I have been practicing exclusively in the area of estate planning for over 27 years. Yet, last week a questioned posed by a young couple seemed to resonate in my mind like never before. "What is the number one benefit of doing a trust?" My mind quickly raced to the 1980's movie "City Slickers" when the old crusty cowboy said to Billy Crystal, the city slicker, that he must find "just one thing" that is important to him in life and uses that as a motivation to have a happy and successful life.
We have compiled a list of some of the most common mistakes individuals make in estate planning. Please review the list, but also plan to meet with a qualified attorney to review your unique estate. One of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to their estate is that they simply fail to prepare a plan. Many people, especially the young and healthy, never even set up a Living Will. Living Wills are important to have at any age because they serve as a directive in the event that you become incapacitated. Even though far fewer young people plan their estates, more than twice as many 20-somethings die in car accidents than 60-somethings. Therefore, it is crucial that you plan your estate regardless of your age, health, or income level.
If you are concerned about whether or not you will need some estate planning tax help, but are not interested in paying an attorney until you are sure you will, your best option would be to find a good estate planning guide and study its it to determine if the total assets in your estate are likely to put it in the taxable category.
Don't confuse this with the 4 or 5 other "specialty trusts" that have the specific purpose of saving estate taxes. Examples of a "specialty trust" would be an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (designed to keep life insurance out of the estate tax system) and a Qualified Personal Residence Trust (designed to keep the primary and vacation residences out of the estate tax system). Restrictions and Incentives for Spouse - A well drafted Trust should contain provisions as to what happens to the assets of the first spouse to die, if the surviving spouse remarries. Most clients want to adequately provide for their spouse, but they don't want to provide for their spouse's new husband or wife. Also, to what extent can the surviving spouse change the estate plan, after the death of the first spouse, to disinherit the children. My experience is that most spouses tend to remarry, and most of the time, that new spouse will also have children. Now, we end up with a "blended family". Over time, the surviving spouse feels love and loyalty to the new spouse, and perhaps the new stepchildren. We probably all agree that the surviving spouse should be able to do what they wish with respect to their community property half interest in the asses. The more difficult question is whether the surviving spouse can also control the ultimate disposition of the deceased spouse's community property half of the trust and make provisions for the new spouse or the new stepchildren out of the deceased spouses's half of the trust.
Getting estate planning tax advice on a continuing basis is important, because you may have to adjust your estate planning strategies as your financial situation and/or the estate tax laws change. Consulting with an estate planning tax expert as your circumstances change will ensure that your heirs are not left with any unpleasant surprises and that your final wishes will be honored as you desired.
Because life events, such as divorce, loss of job, etc., may change your assets, it is important to periodically revisit your plan to ensure that it is always current. Many people die without reviewing their assets, so their plans cannot be carried out as they had desired. By regularly reviewing your plan, you are able to help your beneficiaries inherit the assets you leave behind for them without having to fight for them in court or with other beneficiaries.
We have compiled a list of some of the most common mistakes individuals make in estate planning. Please review the list, but also plan to meet with a qualified attorney to review your unique estate. One of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to their estate is that they simply fail to prepare a plan. Many people, especially the young and healthy, never even set up a Living Will. Living Wills are important to have at any age because they serve as a directive in the event that you become incapacitated. Even though far fewer young people plan their estates, more than twice as many 20-somethings die in car accidents than 60-somethings. Therefore, it is crucial that you plan your estate regardless of your age, health, or income level.
If you are concerned about whether or not you will need some estate planning tax help, but are not interested in paying an attorney until you are sure you will, your best option would be to find a good estate planning guide and study its it to determine if the total assets in your estate are likely to put it in the taxable category.
Don't confuse this with the 4 or 5 other "specialty trusts" that have the specific purpose of saving estate taxes. Examples of a "specialty trust" would be an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (designed to keep life insurance out of the estate tax system) and a Qualified Personal Residence Trust (designed to keep the primary and vacation residences out of the estate tax system). Restrictions and Incentives for Spouse - A well drafted Trust should contain provisions as to what happens to the assets of the first spouse to die, if the surviving spouse remarries. Most clients want to adequately provide for their spouse, but they don't want to provide for their spouse's new husband or wife. Also, to what extent can the surviving spouse change the estate plan, after the death of the first spouse, to disinherit the children. My experience is that most spouses tend to remarry, and most of the time, that new spouse will also have children. Now, we end up with a "blended family". Over time, the surviving spouse feels love and loyalty to the new spouse, and perhaps the new stepchildren. We probably all agree that the surviving spouse should be able to do what they wish with respect to their community property half interest in the asses. The more difficult question is whether the surviving spouse can also control the ultimate disposition of the deceased spouse's community property half of the trust and make provisions for the new spouse or the new stepchildren out of the deceased spouses's half of the trust.
Getting estate planning tax advice on a continuing basis is important, because you may have to adjust your estate planning strategies as your financial situation and/or the estate tax laws change. Consulting with an estate planning tax expert as your circumstances change will ensure that your heirs are not left with any unpleasant surprises and that your final wishes will be honored as you desired.
Because life events, such as divorce, loss of job, etc., may change your assets, it is important to periodically revisit your plan to ensure that it is always current. Many people die without reviewing their assets, so their plans cannot be carried out as they had desired. By regularly reviewing your plan, you are able to help your beneficiaries inherit the assets you leave behind for them without having to fight for them in court or with other beneficiaries.
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Frank Miller has a Debt Consolidation Blog & Finance, these are some of the articles: Serious Investors Know The True Value Of Buying Gold You have full permission to reprint this article provided this box is kept unchanged.
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