Overview Facing compressed operating margins, elevated interest rates, and fluctuating trade dynamics, producers are increasingly forced to reevaluate their foundational business structures. Operational decisions that once seemed routine – such as signing a bank loan renewal or selling an underutilized combine – now carry sophisticated, sometimes hidden, tax and regulatory […]Read more »
Estate Planning
224 posts
Overview For generations, married couples in Kansas have operated under standard “common-law” property rules. This meant that if you bought an asset together—like family farmland—and one spouse passed away, only that spouse’s 50% share of the property received a “step-up” in tax basis to its current fair market value. The […]Read more »
Overview For decades, Kansas estate planning and family law practitioners operated under a jurisprudential anomaly: the notion that a citizen could not contract away their future spousal homestead rights before marriage. Grounded in a strict reading of traditional common law, courts routinely struck down clear, unambiguous premarital waivers. They acted […]Read more »
Overview For agricultural families, a farm is rarely just a business or an investment portfolio; it is an irreplaceable legacy. It represents generations of sweat equity, deep ties to the local community, and a unique way of life. However, passing a farming operation to the next generation introduces an incredibly […]Read more »
Long-Term Care Planning for Farmers and Ranchers Overview For many farming and ranching families, the land is more than just an asset – it is a living history, a source of identity, and a hard-won legacy intended for the next generation. However, in 2026, that legacy faces a predatory threat […]Read more »
Overview The One Big Beautiful Bill Act made 100 percent bonus depreciation permanent for assets placed in service after January 19, 2025. So, this year, you will be able to deduct 40 percent of the cost of buildings and equipment placed in service between January 1 and January 19. After […]Read more »
Overview With today’s article I look at more legal and tax issues that farmers and ranchers need to know about. Being aware of legal and tax issues is a means of overall risk management for the operation. More discussion of legal and tax issues – it’s the topic of today’s […]Read more »
Overview Farm and ranch clients face many income tax issues that require special attention and planning. Likewise, they also encounter many estate and business planning opportunities that they can either take advantage of miss out on. For those representing farm and ranch clients, professional training in these issues is an […]Read more »
Overview In today’s random thoughts blog article, I am writing about several questions that I have answered recently from those that have emailed, written (yes, I do get handwritten letters) called, or have talked with me while I have been out on the speaking tour. It’s random commentary, but hopefully […]Read more »
Overview There are two excellent ways to reduce the cost of health care, particularly for sole proprietorship farming and ranching operations (and for other small businesses and individuals). These are Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Health Care Sharing Ministries (HCSMs). But when a person is enrolled in Medicare there can […]Read more »