Your Life and Estate Laws Are Always Evolving. Has Your Plan Kept Up?

Estate plans are not intended to be a one-and-done project. They are living documents that should reflect your current situation, needs, and goals. That can only be achieved via regular reviews, and Borchers Law makes it easy to accomplish that via several customized estate plan services: Update Checklists TrustSupport™ ILIT Service Estate Plan Update Checklists […]

Take Action Now: High Estate & Gift Tax Exemptions Could Vanish in 2021

As with any election, there is the potential for significant impact on estate and gift taxes. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the federal exemption from gift and estate tax rose to $11.58 million per person with a tax rate of 40% on the value of assets above that limit. This means that under current law, married couples can leave a $23.16 million inheritance to their children, tax free. However, like all good tax stories, this one does not have a happy ending.

Trusts that Avoid State Income Tax

One of the advantages of using trusts in your estate plan is tax mitigation. While trusts are well-known to help reduce estate taxes, they are also becoming increasingly more common for income tax savings.  Can you avoid state income tax with a trust? Yes you can.  Make Use of ING trusts Clients are using tax […]

Tim Borchers Wins Top Judicial Award from Martindale Hubbell®

How Estate Plans Are Impacted by the SECURE Act

Significant legislation concerning the treatment of retirement accounts called the SECURE ActThe Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019, known as the SECURE Act, became law on December 20, 2019. The Act impacts retirement savings rules and taxes for workers and retirees. Read More became law on January 1, 2020. Among other effects, this eliminates the lifetime stretch for inherited IRAs.   In this article, I will discuss the issues and adjustments many clients will need to make in their trust planning, the tax implications, and the financial strategies to cope with this change.

Tim Borchers Earns His CTFA Becoming a Certified Trust Advisor

Simplify your trust now that the MA estate tax law has changed?

Dramatic Doubling of the MA Estate Tax Exemption

Income Tax Planning for High Income Tax States

What Legal Documents Do You Need When You Turn 18?

When you're the parent of a college-age student, there are many things on your radar: Rooming assignments, school tuition, and that dreaded trip to Target to outfit your new student who is about to venture off to college or to otherwise begin the next stage of their life.

Like-Kind Exchanges: Defer Capital Gains Taxes on Real Estate

Raise your hand if you want to avoid paying capital gains taxes for as long as possible. The good news is that you can, if you have a property that you plan to sell and have eyed property that you would like to quickly turn around and buy. In a “like-kind” exchange, the seller (“exchanger”) […]

Borchers Trust Law returns to Medfield after 17 years

Borchers Trust Law announces a return to Medfield, where the firm was founded almost 30 years ago by Attorney Tim Borchers. The firm’s new offices will be at 266 Main Street, known as Olde Medfield Square. This homecoming marks an important step for this greater Boston area firm focused on creating innovative estate planning solutions that are presented in a clear and understandable way.

Our Rising Star: Marc Cusano

Our own Marc Cusano, Esq., has been honored as one of Super Lawyers’ “Rising Stars” two years in a row – for both 2017 and 2018. The designation is bestowed by the Super Lawyers subsidiary of Thomson Reuters and recognizes just 2.5% of attorneys — the very best of the best. Super Lawyers selects attorneys […]

Introducing a MA Bill Which Would Raise the Estate Tax Exemption

On January 16th, I sat down with Massachusetts State Rep., Shawn Dooley, to talk about the commonwealth’s estate tax reform and his innovative bill. Dooley is the lead sponsor of a bill (H.2446) to raise the Mass.

Save on Estate Taxes with the Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust

The irrevocable life insurance trust (or “ILIT”), as its name suggests, is irrevocable. It cannot be rescinded, amended, or modified in any way by the “grantor” after its creation. Once the grantor contributes property or a life insurance policy to the trust, he or she cannot get it back. However, the grantor can retain the power to change the trustees and the grantor’s spouse and others can be given power to change beneficiaries.

From Super Lawyer to Super Dad: Tim Borchers Receives Two Special Awards

We are thrilled to announce that our founder, Tim Borchers, has been recognized with the prestigious Super Lawyers award for 2024 in the field of trusts and estates. This distinction is particularly meaningful as it is awarded based on peer nominations and a rigorous selection process. The Super Lawyers award is reserved for attorneys who […]

A Peek Behind the Curtain: What New Team Members Think

Are you wondering what it is really like at Borchers Law Group? Do these friendly people get along as well as they appear? We thought we’d give a behind-the-curtain look from two of our newest team members, Erika Schaad, Administrative Legal Assistant, and Stephanie Marra, Paralegal. Erika joined the team in April and Stephanie joined […]

TrustCASE – Streamlining Estate Settlement System

Introducing the super-TRUST-powers eBook

The summer is time for sunglasses, the beach, ice cream, and of course, superhero blockbusters. And it’s not a bad time to get your financial planning and estate planning in order, either. We’ve compiled our super-TRUST-powers series of articles into an omnibus eBook to make things more convenient — or to supply you with some […]

Estate and Gift Taxes Under the New 2018 Tax Law

In December, I published this blog post outlining specific steps that could be taken before the end of 2017 in light of proposed tax changes. Since then, the proposed tax code has become law and there are further updates for the 2018 tax law. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which became law January 1st, […]

Borchers Trust Law Celebrates 30 Years of Innovation and Care

Two and a half decades in trust management would be enough to celebrate for most firms. In the case of Borchers Trust Law Group, however, age is just a number. “As a firm that focuses primarily on money and time, we have a rare perspective on how to make the most of both,” said founder, Tim Borchers.

Surviving and Thriving in 2020

6 Reasons to Administer Trusts in New Hampshire

We are committed to offering our clients the most effective and advantageous estate planning solutions. That’s why we established a branch in Concord, New Hampshire. This locale provides access to New Hampshire’s trust laws, which are among the most favorable in the country, particularly for irrevocable trustsA trust that cannot be revoked by the Grantor. […]

Take Action Now in Preparation for Proposed Tax Reforms

Update: Now that the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has become law, we’ve expanded upon the of Estate and Gift Tax laws for 2018 here. Congress is poised to enact a major tax law overhaul that could make fundamental changes to the way you calculate your federal income tax bill and the amount of federal […]

Considering a Move to New Hampshire? Key Financial Benefits for Mass. Residents

As a Massachusetts resident, you may be considering the financial benefits of moving to New Hampshire—like lower taxes, more affordable housing, and the absence of an estate tax. Both of our partners, Tim Borchers and Marc Cusano, have homes and are licensed to practice in both states, so we know firsthand how appealing these advantages […]