Wealth and Law

Brent chats with Shauna A. Wekherlien (the Tax Goddess) about how to do income tax planning with the possible sunset of the Trump tax cuts in 2026. They discuss their thinking on the possibility of the sunset happening, how to view changing laws, and ways to try to have your cake and eat it too. They talk about the constant need to vigilance in tax planning and the frequency of change that makes i...

Brent discusses how the sunset of the estate tax exemption in 2026 will also effect non-citizen non-residents of the US significantly (NRAs). He explains how the estate tax treaties work and how the math under some of the treaties could change in 2026 in a way that makes an NRA who is currently safe from estate tax exposed to estate tax thereafter. He also gives an estate tax planning framework fo...

Brent chats with Karin Prangley and Ross Bruch about the details of crypto currencies in estate planning. They get into how crypto has changed over time, the challenges of managing it and administering it, and specific techniques where it is useful for planning. They also give real life examples and share tips from the trenches. Karin Prangley is a Senior Wealth Planner in the Chicago Private Bank...

Brent chats with John Stephens about how adding equities can de-risk an investment portfolio. They then talk about how that strategy can be used within the goals an investor has for their life. In the end, money is a tool to live, so they discuss how to think about using investing to support the life you want to live. They also talk about John’s unique journey from practicing physician to fi...

Brent chats with Ashley Francis about artificial intelligence and how it can be used to improve your business. They talk about its efficiencies, its limitations (so far), and how it can help take emotion out of difficult tasks. Ashley provides use cases and explains the current environment of AI. Ashley Francis is the owner of the Francis Group, PLLC, a CPA firm that offers sophisticated, personal...

Brent chats with Gary Fletcher about the now effective Corporate Transparency Act. They talk about what the act requires in 2024 for existing reporting companies, how to comply, bugs in the system, and what might be next. They give useful tips on how to understand the Act and make sure you and your clients are fully compliant. Gary Fletcher is an attorney and CPA at the firm Nystedt & Fletcher...

Brent chats with John Briggs, who returns to the podcast to discuss his upcoming book, The 3.3 Rule: The New Workday Standard of Creating More by Working Less. They discuss how John has grown his team, tips on managing people to be effective operators, and how a more balanced day can increase outputs. John Briggs, CPA, is the founder and CEO of Incite Tax and Accounting in Draper, UT. John graduat...

Brent chats with Victoria Richardson about all things art and collectibles. They swap fun stories about clients’ amazing collections, discuss how to properly value and handle these items, and dig into the IRS view of taxing valuable personal property. Victoria is the Deputy Chairman, Americas Senior Vice President for Trusts and Estates at Bonhams. Bonhams Trusts & Estates team assists f...

Brent chats with Julian Zebot about why families tend to fight. It isn’t always just about money. They explore the common reasons for fights, how to resolve them, and typical procedures when courts are involved. Julian Zebot is a Partner at Maslon LLP. He focuses his legal practice on probate, fiduciary, and trust litigation as well as business and commercial litigation, and he chairs Maslon...

Brent discusses some of the hottest topics in tax and trust planning. He talks about oral arguments before the US Supreme Court in the Moore case, Senator Wyden’s proposed (again) billionaire tax, and trust planning options in light of higher interest rates. He also dispels a few urban legends relating to guessing about other people’s tax, not taking what others do as what you should d...

Brent discusses passive foreign investment companies (PFICs). He explains what they are, how they can appear in surprising places, their complex taxation, and gives tactical ideas about how to deal with these assets. This material is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the speaker as of the date noted and not necessarily of the speaker’s firm or its affiliates....

This is a throw-back to a past episode where Brent and Rachel Sass discuss the history, structure, mechanics, and incredible utility of trusts. They explain where trusts come from, why they are so helpful in our current system, and how they are used in estate planning. Rachel is a Vice President and Trust Advisor in the Tucson office at Northern Trust. Rachel is a member of the Southern Arizona Es...

