News & Insights from Teresa Tallarita

Artificial intelligence (“AI”) continues to transform society in ways beyond imagination.   It is rapidly becoming clear that AI pervades every aspect of society, and criminal activity has been no exception.  AI is now reshaping the methods and scale of fraudulent activity. In 2024, Americans lost more than $158 billion dollars to Fraud and Scams according […]

Since 2018, estate planning legislation in Washington has remained stagnant. Increases in our legislated estate tax exemption rate had been tied to a Consumer Price Index that no longer existed, and the legislature largely ignored the issue. Recently, the Washington State Legislature finally turned an eye to addressing the issue and enacted a bill which […]

The job of parenting can be consuming with the drive to protect children in all circumstances, including the unthinkable. However, the topic of estate planning for children still looms large on the mind of most parents. Estate planning clients of young-adult children often express concerns about ensuring their children are cared for in the event […]

In an effort to provide Americans with various forms of tax relief, in 2017 Congress enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Tax Act”).  This act provided tax reductions in many different categories, but one of the most significant was that it nearly doubled the Estate Tax and Lifetime Gifts Exemption (“Exemption”).  However, these tax […]

Estate planning tends to be a topic that overwhelms most people.  It can be further complicated for modern-day global families whose lives include international nuances.  For example, when one spouse is not a U.S. citizen, certain legal considerations come into play that can impact your planning strategies.  Further, more and more families have international beneficiaries […]