In a case to be argued on December 5, 2023, Moore v. United States, the question presented is whether the Sixteenth amendment authorizes Congress to tax unrealized sums without apportionment among the states. The case concerns Congressional taxation under the 2017 Tax and Jobs Act (TCJA) which imposed a mandatory repatriation tax on pre-2018 profits […]
Blog
What Constitutes a Valid Will? In Michigan, a jury found that a handwritten document by Aretha Franklin, found in her couch, was a valid Will. Apparently, a notebook containing documents with scribbles and hard-to-read passages emerged in 2019 after a niece scoured the home for records. It was signed by Aretha Franklin with a smiley […]
In Notice 2023-54, the IRS granted relief to individuals and retirement plans from taking required minimum distributions in 2023. This applies to both individual accounts and inherited IRAs where distributions were mistakenly taken although no distribution was required. This relief appears to be the result of the IRS’s delay in issuing final regulations under the […]
On October 12, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2024 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs, and the 2024 Medicare Part D income-related monthly adjustment amounts. The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $174.70 for 2024, an increase […]
Today marks the 248th Birthday of our U.S. Navy. When I was a high school senior, allegedly I had the highest Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) score in my county. The Navy recruiter turned into my best friend and had me lined up to join the nuclear navy. Everything was looking great until I […]
In White v. Stanley (Georgia Ct. App. 10/3/2023), Rhonda White appealed a jury verdict in favor of the defendants relating to a motor vehicle collision. White argued that the trial court gave an improper jury instruction regarding the Preponderance-of-the-Evidence Standard. The trial court instructed the jury using the existing pattern jury instructions. However, the law […]
Warren Buffett The following video clips are from Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meetings where Warren Buffett fielded questions regarding estate planning: 2013 Annual Meeting: 2023 Annual Meeting:
Sometimes you just have to say No “No” isn’t a four-letter word. Saying “no” isn’t necessarily bad and you shouldn’t feel bad when you say it. Part of saying no means taking a stand. It can mean standing up to injustice. For example, our legal system is, for the most part, dependent on people saying […]
Some people want to control others. This reminds me of the Bible story in Genesis 27 where Jacob stole Esau’s blessing. We’re not going to focus on Jacob. Instead, we’re looking at his mother, Rebekah. That’s why this is under the heading of control, not greed. Isaac and Rebekah were unhappy when Esau married two […]
