Estate Planning When Estate Taxes Don’t Matter
Access Course
Free
Free
Teresa L. Bush, Esq.
September 17, 2025
Description:
After years of speculation about what would happen with the estate (and gift) tax exemption, we now have some clarity. Things can always change, but at the moment, federal estate taxation has become irrelevant for most clients. This means estate planning could fall off their radar.
Yet even without a tax component, estate planning remains a necessary endeavor for any client who owns any type of property – both to permit the most efficient transfer of that property to the desired recipients at death and to plan for management in the event of incapacity.
This webinar will consider what estate planners can recommend to potential clients of all levels of wealth who don’t need to plan for estate taxation, but still need to plan:
- The bottom line – having an estate plan in place removes a huge burden after death
- An estate plan can protect assets from predators and creditors
- Clients with high – but not ultra-high – net worth should have a back-up plan in case the exemption drops
- State estate taxation still matters, and a good estate plan can cover that too – even for clients who don’t currently reside in a decoupled state.
As part of this discussion, we will look at pros and cons of different approaches, including leaving property outright or in trust, and contingency plans: disclaimers, Clayton QTIPs, portability, and more.
Access Course
Free
Free
Continuing Education Credits
InterActive Legal is not an approved Continuing Education (CE) Sponsor. However, several states and
regulatory agencies for a variety of professionals that participate on our teleconferences may still receive
continuing education credit for their participation. If a participant wishes to receive CE credit for their
participation in these teleconferences, they must apply to receive credit on their own and through their
individual states and regulatory authorities. It is the responsibility of the participant to file for CE
credit and is not guaranteed by the webinar sponsors.
Teresa L. Bush, Esq.
Teresa Bush joined InterActive Legal in 2007 and serves as Director of Education and Support Services.
Ms. Bush has been licensed to practice law since 1991, and focused her practice exclusively on issues of estate and gift tax planning, probate, charitable planning, and estate and trust administration. She began her practice in a small law firm, planning for clients of all levels of wealth. Thereafter, she practiced for a number of years in the Tax Section of Kelly, Hart and Hallman, P.C. in Fort Worth, Texas, and as an estate and gift tax consultant for the Dallas office of Ernst & Young, in both cases focusing on planning for very high net worth clients.
Ms. Bush received her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, where she was a research assistant for Professor Stanley M. Johanson. She studied at Edinburgh University and the London School of Economics prior to obtaining a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Rice University in Houston. While studying abroad, she worked as an intern for a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons.
Ms. Bush taught legal research and writing as a Teaching Quizmaster in law school, and later taught estate planning extension courses for American College of Financial Services CLU candidates. She has presented several online webinars on estate planning and drafting topics, and is the author or co-author of a variety of estate planning articles.
Access Course
Free
Free
Related Classes
© copyright 2025 InterActive Legal