Accounting Today:  “Although there is a great deal of truth in Benjamin Franklin’s oft-quoted maxim that the only certainties in life are death and taxes, the timing of death and the amount of taxes owed are not certain, observed Joyce Beebe, a fellow at Rice University’s Center for Public Finance.“The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 leaves the federal wealth transfer tax system in place, but temporarily doubles the exclusion amount for estate and gift taxes to $11.18 million per individual or $22.36 million per married couple until the end of 2025,” she said. “In 2026, absent congressional action, the base exclusion amount will revert to $5 million, indexed for inflation.”