Congress Locks In $15 Million Estate Tax Exemption, Keeping Trusts Relevant

2 articles · Updated · Florida Today · Jun 12

$15 million per person — or $30 million for married couples with planning — is now the permanent lifetime estate and gift tax exemption under the 2025 law, with annual inflation increases.
That change does not make trusts obsolete, because most families use them less for estate-tax reduction than for asset management during incapacity, controlled distributions and creditor protection.
Trust-held assets can be easier for a successor trustee to manage than assets handled through a durable power of attorney, which institutions may delay or reject after legal review.
Trusts also remain useful for minors, special-needs beneficiaries, financially vulnerable heirs, blended families and divorce or lawsuit protection, even though Congress could still revise the tax rules later.