This edition again blends a traditional casebook approach with a problem method, to develop student understanding of the relevant rule structure pertinent to the transfer of wealth. The transactional organization facilitates student comprehension by repeatedly exposing students to certain themes, such as reason for deductibility, taxation based on passage of economic benefit, and valuation.

Federal Taxations of Estates, Trusts and Gifts begins with discussion of the development of the basic rules governing the transfer taxation of the simple estate, outright gifts, generation-skipping transfers, and the income taxation of trust and estates. The authors then explore more complex transactions, such as trusts with retained interests or powers, from the perspective of all four tax systems.

The Third Edition includes greatly expanded coverage of the income taxation of estates, trusts, and their beneficiaries, which should provide sufficient materials and problems to teach a two-credit course on this subject. This new edition also: