Session 6: Lifetime Planning Using Trusts

This session is part of the InterActive Legal Academy Estate Planning Tax Series

Faculty

Jonathan G. Blattmachr Esq. and Vanessa L. Kanaga Esq.

Course Description

This session will focus on transferring property away during lifetime, rather than at death. Lifetime gifts can save estate taxes in the long run, or might be made for other reasons, such as to provide wealth for family members or to plan for Medicaid.

Using lifetime gifts to reduce estate tax – including annual exclusion and Crummey powers
Making larger gifts to use the exemption
Trusts for Medicaid planning

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Faculty Bios

Jonathan G. Blattmachr Esq.

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.

Vanessa L. Kanaga Esq.

Vanessa Kanaga serves as 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 her role as CEO, Vanessa oversees strategic planning and development of InterActive Legal services and solutions, working with her valued colleagues to continuously provide reliable content and forward-thinking strategies to the estate planning and elder law attorneys who subscribe to InterActive Legal products. Vanessa also serves as the Moderator for the InterActive Legal Roundtable webinar series, fostering collegial discussion among a group of expert panelists on trending topics in estate planning.