Layne Fincher and Hobie Hotard, associates in the Tax Practice Group and members of the trusts and estates team in the New Orleans office, presented at the LSU Law 54th Annual Estate Planning Conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on October 17, 2024. Layne and Hobie’s presentation “Surviving the Spooky World of the IRS Form 706” detailed key issues surrounding IRS Form 706, The United States Estate (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return. In particular, Layne and Hobie discussed the “bare bones” of Form 706, the six parts to the Form 706, explaining that the “devil is in the details” when reviewing the decedent’s business dealings and asset transfers during life, and the ingredients to brew those complicated Schedules listing the decedent’s assets and liabilities. They explained how using these tips can help avoid a tedious, expensive IRS audit, even for large and complex estates.