Education

Thirty-One Flavors of SLATs
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Teresa L. Bush, Esq., Jonathan G. Blattmachr, Esq., and Martin M. Shenkman, Esq.
February 11, 2026
Description:

Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts (SLATs) have been part of the estate planning lexicon for years, but SLATs don’t come in just one flavor. Every SLAT is an irrevocable trust with the trust creator’s spouse as the primary beneficiary, giving the spouse access to trust assets during lifetime, but similarities end there. Each SLAT can – and should –  be unique, with optional provisions included based on the client situation. Extensive options not only differentiate trusts to avoid the Reciprocal Trust Doctrine, but also allow nearly unlimited flexibility in SLAT design.

In this webinar, frequent commentators Jonathan Blattmachr and Martin Shenkman will discuss different features that can be added to SLATs. Some are designed to enhance the spouse’s access, address future changes in circumstances, bolster creditor protection, add income tax planning flexibility, and more. The speakers will also show how drafting software facilitates SLAT creation with multiple options available at the click of a mouse.  Options we’ll discuss include:

  • Lifetime and testamentary powers of appointment (at least 4 variations)
  • Mechanisms to avoid inadvertent estate inclusion (at least 4 variations)
  • Different mechanisms to trigger estate inclusion if circumstances change (at least 2 variations)
  • Provisions to protect a SLAT that is later deemed to be self-settled by the grantor or the grantor’s spouse (many variations)
  • Options to plan for early death of the spouse beneficiary (several)
  • Making the SLAT a grantor trust (or not) (many variations)
  • Planning for possible future marital discord (and for a new spouse) (several variations)
  • Adding extra beneficiaries to reduce overall income taxation (so many variations)

SLAT drafters can combine options in multiple ways, resulting in far more than 31 flavors. Join us to review a plethora of SLAT design possibilities and when each might make sense for your clients.

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Continuing Education Credits
InterActive Legal is not an approved Continuing Education (CE) Sponsor. However, several states and regulatory agencies for a variety of professionals that participate on our teleconferences may still receive continuing education credit for their participation. If a participant wishes to receive CE credit for their participation in these teleconferences, they must apply to receive credit on their own and through their individual states and regulatory authorities. It is the responsibility of the participant to file for CE credit and is not guaranteed by the webinar sponsors.
Teresa L. Bush, Esq.
Teresa L. Bush, Esq. thumbnail

Teresa Bush joined InterActive Legal in 2007 and serves as Director of Education and Support Services.

Ms. Bush has been licensed to practice law since 1991, and focused her practice exclusively on issues of estate and gift tax planning, probate, charitable planning, and estate and trust administration. She began her practice in a small law firm, planning for clients of all levels of wealth. Thereafter, she practiced for a number of years in the Tax Section of Kelly, Hart and Hallman, P.C. in Fort Worth, Texas, and as an estate and gift tax consultant for the Dallas office of Ernst & Young, in both cases focusing on planning for very high net worth clients.

Ms. Bush received her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, where she was a research assistant for Professor Stanley M. Johanson. She studied at Edinburgh University and the London School of Economics prior to obtaining a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Rice University in Houston. While studying abroad, she worked as an intern for a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons.

Ms. Bush taught legal research and writing as a Teaching Quizmaster in law school, and later taught estate planning extension courses for American College of Financial Services CLU candidates. She has presented several online webinars on estate planning and drafting topics, and is the author or co-author of a variety of estate planning articles.

Jonathan G. Blattmachr, Esq.
Jonathan G. Blattmachr, Esq. thumbnail

Mr. Blattmachr is a Principal in ILS Management, LLC and a retired member of Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy LLP in New York, NY and of the Alaska, California and New York Bars. He is recognized as one of the most creative trusts and estates lawyers in the country and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America. He has written and lectured extensively on estate and trust taxation and charitable giving.

Mr. Blattmachr graduated from Columbia University School of Law cum laude, where he was recognized as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and received his A.B. degree from Bucknell University, majoring in mathematics. He has served as a lecturer-in-law of the Columbia University School of Law and is an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University Law School in its Masters in Tax Program (LLM). He is a former chairperson of the Trusts & Estates Law Section of the New York State Bar Association and of several committees of the American Bar Association. Mr. Blattmachr is a Fellow and a former Regent of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and past chair of its Estate and Gift Tax Committee. He is author or co-author of eight books and more than 500 articles on estate planning and tax topics.

Among professional activities, which are too numerous to list, Mr. Blattmachr has served as an Advisor on The American Law Institute, Restatement of the Law, Trusts 3rd; and as a Fellow of The New York Bar Foundation and a member of the American Bar Foundation.

Martin M. Shenkman, Esq.
Martin M. Shenkman, Esq. thumbnail

Martin M. Shenkman is an attorney in private practice in Fort Lee, NJ, and New York City. His practice concentrates on estate and tax planning, planning for closely held business, and estate administration.

Mr. Shenkman is an author of over 42 books and more than 1,000 articles. He is an editorial board member of Trusts & Estates Magazine and the Matrimonial Strategist, and an advisor for InterActive Legal. He is the recipient of many awards including being a 2013 recipient of the prestigious Accredited Estate Planners (Distinguished) award from the National Association of Estate Planning Counsels. Mr. Shenkman was named Financial Planning Magazine 2012 Pro-Bono Financial Planner of the Year for his efforts on behalf of those living with chronic illness and disability. Investment Adviser Magazine featured him on the cover of its April 2013 issue naming as the lead of their “all-star lineup of tax experts.”

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