Estate & Gift Tax Planning

The wealth you've built should go where you want it to — to your family, not to taxes and not to avoidable complications. Estate and gift tax planning is how you make that happen on purpose rather than by default. We help individuals and families in Blackwood, New Jersey and across all 50 states plan the tax side of passing wealth on, working alongside your estate attorney so the strategy and the documents line up.

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The federal exemption is historically high — and that's the opportunity

For 2026, the lifetime estate-and-gift tax exemption stands at $15 million per individual/ $30 million per married couple. That's a large window, but it's also a reason to plan now rather than later — using the exemption deliberately, through lifetime gifting and the right ownership structures, often does far more than waiting until an estate settles.

Lifetime gifting: the simplest lever

You can give up to $19,000 per recipient in 2026( $38,000 for a married couple splitting gifts) without touching your lifetime exemption or filing a gift-tax return. Done consistently across several recipients and several years, annual gifting moves meaningful wealth out of a taxable estate quietly and simply. Larger gifts aren't off the table either — they draw against the lifetime exemption, and we help you plan and report them correctly. For giving to charity rather than family, see our charitable & gift tax planning page.

Don't forget New Jersey

New Jersey no longer has a state estate tax(it was repealed in 2018), but it does still levy an inheritance tax — and that one depends on who inherits, not how large the estate is. Close family (spouses, parents, children, grandchildren) are exempt; other beneficiaries, such as more distant relatives or friends, can owe. It's a New Jersey wrinkle that catches people who assumed the estate-tax repeal ended the matter. We factor it into your plan. (We confirm current New Jersey rules with the Division of Taxation — the details change, and your attorney advises on the legal side.)

Where tax planning fits with your estate plan

Lifetime gifting strategy — how much, to whom, and when, so it actually reduces the taxable estate
Cost-basis and the step-up — coordinating which assets to gift now versus hold, since inherited assets generally receive a stepped-up basis
Tax-smart account and beneficiary choices — retirement accounts, life insurance, and how they're titled
Working with your attorney — we handle the tax analysis and reporting; they draft the wills, trusts, and documents, and we keep the two aligned

Who we help

Families with real assets who want a plan for passing wealth on tax-efficiently, people considering significant lifetime gifts, and anyone who wants their estate plan's tax side handled by someone who does this on purpose.