Jamie Is Terminally Ill and Does Not Expect to Live

question 108

Essay

Jamie is terminally ill and does not expect to live much longer. Pondering the consequences of her estate, she decides how to allocate her property to her nephews. She makes a gift of depreciated property (i.e., adjusted basis exceeds fair market value) to Will, a gift of appreciated property (i.e., fair market value exceeds adjusted basis) to Jim, and leaves appreciated property to Sam in her will. Each of the properties has the same fair market value. From an income tax perspective, which nephew is her favorite?

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Definitions:

Economic Profits

The surplus left to a business after deducting all costs, including opportunity costs, from its total revenues.

Monopolistic Competition

A market structure where many firms sell products that are similar but not identical, which allows for a degree of market power and product differentiation.

Maximizes Profits

The process or strategy by which a firm adjusts its production and pricing to achieve the highest possible profit margins.

Monopolistic Competition

A sector characterized by a vast number of entities offering goods that resemble each other but are not exact duplicates, allowing for limited market authority.