Many people rightly worry about what happens if they have to go into a nursing home and they don’t have long-term care insurance. They’ve heard stories about people who had to spend down their entire nest egg before they could qualify for any government benefits. The stories are true, and it happens all the time, but it’s not your only option.

Federal Estate Tax is owed on a person’s gross estate over and above the exempted amount. I remember back in the day, in the early 2000s, when that limit was only $675.000. Over the years it has gone up, and then in 2010 or so, it jumped up quite a bit and then again in 2018. In 2022, it stands at $12.06 per person or $24.12 for a married couple.

This article applies to Florida and Tennessee law, but note that ANYONE in ANY STATE can create and fund (put assets into) a Tennessee or Florida Community Property Trust (including real property, brokerage accounts, etc.), even when that property is located in another state and even when the person is not a resident of either state. Some restrictions apply, but they are fairly easy to accommodate for most people. Read on to learn more about Community Property Trusts and how they might be a valuable part of your comprehensive estate plan.

If you are a corporation, limited partnership (LP), limited liability company (LLC), or business trust. . .chartered, qualified, or registered in Tennessee or doing business in this state, then you must register for and pay franchise and excise taxes. This sometimes comes as a surprise to people who incorporate or create their entities in another state (like Delaware, Nevada, or Wyoming) but then do business or own property inside that entity in the State of Tennessee.

Anyone who owns an LLC in Tennessee is liable for Franchise and Excise taxes unless they qualify for one of seventeen exemptions (the article referenced above lists all of them.) This article is going to focus on exemption #11: the Family Owned Non-Corporate Entity (FONCE) exemption.

This is a question estate planning attorneys hear almost every day. The answer to this question is pretty typical of lawyers: “It depends.” In this post, we’ll give you some things to think about before you meet with a lawyer.