Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about charitable giving and estate planning ideas. Many taxpayers created irrevocable trusts and transferred significant ...

I noticed this tweet from a wealth adviser: “The greatest perpetuator of U.S. wealth inequality is the stepped-up basis rule. Basically, when you die, all the capital gains on your assets (home, ...

Q: My wife and I own two real estate properties. We plan on leaving those properties separately to our two sons when we pass. We would like to make sure that we minimize any related federal taxes ...

Dear Liz: I own a house with my longtime boyfriend. If one of us dies, how does the capital gains step-up affect the other? Answer: The deceased partner’s share of the home will get a new basis for ...

Stepped up basis can minimize the tax bill. Basis is a key concept to understand here. Let’s say you bought a bunch of stock for $100,000 and a few years later sold it for $250,000. To understand how ...

What if a husband and wife own a home together that increases in value by $500,000. When one spouse dies and the other owns the property themselves, do they receive a step-up in basis? Or do they only ...

For families locked into highly appreciated stock that could bring a big tax hit from the capital gains on any sale of the holdings, a so-called upstream gift could offer a solution. Processing ...