The final months of the year are often when the most meaningful financial decisions are made. For high- and ultra-high-net-worth families, 2025 presents unique opportunities—and potential pitfalls—that require decisive action before December 31.
With elevated IRS penalty rates, evolving distribution rules for inherited IRAs, and generous gifts and charitable exclusions in place, now is the moment to ensure wealth strategies are fully optimized. Fortunately, there is still time.
Required Minimum Distributions: Avoiding Costly Penalties
For individuals age 73 and older, RMDs must be taken by December 31. Missing the deadline can trigger penalties of 25% of the undistributed amount.
Wealthy families with inherited IRAs face added complexity: under SECURE Act rules, heirs of accounts whose original owners died in 2020 or later must empty the account within 10 years. Beginning in 2025, annual RMDs are required if the decedent was already taking distributions. Deferring these withdrawals risks bunching taxable income into later years, potentially elevating heirs into the highest tax brackets.
Opportunity: Strategic withdrawals spread over multiple years, paired with other planning tactics (charitable giving, trust strategies), can help reduce the overall tax burden.
Qualified Charitable Distributions: A Powerful Tool for Philanthropy
Charitable giving can be both impactful and tax efficient. In 2025:
- Individuals age 70½ or older can direct up to $105,000 from IRAs to qualified charities via a QCD, fully excluding the distribution from income.
- Married couples can effectively double this exclusion by using each spouse’s IRA.
- QCDs can also be used to satisfy RMD obligations, providing a dual benefit: fulfilling IRS rules while advancing philanthropic goals.
Opportunity: Families with donor-advised funds or private foundations may want to coordinate year-end charitable contributions now, while QCDs and larger lifetime gifting exclusions remain generous.
Leveraging the Annual Gift Exclusion
The annual gift exclusion rises to $18,000 per recipient in 2025 ($36,000 for couples electing to split gifts). For families with multiple heirs or beneficiaries, annual exclusion gifts can significantly reduce the size of a taxable estate over time.
Opportunity: Large, systematic transfers to trusts, next-generation family members, or education/medical accounts can be made before December 31 without using lifetime exemption amounts.
Reviewing Trust and Estate Structures
With uncertainty around the future of estate tax laws, wealthy families should review trust structures and wealth transfer strategies now:
- Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs) and Charitable Lead Trusts (CLTs) remain effective in low- to moderate-interest environments.
- Lifetime Gift and Estate Tax Exemption: Currently set at $13.61 million per individual in 2025 ($27.22 million for married couples) but scheduled to sunset after 2025—potentially cutting the exemption in half.
Opportunity: Families anticipating significant liquidity events or intergenerational transfers may wish to accelerate planning to take advantage of today’s historically high exemptions.
Philanthropy and Energy Efficiency: Blended Benefits
The Residential Clean Energy Credit (30% of eligible costs) and energy-efficient property credits are especially relevant for families undertaking large-scale property improvements. These credits can offset federal tax liability while aligning with sustainability goals.
Opportunity: Coordinating energy upgrades across primary residences, vacation homes, or family offices before year-end can deliver both economic and reputational benefits.
Conclusion: The Window is Closing
For high- and ultra-high-net-worth families, the stakes of inaction are higher. Penalties on missed distributions, compressed gifting timelines, and the pending sunset of elevated estate exemptions all converge to make 2025 a decisive year for wealth planning.
There is still time—but only if action is taken before December 31. Coordinated moves across RMDs, QCDs, gifting, and estate structures can preserve wealth, minimize taxes, and advance philanthropic and legacy objectives.
For additional insights on tax, estate, and charitable planning, visit our insights page.
Sources:
- IRS Required Minimum Distributions: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/required-minimum-distributions-rmds
- IRS Qualified Charitable Distributions: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/retirement-plans-faqs-regarding-iras-distributions-withdrawals
- IRS Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2025
- IRS Gift and Estate Tax Exclusion Tables
- IRS Residential Clean Energy Credit: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/residential-clean-energy-credit