Summer 2019 Farm and Ranch Tax and Estate/Business Planning Seminar

Overview

This summer, Washburn University School of Law will be sponsoring a two-day Farm and Ranch Tax and Estate/Business Planning Seminar in Steamboat Springs, CO.  The event will be on August 13-14 at the Steamboat Grand Hotel.  This seminar presents an extensive, in-depth coverage and analysis of tax and estate/business problems and issues involving farm and ranch clients over two-days.  Attendance can either be in-person or via online over the web.

In today’s post, I outline the coverage of the topics at the seminar and the presenters as well as related information about registering.  Steamboat Springs – Summer of 2019!

Topics and Speakers

On Day 1 (August 13), Paul Neiffer (CPA with CliftonLarsonAllen and author of the FarmCPA blog) will be presenting with me.  We will start the day with a discussion of the I.R.C. §199A (QBI) deduction.  Many issues surfaced during the 2018 tax filing season concerning the QBI deduction.  The IRS produced contradictory statements concerning the deduction and the tax software companies also struggled to keep the software up with the developments.  During this opening session, Paul and I will walk through QBI deduction issues as applied to farm and ranch clients and address many questions with detailed answers – a very real “hands-on” approach that is practitioner-friendly.

During the next session on Day 1, I Paul and I will take two hours to cover a potpourri of selected farm income tax topics.  Those issues that are the present “biggies” will be addressed as well as current issues that practitioners are having with the IRS involving ag clients. 

After lunch on Day 1, I will highlight some of the most important recent cases and rulings for farm and ranch taxpayers, and what those developments mean as applied on the farm and in the farm economy.  Any new legislation will also be addressed, whether it’s income tax or other areas of the law (such as bankruptcy) that impact ag clients.

We will then devote an hour to common depreciation issues and how the rules have changed and are to be applied post-TCJA.  What are the best depreciation planning techniques?  We will work through the answers. 

Following the afternoon break, I will dive into the passive loss rules.  What do they mean?  How do they apply to a farm client?  How do they interact with the QBI deduction?  What is a real estate professional?  How to the grouping rules work?  These questions (and more) will be answered and numerous examples will show how the rules work in various contexts.

Day 1 finishes out with Paul covering tax and planning issues associated with the 2018 Farm Bill and the choices farm clients have and how the new rules work.  I will then cover the tax rules associated with ag disasters and casualties.  There are many of those issues for clients that will show up during the 2019 tax filing season, especially for farm/ranch clients in the Midwest and Plains states. 

On Day 2, our focus turns to farm and ranch estate and business planning.  I will begin the day with an update of the key recent developments that impact the estate and succession planning process.  What were the key cases of the past year?  What about IRS rulings and pronouncements?  I will cover those and show you how they apply to your clients.

Day 2 then continues with a key session on how to use estate planning concepts to minimize family disharmony.  This session is presented by Tim O’Sullivan with Foulston Siefken LLP in Wichita, KS.  Tim has a broad level of experience in estate planning and the handling of decedent’s estates.  This is a “must attend” session for estate planners and deals with a topic that is often overlooked as an element in putting together a successful estate and business transition plan.

After the morning break on Day 2, I will cover the tax and legal issues associated with the use of trusts.  Trusts are an often-used tool for farm and ranch clients, but what is the correct type for your client?  The answer to that question is tied to the facts.  Also, can a state tax a trust beneficiary or the trust itself if there isn’t any physical connection with the state?  It’s an issue presently before the U.S. Supreme Court.  By the time of the seminar, we will likely have an answer to that question.

How does the TCJA impact charitable giving?  What are the new charitable planning techniques?  What factors are important?  I will address these questions and more in the session leading up to lunch.

After the lunch break on Day 2, I will deal with an unfortunate, but important topic- what is appropriate estate and business planning in second marriage situations?  If the plan doesn’t account for this issue, significant disruptions can occur, and expectations may not be met.  This is an important session dealing with a topic that tends to be overlooked.

I will then provide a breather from some heavy topics with a lighter (and fun) one – what are common estate and business planning mistakes?  What classic situations have you dealt with in your practice over the years?  Mistakes are frequent, but some seem to occur over and over.  Can they be identified and prevented?  That’s the goal of this session.

Tim O’Sullivan then returns for another session.  This time, Tim does a deep dig into long-term health care planning.  How can farm and ranch assets and resources be preserved?  What are the applicable rules?  What if only one spouse needs long-term care?  Should assets be transferred?  If so, to whom?  This is a very important session designed to give you the tools you need for your long-term care planning toolbox. 

Day 2 finishes with a key session by Stan Miller on how estate and business planning concepts can be used to help make sure the family farm survives for families that want it to survive as a viable economic unit.  Stan is a founder of WealthCounsel, LLC and a principal in the company.  Stan has a long background in estate and business planning.  He is also a partner with ILP + McChain Miller Nissman in Little Rock, Arkansas.  This session is a great capstone session for the day that will bring the day’s discussion together and get down to how the concepts discuss throughout the day can be used to help the farming and ranching business of a client survive the ups and downs of the economy, as well as family situations.

Other Details

The seminar will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 13-14 at the Steamboat Grand Hotel, in Steamboat, Colorado.  It is co-sponsored by the Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics and WealthCounsel, LLC.  You can find more registration information here:  http://washburnlaw.edu/employers/cle/farmandranchtax.html

On another note, on Monday, August 12, also in Steamboat, I will be participating in another seminar (also in Steamboat Springs) sponsored by the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, the Eagle Valley Land Trust, and the Yampa Valley Land Trust.  Half of the day will concern legal issues associated with conservation land trusts.  The other half of the day will address real estate issues associated with conservation land trusts.  These issues are very important in many parts of the country in addition to Colorado.  As further details are provided, I will pass those along.  This all means that there will be three full days of tax and legal information available this coming August in Steamboat Springs. 

Conclusion

As I noted above, the seminar can be attended either in-person on online via the web.  Registration will open up soon, so get your seat reserved.  Steamboat Springs, CO is a beautiful area on the western slope of the Colorado Rockies. 

Hope to see you there!!