Hi Curtis, yes I am referring to the Lifetime Gift Tax exemption ($5M per donor expiring end of this year)

That exemption is what it is when someone dies. It will supposedly go away automatically, and back to $1million unless congress acts. Because the smaller exemption is independent of the lifetime, I encourage donors to give smaller pieces for a long time.

This is one of the reasons that estate people need to sit down with their clients YEARLY or TWICE YEARLY.

Put it another way, you may as well have your professional go over "everything" in a periodic checkup rather than try to make a point correction. You might be like "spotting a snake in the woods" while ignoring the 2000# grizzly about to jump on you.