for small-business owners and self-employed individuals, our experts will assist you in planning for your post-career life, so you can comfortably enjoy your retirement.
  • Multi-generation planning - Armanino's estate planning experts can help you plan for your beneficiaries over multiple generations, lowering the tax burden on your family business and estate through dynasty trusts, generation-skipping transfers and other tax planning opportunities.
  • Business succession planning and valuation - You've built a successful company and want that success to continue after you retire. Armanino can help you establish a valuation and craft a succession plan for your business, ensuring an orderly transfer of power and assets when it's time to step away.


Don't Let Estate Taxes Force Your Heirs to Sell the Family Business
Blog
Don't Let Estate Taxes Force Your Heirs to Sell the Family Business
Many family business owners spend years nurturing their companies with the goal of providing a livelihood for their heirs. But often their estates don’t have enough cash to pay estate taxes.
The Perfect Storm: Why Now Is an Ideal Time for Estate Planning
Blog
The Perfect Storm: Why Now Is an Ideal Time for Estate Planning
The ideal situation for estate planning is when the exemptions are high and asset values and interest rates are low, as we have in our current situation.
Experts
David Heilich - Tax | Armanino
Partner
David is a partner in Armanino’s Tax practice who provides trust and estate services and tax planning services.

St. Louis, MO
Connie Liu Headshot 1
Partner
Connie is an experienced tax advisor who helps clients achieve and preserve generational wealth.

San Ramon, CA
Resources
Updated April 20, 2023
5 Good Reasons to Turn Down an Inheritance
Article
Take these points into consideration before making a final decision on whether to accept or refuse a bequest.

August 19, 2020
Blog articles
Article
Many clients and investment advisors are partial to investing in vehicles called master limited partnerships in the inv...
Blog articles
Article
Do you know how to transfer a significant amount of wealth to the next generation at a discounted value for gift tax pu...
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