Lance Wallach on Money Overseas

IRS Criminal Investigation Department Audits Section 79, Captive Insurance, 412i and 419 Scams

IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) has developed a nationally coordinated program to combat these abusive tax schemes. CI's primary focus is on the identification and investigation of the tax scheme promoters as well as those who play a substantial or integral role in facilitating, aiding, assisting, or furthering the abusive tax scheme, such as accountants or lawyers. Just as important is the investigation of investors who knowingly participate in abusive tax schemes.

Read the Rest Here

The Irrevocable Trust Cash Release Program - HG.org

The Irrevocable Trust Cash Release Program


     By Lance Wallach, CLU, CHFC


Through a special program, created by Money Watch Consultants Inc., called The Irrevocable Trust Cash Release Program, funds from the insured’s irrevocable trust can be released and made available to pay for long term care, in a facility or at home. And this care can even be provided by a family member.


The amounts of funds that can be made available are typically a vast multiple of the funds currently in the trust. Despite the leveraging, due to the unique structuring of the program, the funds in excess of the initial deposits, and prior to the death of the insured, are received by the trust, and paid out of the trust, on a tax free basis.



This program has recently attracted much attention because Congress has just extended estate tax exemptions to 5 million dollars for individuals and 10 million dollars for married couples. Thus many people who have set up and funded various irrevocable trusts in order to pay their estate taxes, feel that they are no longer needed.



This program gives them the ability to dramatically leverage these funds to pay for health care that they anticipate may eventually be required, without worrying about liquidating assets or making withdrawals on retirement accounts.



The latest development in irrevocable trust management can solve the insured’s desire to get, tax free cash out of the underused insurance policy when most needed, and prior to dying.



Through a special legal loophole, needed funds from the insured’s irrevocable trust can be released and made available to whoever you want, including yourself. Lance Wallach, who wrote the CPA's guide to trusts and estates, and other continuing education books read by CPA's attorneys and financial planners and associate William Kaufman have spent years studying the problem... Most life insurance trusts are underperforming, often requiring [Bill Kaufman] much greater premiums than anticipated. If they were properly designed, no more premiums would be due. Many policies in trusts are rapidly using up their insurance cash values, dramatically underperforming, and are at risk of failing altogether. There are many other problems with almost all of the trusts examined. If you advised your client on these matters, or serve as trustee for him/her, you may have a contingent liability suit on these matters, should the life insurance fail.



Now cash can be released to be used when really needed. Most attorneys, CPA’S, planners etc. that have heard me speak at thousands of national conventions don’t have a clue about the problems. Most of them even created some of these problems for their clients, who are also not aware. As an expert witness Lance Wallach has never lost a case. This does not necessate a lawsuit, just a simple fix. Make sure if you advisor tries it, he has successfully helped others with the program. If done wrong the IRS will come calling, Google Lance Wallach for articles on point. Despite the leveraging, due to the unique structuring of the program, the funds in excess of the initial deposits, and prior to the death of the insured, are received by the trust, and paid out of the trust, on a tax free basis.



If you have an insurance or similar trust you probably have lots of money in it. You may also have lots of problems that will not be discovered until you die. We have been consulted by many beneficiaries with these problems, usually after being charged thousands of dollars by their law firms to tell them about the problems, but not fix them. The way most of the trusts that we have studied, usually set up by law firms, are structured; the big beneficiaries at death will be the law firms. Worse, insurance in the trusts easily falls apart before death, unless you die young. Get an experienced person to review your trust, either to free up lots of money, or to review for problems before it is too late. [Bill Kaufman] If you don‘t [Bill Kaufman] believe me, than Google Lance Wallach and then Google your advisor and see who is more credible. You have worked hard for your money. Don‘t let poor planning, lawyers greed, insurance agents with big commissions disrupt what you thought was sound planning.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lance Wallach, Bill Kaufman

Lance Wallach, National Society of Accountants Speaker of the Year and member of the AICPA faculty of teaching professionals, is a frequent speaker on retirement plans, abusive tax shelters, financial, international tax, and estate planning. He writes about 412(i), 419, Section79, FBAR, and captive insurance plans. He speaks at more than ten conventions annually, writes for over fifty publications, is quoted regularly in the press. He does expert witness testimony and has never lost a case.



