This article is the second in a two-part series about some of the types of planning for entertainers and professional athletes. To read the first part published in the January 2017 TaxStringer, “Planning for the Stars: Financial & Investment Planning for Entertainers and Professional Athletes,” please click here.

Revenue Procedure 2016-49 answers in the affirmative the question of whether the IRS will respect a qualified terminable interest property (“QTIP”) election where the executor has elected portability of the deceased spousal unused exclusion (“DSUE”) amount under IRC section 2010(c)(5)(A).  

Many tax clients think that the tax withholding rules apply only to those in business. They are familiar with withholding on employee wages and may have even needed to withhold tax on income allocated or paid to a foreign investor in their company; however, most clients do not expect a federal tax withholding requirement when making payments for personal purposes—which is why the rules surrounding the purchase of a home may come as a surprise.

Financial and legal advisors representing entertainers and professional athletes—“celebrities”—confront unique circumstances not usually present when working with more traditional clients. These challenges include the “sudden wealth” effect, short earnings horizon, inconsistent cash flow, unrestrained spending habits, limited financial literacy, and incompetent advising.

After more than 35 years of “buyer beware” warnings, why do consumers continue to purchase flexible premium non-guaranteed death benefit life insurance products for a 10 to 50 year planning duration period, assume policy performance risk without knowing the risks to be managed, and forego annual policy performance monitoring—all while knowing there is a high probability that the policy will lapse without value during their lifetimes?