@Opus 17 wrote:
2. If the estate did sell the shares, the estate would owe more capital gains tax than if you inherit the shares and sell them in your own name....
The statement quoted above is not accurate (absolutely wrong, in fact) since estate (being a separate and distinct entity) would receive the shares from the decedent at a basis stepped up to their fair market value as of the date of death of the decedent.
In this sense, the estate actually "acquires" the shares from the decedent (per Section 1014(b)).
