James Brennan's (jamesbrennan2) Blog

  The Estate Tax (or Death Tax), which levies a 45% top tax rate on couples estates valued over $7 million and individuals over $3.5 million, is slated to expire on Dec. 31st. However, it is also scheduled, like a beheaded hydra, to reappear with more ferocity in 2011, with top rates of 55% for ...

Do you know what a 1031 exchange is? Many investors think they have a handle on it. Unfortunately, often they know enough to appreciate the sentiment but not enough to navigate its many nuances. As investors learn the hard way, one false step can lead to millions of dollars forfeited in failed 1...

It is widely known that 1031 exchanges apply to different property types, such as office to multifamily or even raw land to oil wells. However there is usually some uncertainty about using a 1031 exchange in the case of vehicles, such as airplanes or boats. The rule of thumb in these circumstance...

Imagine waking up one morning and getting a call from your bank informing you that for every dollar you had, you now have quarters. In other words, there is only 25% of your cash left. This horrible scenario is now dawning over many former LandAmerica 1031 exchange customers and they may have li...

In a recent survey of the laws, practices and size of inflows in 60 jurisdictions, Delaware was found to be the "most secretive financial destination". Coming after Delaware were: Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands and the United Kingdom. These findings may strike some as odd due to the ...

The Senate is considering a proposition that will both extend a popular tax credit for first-time home buyers past the previous Nov. 30 deadline and expand it to include certain current homeowners. This development has implications which directly affect the market for 1031 like-kind exchanges, a...

If untouched, capital gains rates will automatically revert to 20% on December 31, 2010. Currently the rate stands at 15% and if the Obama Administration makes good on earlier indications, the rate could be raised even higher to 28%. With capital gains rates set to increase, it only makes sense ...

Timothy Harris, an estate planning attorney and founder of Timcor Exchange, passed away two weeks ago after his battle with cancer ended. He was known throughout his profession as a trailblazer and as one insider commented; "a pioneer for all independent exchange companies".   Timothy Harris will...

I recently ran into a very interesting blog by Net Lease Insider on the benefits of the 1031 Reverse Exchange. They interviewed Stan Freeman, President of Exchange Strategies Corporation and he provided some useful insights: 1. You can extend the time limits of your 1031 reverse exchange above 1...

When someone mentions Watergate, I instinctively think of the Nixon scandal and how that event highlighted and even symbolized the problems our country faced. Government was not to be trusted and our leaders were, contrary to their protests, crooks. Even though the event itself was relatively mi...