Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts (“SLATs”) are ubiquitous in estate planning. As clients plan to use the exemption before it is reduced by half in 2026, the issue of access to SLAT assets is key. Those with sufficient wealth may avoid any form of access. But for most clients some type of access is essential to assure that their financial position remains secure in future years. Thus, SLATs are a balancing act.
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Mr. Blattmachr is a Principal in ILS Management, LLC and a retired member of Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy LLP in New York, NY and of the Alaska, California and New York Bars. He is recognized as one of the most creative trusts and estates lawyers in the country and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America. He has written and lectured extensively on estate and trust taxation and charitable giving.
Ed is currently a regional wealth strategist for Huntington Bank Private Wealth Management, analyzing tax, trust and estate planning needs of high net worth and ultra high net worth clients.
Formerly he had similar positions with U.S. Bank Private Wealth and KeyBank's Family Wealth Advisory Group. Prior to that he was in private law practice, concentrating in the estate planning, probate, tax and trust areas. Other experience includes research and writing of legal memoranda for the U.S. District Court of Portland, Oregon as a law clerk. He is a Board Certified Specialist (Ohio State Bar Assn) in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and a Certified Mergers and Acquisitions Advisor (CM&AA). He is also a Non-Public Arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
Ed is a frequent speaker at CLE/CPE courses on asset protection, tax, and various financial and estate planning topics and is a co-author of the 19th Edition of the Tools and Techniques of Estate Planning, along with distringuished co-authors Steve Leimberg and Paul Hood.
Martin M. Shenkman is an attorney in private practice in Fort Lee, NJ, and New York City. His practice concentrates on estate and tax planning, planning for closely held business, and estate administration. Mr. Shenkman is an author of over 42 books and more than 1,000 articles. He is an editorial board member of Trusts & Estates Magazine and the Matrimonial Strategist, and an advisor for InterActive Legal. He is the recipient of many awards including being a 2013 recipient of the prestigious Accredited Estate Planners (Distinguished) award from the National Association of Estate Planning Counsels. Mr. Shenkman was named Financial Planning Magazine 2012 Pro-Bono Financial Planner of the Year for his efforts on behalf of those living with chronic illness and disability. Investment Adviser Magazine featured him on the cover of its April 2013 issue naming as the lead of their “all-star lineup of tax experts.”
