This book is the definitive resource for both collectors and for professional advisors planning for the disposition of art, antiques, and collectibles assets. The strategies and techniques detailed in this book will show collectors and advisors how to optimize the value of art and antique assets, reclaiming as much as 70% of the asset value over conventional planning approaches.

The authors assembled a team of expert contributors from the legal, financial, insurance, and art worlds to offer a broad range of lifetime and postmortem planning options using the techniques that professional advisors work with every day. When should financial advisors reach for this book? Whenever a case lands on their desk with over $1 million in art or antique assets, and:

* During the estate planning process. Create an art succession plan that mitigates estate, capital gains, and income taxes.
* When structuring a gift to a museum or other charitable organization. Work more effectively with the museum curator and the planned giving department.
* When liquidating some of the pieces to raise cash. Find the right dealer for a private sale or negotiate a consignment agreement with a major auction house.
* When creating income for collectors. Create income through a bargain sale, a charitable remainder trust, or by borrowing and using the art as collateral.
* When a collection has greatly appreciated in value or new items have been acquired. Evaluate the existing estate plan and identify new solutions to mitigate the tax liability.
* When fashioning a post-mortem strategy. Even when the collector has failed to plan during his or her lifetime there are still things that can be done to preserve the value of the collection and optimize the transfer of wealth to the heirs.