Copyright Lance Wallach, CLU, CHFC

More information about 



Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide legal advice as individual situations will differ and should be discussed with an expert and/or lawyer. For specific technical or legal advice on the information provided and related topics, please contact the author.
The Irrevocable Trust Cash Release Program - HG.org

Big Trouble Ahead For Many 419 Welfare Benefit Plan and 412i Retirement Plan Participants

Business owners and professionals who have adopted 419 welfare benefit plan arrangements are in serious trouble. The IRS has attacked these arrangements as "listed transactions." Business owners who engage in a "listed transaction" must report such transactions on IRS Form 8886 every year that they are participating in the transaction, and you are participating even in years when you do not make any contribution. Internal Revenue Code 6707A imposes severe penalties ($200,000 annually for a business and $100,000 per year for an individual) for failure to file Form 8886 with respect to a listed transaction. Tax Court, according to both the IRS Appeals Office and its own decisions, does not have jurisdiction to abate or lower any penalties imposed by the IRS. Complaints caused Congress to impose a moratorium on collection of Section 6707A penalties.  On June 1, 2010, the moratorium ended, and the IRS immediately began sending out notices warning of possible imposition of 6707A penalties.  When you get this notice it should be taken very seriously.
Accountants were required to properly prepare and file Form 8918 (if they signed and/or prepare tax returns and got paid). The penalty for accountants for not properly filing the forms is $100,000, or $200,000 if they are incorporated.
Businesses that were in some 419 welfare benefit plans or some 412i retirement as well as some Captive Insurance and Section 79 Plans, were supposed to properly file under IRC Section 6707A each year with the IRS. Either the taxpayer or the accountant was responsible, though the ultimate, primary obligation falls on the taxpayer. The IRS has just begun sending the notices referred to above to participants in many of these plans. This is in addition to any IRS audit you might have had or currently may be having. The large 6707A fine has nothing to do with any other IRS audit. The 6707A fine is for not having properly filed under 6707A with your returns. You are required to file each year with your tax return.
Not only were you required to file with your Federal return, but many states also require protective filings. Some participants in these types of plans have already received notices from the IRS. You must act immediately if you wish to avoid possible huge IRS penalties and interest that could put you out of business for good.
THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS IS NOT RUNNING. This means that the IRS can fine you at any time in the future for anything regarding past or present participation in an abusive 419 welfare benefit plan or an abusive 412i retirement plan. There is still time to avoid the IRS penalties and interest. You need to take action immediately and find out right away if the plan you are participating in is abusive by consulting with a professional and experienced 419/412i plan expert.
Most accountants do not know how to properly prepare the appropriate forms. Accountants or other advisors will probably be fined as material advisors. This means that you may be subject to a large fine. Once you get the large fine, the IRS claims it is not subject to an appeal.
You should have filed protectively for every year your entity participated in the plan. Once again, for every year after 2003, the penalty for not properly filing is $200,000 a year for corporations and $100,000 a year for individuals. For example, it is possible an employer in the plan since 2004 could be subject to over one million dollars in penalties solely as a result of the failure to file. For all years in the plan, the Statute of Limitations will not begin to run until after the form is properly filed. In addition, certain individual plan participants should also file for every year of plan participation. Once again, none of this has anything to do with any other audit that you may currently be involved in or may previously have experienced.
It is abundantly clear that taxpayers who receive notices from the IRS regarding Section 6707A penalties should take these letters extremely seriously. These notices do not lend themselves to "do-it-yourself eye surgery".

This Can Happen to You

Several years ago at the advice of an accountant or investment advisor a client adopts a defined benefit plan for her business. She did so because she had been advised that under this type of plan she could contribute tax deductible contributions far greater than the limits permitted under a defined contribution plan. Each year she funds the maximum that the IRS permitted based on a report from her actuary. The plan investment returns have been very good.

She is now ready to sell her business or retire and informs her advisors that she wants to close out the plan and transfer the money over into her Individual Retirement Account. The advisors come back with the following news. The plan is overfunded and some of the funds cannot be rolled over to an IRA. Those funds that are ineligible for a rollover must return to the company as taxable income and the IRS will in addition, levy a non-tax deductible penalty of at least 20%.
What happened?

She has done nothing along the way that the IRS could challenge. What happened was a combination of several things. 

IRS Secrets You Should Know by Lance Wallach