The federal estate tax exemption has settled at $30 million for married couples, with no sunset on the horizon. This piece reframes what estate planning is actually for once the federal deadline disappears—and walks through the trust strategies that still earn their place.

Big private companies like SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI are heading for the public markets. The way index funds actually incorporate a new company explains why the effect on a diversified portfolio is usually modest.

Most high-income taxpayers have a CPA and a financial advisor — but rarely do those two professionals share the same picture of your finances in real time. Brickley Wealth Management breaks down where the coordination gap costs the most and what a truly integrated approach looks like.

The headline sale price and the after-tax cash you actually keep are rarely the same number—and the gap is where planning creates the most value. A multi-year tax and cash flow model maps the transaction year and the years that follow, surfacing decisions around NIIT exposure, estate planning windows, installment sales, and post-liquidity Roth conversions.

Naming a trust as the beneficiary of an IRA or 401(k) can provide control and protection when a loved one isn't equipped to manage a sudden inheritance. The strategy carries real trade-offs—SECURE Act distribution rules, compressed trust tax brackets, and added administrative cost—that warrant careful coordination among legal, tax, and investment advisors.

A tax return is more than a compliance document—it's a diagnostic tool that surfaces income sources, carryforwards, and thresholds a portfolio review alone may miss. When investment advisory and CPA services sit under one roof, those details can inform decisions before the tax year closes.