GRATs in Estate Planning Under Current Tax Law
Structuring Considerations, Income, Gift, Estate, and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Consequences
A live 90-minute CLE/CPE video webinar with interactive Q&A
This CLE/CPE course will offer a comprehensive guide to structuring grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs) under current tax law. The panel will go beyond the basics to provide specific drafting tools to avoid potentially costly mistakes and maximize GRATs' benefits. The panel will discuss client circumstances that benefit most from GRATs, tax consequences, and opportunities and challenges in the current economy. The panel will also discuss sample language for relevant clauses such as self-correcting features, asset substitution powers, term selection, and other critical components of a successful GRAT.
Outline
- Structuring GRATs
- Regulatory and statutory requirements
- Impact of interest rates and depressed assets
- Tax consequences for GRATs
- Gift tax implications
- Estate tax implications
- Generation-skipping transfer tax implications
- Income tax implications
Benefits
The panel will review these and other key issues:
- What are the statutory and regulatory requirements for structuring GRATs?
- How do the current interest rates and asset values impact the viability of GRATs?
- What are effective planning approaches for using GRATs?
Faculty

Christina Mesires Fournaris
Partner
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
Ms. Fournaris advises clients on estate, tax, and generational wealth planning. High-net-worth individuals,... | Read More
Ms. Fournaris advises clients on estate, tax, and generational wealth planning. High-net-worth individuals, multigenerational family groups, entrepreneurs, and owners of privately held businesses are among her clients. A significant portion of her time is devoted to working with women business owners, as well as women who control their family’s wealth. Ms. Fournaris' practice includes advising clients on trusts, tax planning, philanthropic and charitable giving, and estate planning.
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Jennifer A. Mendel
Partner
Barnes & Thornburg
Ms. Mendel has spent the last 15 years honing her craft counseling high net worth families on complex trust, estate and... | Read More
Ms. Mendel has spent the last 15 years honing her craft counseling high net worth families on complex trust, estate and family office planning. She is a strong communicator who is skilled at listening to her clients – learning about their lives, business ventures and family needs – and helping them tailor a plan to achieve their goals.
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Erica Howard-Potter
Partner
Pryor Cashman
Ms. Howard-Potter is a partner in the firm’s Tax and Wealth Management Department. She focuses her practice on... | Read More
Ms. Howard-Potter is a partner in the firm’s Tax and Wealth Management Department. She focuses her practice on estate planning and administration, charitable giving, trust and estate litigation, business succession planning and taxation.
CloseCannot Attend October 5?
You may pre-order a recording to listen at your convenience. Recordings are available 48 hours after the webinar. CPE credit is not available on recordings. Strafford will process CLE credit for one person on each recording. All formats include course handouts.