Brent chats with Amy Vetter about using her Business, Balance & Bliss method to identify, manage, and overcome the negative effects of stress. The conversation is wide ranging and Amy provides specific insight into how these normal human challenges can help anyone–professionals and their clients. The lessons shared reach beyond professional life to give listeners a view of some of the li...

Brent talks about crypto and NFTs. He discusses the unique challenges of planning with these assets, including electronic asset laws, document preparation, taxation, valuation, and the fact they are bearer assets. He then discusses what he thinks the future holds, speculating about NFTs for physical things such as real estate rights, private equity, and trusts. For extra reading, check out Stacy S...

In an era where the digital transformation has made its mark on every industry, how does it influence the realm of estate planning? This episode delves deep into the technological integration within distributed estate planning practices – those that span across multiple jurisdictions and even internationally. What’s Inside: Expanding Client Reach : Discover how technology makes it easier tha...

Brent chats with Jessica Goedtel about the unique challenges faced when doing financial planning for sex workers. They talk about building trust, creating a plan, managing volatile income streams. While focused on sex workers, many of the lessons relate to financial planning for any entrepreneurial individual. Jessica is a seasoned financial planner at Pavilion Financial Planning with a passion fo...

Brent chats with Matt Schmidt about the causes and cures for stress in professional life. They discuss the factors that are causing you stress and how experts, and they personally, suggest taking action to reduce stress. Of course, there is no cure for stress. They point out how to therefore harness stress to make it more of a tool than a hinderance in your life. Matt Schmidt is a partner at Schmi...

Brent chats about the sovereign citizen movement and how federal courts treat their arguments (not well). He provides a TikTok example of their arguments and then shares language from federal court cases showing exactly how wrong the sovereign citizens are. Short story: you don’t want to be one and you definitely don’t want to play one in federal court. If you are enjoying the podcast...

Brent explains how to make good intrafamily loans, especially in a volatile interest rate environment. He discusses the relevant interest rates, how the length of a loan effects the outcomes, and how to use tiered loans for even better results. If you are enjoying the podcast please SUBSCRIBE and leave a REVIEW, and if you want to learn more about Brent go to  https://wealthandlaw.com/team/ .

Brent chats with Brad Barrett about the essence of retirement and the art of fostering positive and prosperous relationships with money. They delve into the complexities of redefining retirement in the modern context and provide insights into the strategies for creating meaningful financial relationships. They also talk about setting goals that are meaningful. Brad is a Managing Director with One...

Brent chats with Martin Shenkman about spousal lifetime access trusts (SLATs). They discuss the many variations of these important estate planning tools, from irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs), traditional SLATs, special power of appointment trusts (SPATs), and domestic asset protection trusts (DAPTs). They explain the pros and cons of each and have lots of laughs in between. You can read...

In this episode, Brent has a compelling conversation with Sam Swift, delving into recent market developments and providing invaluable insights for making well-informed planning decisions amidst market volatility. They discuss the psychological aspects influencing decision-making, learn effective strategies to minimize errors, and discover ways to maintain goal consistency while adapting to the ebb...

Welcome back to the Wealth and Law Estate Planning Bootcamp! In this series of five episodes, Brent is joined by guests to discuss the basics of estate planning. In this episode, T.J. Ryan chats with Brent about Wills, the oldest estate planning documents. They discuss what they are, how they work, and why they are important. They also explain how probate works, how Wills are structured, and plann...

Welcome back to the Wealth and Law Estate Planning Bootcamp! In this series of five episodes, Brent is joined by guests to discuss the basics of estate planning. In this episode, Jenna Rubin chats with Brent about durable powers of attorney for finances. They discuss what they are, how they work, and why they are important. They also explain where they fit into a typical estate plan. Jenna is a pa...

Welcome back to the Wealth and Law Estate Planning Bootcamp! In this series of five episodes, Brent is joined by guests to discuss the basics of estate planning. In this episode, Emily Kile chats with Brent about possibly the most important estate planning document: the health care power of attorney and living will. They discuss what they are, how they work, and why they are so important, though o...