What's in store for you:

1. Photo From My Life
2. Financial Thought: Future of Estate Tax Exemption
3. Life Thought: Technology
4. Good Sh*t: Anthony Kim

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Photo From My Life:

Financial Thought:

The Future of Estate Tax Exemption: Estate taxes are one of those topics that feel irrelevant until they suddenly are not.

The estate tax exemption is simply the amount you can transfer (during life and at death, combined) before federal estate tax applies. If your taxable estate is below the exemption, you owe zero federal estate tax. If you are above it, only the amount above the exemption is exposed to estate tax, with the top rate reaching 40%.

So what are the current federal limits?

1. For an estate of someone who dies in 2026, the basic exclusion amount is $15,000,000 per person.
2. For a married couple, you can generally think of this as roughly double, assuming proper planning and portability elections. So about $30,000,000 in 2026

Obvious point that is still worth saying. These are huge numbers. Most families will never pay federal estate tax.

But it's not that simple.

A number of states have their own estate tax, and the exemption limits can be dramatically lower than the federal exemption.

A few examples that highlight the gap:

1. Massachusetts: $2,000,000 per person
2. Oregon: $1,000,000 per person
3. Illinois: $4,000,000 per person
4. Washington: $3,000,000 per person
5. New York: $7,160,000 per person

Why does this matter? Because someone can be nowhere close to federal estate tax and still get hit with a meaningful state bill. A paid off home, retirement accounts, life insurance, and a growing brokerage account can add up faster than people expect.

These numbers have changed meaningfully over time and will likely continue to change.

Federally, exemptions rose over time, then jumped meaningfully in the late twenty tens, and now the exemption is even higher due to the most recent law changes.

On the state side, the trend is less consistent. Many states never followed the federal increases, which is why you see so many exemptions sitting in the low single digit millions.

So, as a wealth advisor helping people navigate the estate tax exemption, I've been thinking a lot about what the future holds and what activities we can do today so my clients pay the smallest amount of tax at death. Here's where I land:

1. Policy risk is real. Estate tax rules are political, and political priorities change. In 2025, there was the real risk that the federal estate tax exemption could drop to $7m per person. But Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill changed it.
2. Rising debt and populist incentives make taxing the wealthy an easy talking point, and the exemption is a straightforward lever to pull.
3. At the same time, people impacted by estate taxes tend to be influential, plan early, and donate heavily. That creates its own counter pressure.

Under current law, the federal exemption is now set at $15,000,000 for 2026. So yes, it might keep rising with inflation. But it could also be cut back down by future legislation. Both things can be true. We do not know what the future holds. But we do know something important.

Anything you do under current laws is valid. You cannot go back in time and retroactively un-gift assets you moved into a trust when the rules were favorable.

So if you have been sitting on trust and estate planning decisions, this is not a terrible time to make thoughtful changes. But, as always, talk to a trained professional.

Life Thought:

Technology: Technology is incredible. Even 10 years ago, productivity was tied to a place. An office, a certain setup, your team sitting next to you. Now, as long as I have my laptop, external monitor, and an internet connection, I can show up from anywhere in the world and be equally effective.

It's crazy. Building a life where technology gives you freedom is a special thing, and I feel genuinely grateful for it. Yes, there are huge downsides to technology. Attention loss. Addiction loops. Doom scrolling. The feeling of being on call 24/7. I never really take vacations.

But, in all parts of my life, I am trying to only focus on what I can control. And what I can control is how I use it. If I can leverage technology to provide for my family regardless of where I am, that is a win I do not want to take for granted. I can ignore social media and the other negatives of technology.

One thing I have noticed though.

With virtual meetings, it is oddly easy to lose a sense of what is actually happening in the real world. You have a few boxes on a screen, everyone is speaking in normal voices, and your brain starts to treat it like a video game.

I am lucky enough to co-own a private equity data consulting business alongside my friend Tyler. We have an incredible COO based out of India, and she is traveling to the Philippines to meet and train with the 20 team members we have who live in the town of Dumaguete.

That is crazy to me. A simple idea we had 5 years ago. And thanks to technology, we built a company that creates opportunity for real people, across the world.

It is easy to complain about technology. It is also worth realizing how amazing it is.

Good Sh*t:

Anthony Kim: Shoutout to my friend Dan for sharing this epic story. Anthony Kim won the LIV Golf Adelaide event last weekend. I didn't notice it. Just another sports headline. But when I heard the Anthony Kim story, I was shocked. He took 10 years off golf and has struggled since his return two years ago.

He didn't take time off to find his swing. Kim has talked publicly about battling drug and alcohol addiction, mental health struggles, and how dark it got when he was away from the game. In 2025, he posted about sobriety and how he had been using substances to numb pain, and how hard it was to keep functioning while living that life.

nd this biggolf pvictorywas ridiculous. Bogey free final round. Five shots back. He goes out and shoots 9 under 63 and beats a field that includes Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. First win in sixteen years.
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What a reminder that messy chapters are temporary and don't define who you are

Disclaimer: VDB Wealth is a registered investment adviser. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

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