· ESTATE TAX · TRUSTS · GIFT PLANNING · WEALTH TRANSFER
You've Spent Decades Building It. Plan for What Happens Next.
Estate taxes, trust administration, and gift planning aren't topics most people want to think about until they have to. Archer Lewis helps business owners and families plan ahead, structuring wealth transfers that protect what you've built and keep more of it with the people you intend.
Our Approach
Estate planning works best when it happens well in advance.
Families and business owners who minimize estate and gift taxes typically aren't relying on luck; they've planned ahead of time. Trusts, gifting strategies, and business succession structures take time to implement properly, and the tax code rewards those who act before a decision becomes urgent. Archer Lewis works with clients on estate and gift tax planning as an ongoing part of their financial picture, rather than a one-time conversation prompted by a specific event
What's Included
Estate, trust, and gift tax services that protect your legacy
From annual gift tax returns to complex trust structures and estate tax planning, our team handles the full picture of wealth transfer taxation.
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Estate Tax Planning
Strategies to reduce estate tax exposure before it becomes a problem, including exemption planning, trust structures, and asset titling.
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Gift Tax Returns (Form 709)
Accurate, timely preparation of gift tax returns for annual and lifetime gifts, including gifts to trusts and family members.
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Trust Tax Returns (Form 1041)
Income tax returns for trusts and estates prepared accurately, with attention to distribution planning and tax minimization.
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Irrevocable Trust Planning
Structuring irrevocable trusts (GRATs, SLATs, ILITs, and others) to move assets out of your taxable estate efficiently.
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Charitable Giving Strategies
Charitable remainder trusts, donor-advised funds, and other giving structures that align philanthropic goals with tax efficiency.
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Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax
Planning for transfers to grandchildren and future generations, navigating GST exemptions to minimize tax across generations.
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Estate Administration
Tax support during estate administration, including final income tax returns, estate tax returns, and coordination with the executor.
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Business Succession Tax Planning
Structuring the transfer of a closely-held business to family members or partners in a way that minimizes gift and estate tax exposure.
The estate tax exemption is scheduled to change. Planning now matters.
Current estate tax exemptions are historically high, but they are scheduled to drop significantly at the end of 2025 unless Congress acts. Business owners and high-net-worth families who plan now can put strategies in place that may not be available later. Archer Lewis is helping clients take advantage of the current environment while it remains available.
Start Your Estate Plan
Common Questions
What families and business owners ask about estate planning.
Earlier than most people think. The most effective estate planning strategies take years to implement: trusts need time to work, gifting programs compound over time, and business succession structures require careful coordination. Starting five to ten years before you need the plan to be in place gives you the most options.
The annual gift tax exclusion lets you give up to a set amount per recipient per year without using any of your lifetime exemption or filing a gift tax return. It's one of the simplest and most underused wealth transfer tools available. Used consistently over years, it can move significant assets out of your taxable estate.
It depends on your goals: asset protection, estate tax reduction, control over distributions, or providing for a family member with special needs all point to different trust structures. We work with your attorney to identify what makes sense for your situation and handle the tax planning that makes it work.
Without a succession plan, your business may be subject to estate tax at its full fair market value, potentially forcing a sale to pay the tax bill. A well-structured succession plan (buy-sell agreements, family limited partnerships, or gifting programs) can dramatically reduce that exposure and keep the business intact.
Yes, and we usually do. Estate planning involves both legal documents and tax strategy, and they need to work together. We coordinate directly with your attorney to make sure the tax planning integrates cleanly with your legal structure.
