Artificial intelligence (AI) has taken a giant leap forward recently, bringing what seemed to be the future into the present. AI programs are already transforming businesses by producing automated responses to customers, marketing materials, emails, and virtual education programs. You may be wondering about the effects of programs like ChatGPT on the estate planning industry. Could your job eventually be replaced by a machine? We put this emerging intelligence to the test to see if an AI program could create an effective trust. Keep reading to see the results of this experiment.

Helping Clients Plan for Community Property in a Separate Property State 

If you are an estate planner, chances are you practice in a separate property (or common law) state. After all, there are only nine community property states. But that does not mean that community property will not appear on your radar.

Trusts have significant income-tax implications because their tax brackets are compressed: they can reach the highest income tax bracket with much less income than an individual taxpayer. 

Flexibility in the drafting of trusts will be even more important in 2022, when tax brackets are likely to be affected by rising inflation, the cost-of-living adjustment, and President Biden’s stimulus package. Income tax planning may not always be the first thing that comes to mind when drafting a trust, but the current political climate is causing clients to be concerned about rising income tax rates.