Dodging the Estate Tax

Here is an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal, which discusses medical issues families of wealthy Americans are facing as 2009 comes to an end and 2010 is ushered in. Why? In 2010, under current law, the estate tax lapses. For someone with an estate large enough to trigger the tax, dying in 2010 versus 2009 can have huge financial implications.

The article raises a good question -- if Congress couldn't fix this mess of a law this year, what makes us think they'll get the job done in 2010? Only time will tell.