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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Estate planning client is single woman in her mid-sixties with two adult children in their mid-thirties. Will leaves the estate equally between the kids; there are no grandchildren. Her estate currently is over the Washington estate tax threshold by about $700,000. Her wealth is mainly tied up in her home, worth about $2 million. She has health issues that will likely lead to needing long term care and plans to use her assets to fund this. Because of this, she does not wish to do any gifting to the children now to reduce her estate below the threshold, but may wish to do so in the future. Has anyone included the power to gift assets in a DPA for the purpose of reducing a taxable estate? I’m imagining a scenario where she is at the end of her life, incapacitated, but has not spent down her assets. It is feasible (or advisable) to grant the attorney-in-fact (the son) the power to make equal gifts to himself and his sister, enough to reduce the estate below the Washington estate tax threshold? Thoughts or other ideas to avoid the taxman down the road?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Lovie Bernardi</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Attorney at Law</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Seligmann & Flaherty, PLLC</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>216 First AVE S, #450</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Seattle, WA 98104</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>(206) 682-2616<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="mailto:joni@sbfirm.com"><span style='color:blue'>lovie@sbfirm.com</span></a></span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://sbfirm.com/"><span style='color:blue'>http://sbfirm.com</span></a></span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>**********<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>This e-mail may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient or otherwise have received this message in error, you are not authorized to read, print, retain, copy or disseminate this message or any part of it. If you are not the intended recipient or otherwise have received this message in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail, discard any paper copies and delete all electronic files of the message. <i>Circular 230 Notice: This communication may not be used by you or any other person or entity for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties.</i></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>