by Michael Rapps | Jul 17, 2026 | Hidden Basis
I’ve been writing this newsletter for a few months now, and as I look at what the issues have shared in common, there’s a thread I want to name directly in this one.Every issue has circled the same observation: the technical work we do is only part of the...
by Michael Rapps | Jul 2, 2026 | Hidden Basis
Early in my career, I built a plan that did exactly what my client asked for and almost nothing she actually wanted. The whole gap came down to a single word.She was in her late sixties, very successful, deciding what to leave her children, and she told me she wanted...
by Michael Rapps | Jun 19, 2026 | Hidden Basis
About fifteen years ago, fairly early in my career, I was brought in to handle the estate planning for a family that owned a successful business. I hadn’t found them on my own — their longtime CPA and financial advisor had introduced me. I was the newest person...
by Michael Rapps | Jun 5, 2026 | Hidden Basis
I built a plan years ago that held up. Every piece of it. The trusts funded on schedule. The tax savings materialized. Nobody challenged anything. When the client died, the administration was clean. The assets moved exactly where they were supposed to move.And the...
by Michael Rapps | May 21, 2026 | Hidden Basis
A father and son sat on the couch across from me. The son, mid-forties, had done his homework. He’d run the numbers with his CPA. He’d read the articles. He’d brought his own questions, most of them sharp. He was walking his father through why the...
