Estate Tax Strategy & Wealth Preservation

Principled Advice for Every Estate, from Traditional to Complex

At Millan + Co., we believe a secure legacy begins with a solid foundation. Whether you are establishing a Traditional Will and Trust for family security or managing a multi-jurisdictional business empire, our role is to provide the technical oversight and clarity required to navigate the 2026 tax landscape. With federal exemptions currently at historic highs, our focus is on ensuring your plan is robust, flexible, and fully aligned with your values.

Successful estate planning requires more than just legal drafting; it demands a deep understanding of complex family dynamics and the strategic mapping of those relationships to technical legal structures. Whether your goals involve multi-generational wealth transfer or protecting family harmony during transitions, our approach ensures that your basic estate plan evolves into a bulletproof legacy that stands the test of time and changing tax laws.

What are the Estate Tax Priorities for 2026?

Under the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB),the federal estate tax exemption has increased to **$15 million per person** ($30 million for married couples). For many families, this shift moves the priority from tax avoidance to Income Tax Efficiency and Basis Management. Key strategies include utilizing 100% Bonus Depreciation via cost segregation and PTE Tax Elections to maximize state tax deductibility. While Traditional Wills and Trusts remain the gold standard for most, sophisticated tools like IDGTs or SLATs are available for estates exceeding the current exemption.

Our 4-Step Strategic Estate Tax Planning Process

01. Discovery & Inventory

We catalog global assets, from Real Estate and Business Interests to Traditional Holdings, identifying the total current exposure of the estate.

02. Governance Selection

We establish the legal framework—typically a combination of Living Trusts, Wills, and Land Trusts to ensure privacy, control, and clarity.

03. Strategic Calibration

We evaluate strategic levers like Cost Segregation, PTE Elections, or Strategic Gifting to optimize the estate's current tax profile.

04. Continuity Execution

We finalize Powers of Attorney, Beneficiary Designations, and Succession Plans to ensure the legacy is transition-ready.

Foundational Estate Governance

Every plan at Millan + Co. starts with the core instruments of protection. These are essential for ensuring that your wishes are honored without the delay or expense of probate.

Traditional Wills & Living Trusts: For the majority of our clients, a Revocable Living Trust combined with a Pour-Over Will provides the perfect balance of privacy and control. These instruments allow for the seamless management of assets during your lifetime and their private distribution thereafter.
Real Estate & Land Trusts: We utilize Land Trusts to decouple your personal identity from your property holdings. This provides an essential layer of privacy and can simplify the transfer of real estate across state lines and to designated beneficiaries.
Advisory on Digital Asset Protection: As wealth becomes increasingly digitized, we provide specialized advisory on the inclusion of digital assets in your estate. While we do not "create" the assets themselves, we advise on the encryption protocols, secure succession of private keys, and the suggested legal framework needed to ensure your executors have the technical access required to manage your digital legacy.

Advanced Strategic Tools (Optional)

For high-complexity estates or those seeking to capitalize on specific market opportunities, we may recommend one of the following specialized levers:

The "Wealth Freeze" Suite: Tools like SLATs, GRATs, and IDGTs allow high-net-worth families to "freeze" the value of an asset in their estate today, allowing all future growth to pass to heirs tax-free.
Business Optimization: We use PTE Tax Elections to bypass the SALT cap (now $40,400 for 2026) and 100% Bonus Depreciation to create immediate cash flow within the estate.
Conservation Easements: A secondary but powerful tool for land-rich estates to preserve natural resources while securing substantial charitable deductions.

Estate Strategy & Wealth Preservation FAQs

Is a "Simple" Trust enough under the OBBB Act? +

With federal exemptions now permanently elevated to $15 million per individual ($30 million for married couples) under the OBBB Act, the primary risk of federal estate taxation has been eliminated for most families. Consequently, our focus shifts to Income Tax Optimization. Through strategic Basis Management, we review your assets for eligibility to receive a full "step-up" in basis to current market value when you have passed on, which can effectively help eliminate future capital gains taxes for your heirs.

How can I protect my medical or legal practice during transition? +

For high-net-worth professionals, a legacy involves more than personal liquid assets; it includes practice continuity. We utilize Buy-Sell Agreements and Family Limited Partnerships (FLPs) to help ensure that your practice remains stable and its value is preserved for your successors after the conclusion of your professional affairs.

How does Millan + Co. help with Digital Assets? +

As wealth becomes increasingly digitized, we provide specialized advisory to help ensure the inclusion of digital assets and intellectual property within your estate. We review your technical access protocols to help your executors manage your digital legacy without technical or legal hurdles once you have passed on.

What is a SLAT and how does it provide flexibility? +

A Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT) is an irrevocable vehicle that allows one spouse to gift assets to a trust for the benefit of the other. This strategy can help ensure that your family's equity is removed from your taxable estate while still providing your household with indirect access to the trust's income through your spouse. It is a vital tool for HNW families looking to "lock in" current high exemptions before a wealth transition without completely losing a financial safety net.

How does a GRAT help in a high-growth environment? +

A Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT) is designed to "freeze" the current value of rapidly appreciating assets, such as private stock or high-yield investments. We use this structure to review your assets for eligibility to receive a transfer of future appreciation to your heirs with minimal gift tax impact. If the assets outperform the IRS "hurdle rate," the excess growth is passed on to beneficiaries, moving that appreciation out of your estate before you have passed on.

Ready to Secure Your Legacy?

Schedule a strategic consultation to align your estate tax plan with the future tax landscape and protect your family's equity.

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