Gifting Up: Creative Estate and Income Tax Planning Strategies for First Generation Affluent Wealth Creators

Wednesday, February 4, 2026, from 12:00 – 1:00 PM CT

Not all affluent families have always been affluent. Many families do not have significant wealth and financial resources until “the one” comes along and changes the financial trajectory of their family line and lineage. This is an example of families where children have accumulated significantly more assets than their parents. In these situations, top-down traditional estate planning strategies may miss meaningful opportunities to reduce income taxes, fully utilize estate and gift tax exemptions, and create more effective long-term family plans.

Michael Andrews, Principal at BGM, Chad Carr, Partner at Stadig Johnson, and Chad Halbur, President at Cornerstone Private Asset Trust Company, LLC, will discuss modern “gifting up” strategies for families in which a member of the younger generation holds the majority of the wealth. The discussion will explore how transferring assets to an older generation or properly structured trusts can unlock income and estate tax savings. With proper planning, these strategies include step-up in cost basis, improve income tax outcomes, and make better use of federal and state estate and gift tax exemptions—while also addressing real-world implementation and administration considerations.

What You’ll Learn:

• Summary of current federal and state estate and gift tax exemption levels and limits
• Why first-generation, affluent wealth-creating families, require a different estate and income tax planning approach
• How transferring assets to an older generation can create a meaningful step-up in cost basis and income tax savings
• How unused federal and state estate and gift tax exemptions can be leveraged more effectively
• How trust structures can help manage control, incapacity, and family risk while still achieving tax goals
• Key considerations to ensure these strategies are implemented and administered properly

If you are a first-generation wealth creator, register to learn about estate and income tax planning strategies to help improve income tax efficiencies and make better use of the available estate and gift tax exemptions.