Another article addressing the Estate Tax situation and the lengths people will go to avoid paying it. It looks grim and its an interesting story. The estate tax goes from 0 to 55% the very next calendar year. Congress is unlikely to do anything. So people will commit suicide, children will kill their parents. Its all about taxes and its all so sad.
However such articles, though they cite lawyers who talk about such things, do not address how it may be possible more many families to have estate taxes dramatically reduced or eliminated without going through such grim measures. That's was lawyers in this area are supposed to do. No lawyer would ever suggest 2010 is a good year to die because Congress never got around to fixing a law. Not only should taxes not be a reason to make life or death decisions, the idea people are doing this is melodramatic media nonsense. If you have good enough advice, you would not be worried.