Author

Vanessa L. Kanaga Esq. 59 posts 0 comments

Vanessa Kanaga currently serves as InterActive Legal’s Special Advisor on Estate Planning and Legal Strategy. She is the former CEO of InterActive Legal. Vanessa received her J.D. from Cornell Law School and holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Wichita State University, as well as an Advanced Professional Certificate from New York University School of Law. She is licensed in New York, Kansas, and Arizona, and currently lives in Arizona.

Prior to joining InterActive Legal in 2013, Vanessa practiced in New York, at Milbank LLP and Moses & Singer LLP, and in Kansas, at Hinkle Law Firm, LLC. She has experience in a range of estate planning matters, including high net worth tax planning and asset protection planning.

In 2024, Vanessa returned to the practice of law. She is an Associate Attorney at Greengard Law Firm, PLC in Phoenix, Arizona.

Blog

Grantor and Non-Grantor Trusts: Some Thoughts About Turning Off Grantor Trust Status

Vanessa L. Kanaga Esq. Oct 21, 2021

Since at least 1986, when tax brackets for almost all Americans were compressed, and as a result of Rev. Rul. 85-13, which held that grantor trusts effectively did not exist for income tax purposes, grantor trusts have been one of the most…

Blog

The Waiting Game

Vanessa L. Kanaga Esq. Oct 5, 2021

None of us can predict what will happen in D.C., but estate planners can take steps now to prepare clients for changes coming in the near future.

Drafting

Interview Secrets – Tips and Tricks for Document Interviews in InterActive Legal

Vanessa L. Kanaga Esq. Jun 25, 2021

Document interviews in InterActive Legal follow a format that we all recognize – a list of screen titles on the left, questions on the right, navigation keys to move forward and back at the bottom. Beyond the basics, however, are several…

Roundtable

Blockchain Technology and Estate Planning: Cryptocurrencies, NFTs, E-Wills, and Other Ways…

Vanessa L. Kanaga Esq. Jun 6, 2021

Digital assets were only the beginning. Today, there is a new intersection of technology and property interests that most estate planners – in fact, most people - don’t yet understand. Slowly, but surely, estate planners are starting to…

Blog

Sentiments on the Reality of a Virtual Event

Vanessa L. Kanaga Esq. May 22, 2021

Last week, as the 55th annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning concluded, I took a few moments to reflect on the conference which, like many events, was different this year. All of the presentations were virtual, with the presenters…

Blog

Planning in Upheaval

Vanessa L. Kanaga Esq. Apr 29, 2021

Ever since the middle of 2020, there have been rumblings in the estate planning profession; murmurs of tax proposals waiting in the wings, the anticipation mounting as the federal elections (eventually) concluded and the White House and…

Drafting

Drafting for Continued Uncertainty: Drafting Flexible Gifts in InterActive Legal

Vanessa L. Kanaga Esq. Jan 29, 2021

The uncertainty that drove a significant amount of estate planning at the end of 2020 has carried over into the new year, with many attorneys drafting trusts for clients in an effort to use the relatively high gift and estate tax exemption…

Blog

Reflections on a Year Unlike Any Other

Vanessa L. Kanaga Esq. Dec 29, 2020

As 2020 draws to a close, and I reflect on a year unlike any other, I find that I am full of contradictions. I marvel at how quickly these twelve months seem to have passed, yet somehow wish that time would move faster. I feel joy for…

Blog

Look Before You Tansfer: Is there a PPP Loan?

Vanessa L. Kanaga Esq. Dec 8, 2020

An Additional Consideration for Those Advising Business Owners on Lifetime Gifts: As we near the end of 2020, many estate planners are doubling their efforts to assist clients with making lifetime gifts to take advantage of the current…

Legal Knowledgebase

Estate Planning Strategies When Using Exemptions – Ways to Act Now & Avoid Remorse Later

Vanessa L. Kanaga Esq. Dec 4, 2020

Given the current economy and the uncertainty of today’s political climate, many in the estate planning field have their eyes on Washington, D.C., looking to see if dramatic changes to the current transfer tax structure could be imminent.…

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