Estate, Gift and Trust

Estate planning is an important part of a person’s legacy left to family, friends, business associates, or favorite charities. At Windes & McClaughry, we understand that planning for the distribution of your estate following death is only one aspect of estate planning. Equally as important is planning for the accumulation, conservation, and enjoyment of your property and assets during your lifetime.

Windes & McClaughry can assist you with wealth management and conservation of your estate by minimizing tax liabilities. Our estate planning process focuses on the preservation of wealth and the interrelationship of estate, fiduciary, and personal taxes. Working with our experienced estate and trust professionals, you will receive personalized service that focuses on developing the best estate and trust plan for you.

We can provide you with complete estate planning and wealth management services, including:

• Preparation of federal estate tax returns
• Preparation of estate and trust income tax returns
• Postmortem tax planning
• Assistance to a surviving spouse or other heirs
• Review of current wills, trust instruments, and schedules of assets
• Identification of family objectives and needs regarding wealth preservation
• Estimation of estate taxes under current estate plans
• Strategy of various alternatives to current estate plans and calculation of potential tax savings
• Examination of privately held business concerns, including valuations, alternative methods of paying estate tax, and transfer and/or disposition of business interests
• Planning for assets with unique estate tax attributes, including retirement plans and life insurance
• Identification of potential liquidity problems caused by federal and state estate taxes, generation-skipping transfer tax, debts, cash bequests, necessary funds for the continued operation of family business, probate, and administration costs, etc.
• Development of a lifetime gift program utilizing appropriate vehicles, such as Family Limited Partnerships (FLPs), Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), charitable trusts, life insurance trusts, and qualified personal residence trusts
• Assistance in communicating and discussing your plan with your family to ensure there is a mutual understanding and commitment to your plan
• Ensuring the proper implementation and administration of the estate plan

We are unique among Southern California accounting firms in our expertise and knowledge of estate and trust planning. Our estate and trust specialists have been called upon to give presentations at various tax and estate and trust seminars and have authored numerous articles for local tax publications. We are active in several local organizations for estate and trust professionals that focus on planned giving. We can offer a large client referral network, which includes trust companies, attorneys, accountants, financial planners, and chartered life underwriters.

Don’t risk losing a large portion of the estate you have worked so hard to accumulate to transfer taxes. Let Windes & McClaughry help you create a plan that provides security for your family and leaves a legacy for your future generations.

For more information, please contact:
Donita M. Joseph, CPA, MBT
John L. Di Carlo, CPA, MBT
Timothy J. Good, CPA, MS