But there is an alternative to a fire sale: They can use life insurance to foot the bill with a neat trick. Instead of owning a life insurance policy directly, they take out a policy and put it inside a trust. The irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) collects the death benefit, pays the tax bill, and distributes whatever is left according to the insured individual's wishes. For an ultra-rich taxpayer with a $10 million life insurance policy, using an ILIT could save $4 million in taxes. Make sure you're getting a life insurance policy that makes financial sense.

---

Persons: —, Sam, Robert Strauss, Weinstock Manion, Dan Griffith, Griffith, Strauss, it's, ILITs, Kate Maier Organizations: Service, Business, Huntington Bank, IRS