Time to Make a Personal Estate Plan for Your (Financial) Exit or IPO

Your years of hard work have finally come to fruition.  Your company is going to go public or your business is going to be sold and what was once a dream is now about to become a reality.  This is the time when many entrepreneurs make million-dollar mistakes and forget about their partner Uncle Sam.  He has been waiting patiently in the wings for you to get rich; the richer you get, the happier he is.

The United States does not have a wealth tax yet, and it may never have one unless Elizabeth Warren is elected President.  However, it does have a death tax and so do a number of states, including New York; the less you plan the higher the death tax will be.  Whether your company will be going public or will be sold privately, you will be in a position to potentially save millions in estate taxes by putting a solid estate plan in place to protect your family.

Here’s the bad news: right now, the federal government has a death tax that will take 40% of everything you own over $11,400,000.  The amount exempt from tax is scheduled to be cut in half in a few years and possibly sooner, depending on the 2020 election.  Many States take a bite as well; for example if you live in New York, the State government has a death tax with rates that could take up to 16% of your assets.

But there’s good news: your company going public or selling your business presents you with an opportunity to potentially save millions in taxes.  It also enables you to structure a plan that will benefit your family and provide for their future well-being for many decades to come.  For more information and guidance on how this can be accomplished, please get in touch with Robert Birnbaum at rbirnbaum@srf.law or Jodi Zimmerman at jzimmerman@srf.law of our Trusts and Estates department. You can also call our office at (212) 930-9700 to speak with our attorneys.