WELCOME

Dear Colleagues:

SFTI has been part of my professional life for over 30 years, so it is a true privilege to serve as President this year. On behalf of the Trustees of the Southern Federal Tax Institute, it is an honor to invite you to join us at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead for the 59th Annual Southern Federal Tax Institute.  Each year it is our goal to provide timely and cutting-edge information to help you better navigate the issues our industry faces and advise your clients, while also providing a touch of southern hospitality to foster new introductions and lasting relationships.

We have planned an exceptional program, scheduled for October 21 through October 25, 2024, which includes over thirty topics presented over five days by leading tax and estate planning practitioners.

We will continue our tradition of starting the Institute with an in-depth review of recent federal income tax developments. Monday afternoon will include presentations on legislative and regulatory developments including the impact of recent Supreme Court Cases as well as an international tax controversy update. Tuesday is devoted to business entity taxation; the morning session will focus on partnership and real estate hot topics as well as self-employment tax issues of limited partners and partnership disposition considerations, while the afternoon session will address corporate tax matters.  Specific topics include the current application of the Economic Substance Doctrine, the lifecycle of an LBO and navigating uncertain S Corporation status.  Wednesday morning will offer employee benefits and tax accounting topics, including Secure 2.0 and R&D costs under Section 174. Wednesday afternoon will focus on topics in tax controversy and ethics issues ranging from IRS enforcement efforts for partnerships and high-net worth individuals, beneficial ownership reporting, ethics of using AI in tax practice and the path ahead for IRS operations.

Thursday and Friday will focus on trust and estate planning topics, beginning with an overview of recent developments. Thursday morning will continue with presentations on complicated gift tax returns and choice of fiduciary. Thursday afternoon will include estate and gift tax controversy, practical drafting approaches from a fiduciary’s perspective, formation and operation of a family investment company and recent developments in estate planning with retirement assets.  Friday will include presentations on tax strategies for transferring closely held business to tax exempt organizations, estate planning ethics, planning for modest estates and successful succession planning.

While we believe that a vital part of the Institute is the hospitality and networking opportunities it provides, we have decided to continue our recent practice of making our programming available in a remote format for those who cannot join us in person.

Please plan to attend our receptions on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. These cocktail parties are a wonderful venue for renewing friendships with longtime colleagues, introducing younger colleagues, and networking with leading tax practitioners.

We also encourage you to meet and thank our sponsors and exhibitors. Their support and generosity play an important part in delivering programs that are exceptional both in quality and value.

We look forward to welcoming you to the 59th Annual Southern Federal Tax Institute. On behalf of the Trustees, thank you for joining us.

Tiffany A. Altizer
President
Southern Federal Tax Institute