Insights
Making Gifts to Children and Other Family Members
In this video, Attorneys Katie Commons and Mary Beth Melso discuss some of the issues that come up when making gifts of cash or other assets to children or other family members. They touch on: annual gift tax considerations, timing of gifts, gifts in excess of the gift tax exclusion, gifting to minors, the “Med-Ed” exclusion, special considerations related to Pennsylvania inheritance tax laws, and questions of basis for capital assets.
Should Probate be Avoided?
Attorneys Katie Commons and Mary Beth Melso discuss the pros and cons of going through the probate process. They talk about what probate is, why state laws matter, issues that won’t be solved by avoiding probate, the potential benefits of the probate process; the role of trusts, and how to find the best solution for you.
Will Substitutes to Avoid Probate
Attorney Mary Beth Melso details some of the methods available for the purpose of avoiding probate, and offers guidance on what to consider before employing any of them.
Why Beneficiary Designations are Important
Beneficiaries and traditional, non-ROTH retirement accounts.
Head of School Housing Benefits
In this video, Pete Commons discusses the issues surrounding the Head of School housing benefit, the important role it plays in recruiting the best head possible for a school from a nationwide and diverse talent pool, and also how whether the benefit is qualified as a non-taxable or not effects the cost of the benefit from the school and head's perspectives.
Federal Income Tax Treatment for Head of School Housing
There are practical incentives for a school to provide housing for its head, including the ability to recruit for the position from a national talent-pool without being disadvantaged by regional housing-cost differences...
Intro to Head of School Negotiations (video)
Pete Commons, whose practice is focused entirely on independent schools and heads of independent schools, provides an introduction to the head of school negotiation process, including the best way to approach these negotiations and the benefits for both the head and the School to be represented by a lawyer.
School-provided Automobiles for Heads of Independent Schools
Learn all about the pros and cons and tax implications of a school-provided automobile as a benefit for an Independent School's Head of School.
Trusts in an Estate Plan
Learn about common situations that benefit from the use of Trusts