Michigan Estate Planning Blog

Should I Consider a ‘Life Settlement’?

Even in this volatile environment, many seniors may have an option for more retirement income available in the sale of their life insurance policy. A “life settlement” could provide them with an average of four or more times the cash surrender value of their policy.
The Street’s recent article entitled “Is Your Life Insurance Policy Worth More Than Its Cash Surrender Value?” explains that anytime a senior isn’t going to keep a life insurance policy, they should look into a life settlement to bring them the most money when they terminate the policy.
When a policy is lapsed, the policy owner gets nothing. When a policy is surrendered back to the insurance company, the policyowner receives little, if any, cash surrender value. So, in instances where a policy is being lapsed or surrendered, a life settlement makes financial sense.
According to 2019 life insurance industry data, over 90% of life insurance policies (by face amount) that terminated in 2018 were lapsed or surrendered. In 80% of those cases, the policyowners received nothing in return for years of premium payments to the insurance company, because they lapsed their policies.
Over the next decade, more than $2 trillion in life insurance policy death benefits that could qualify for a life settlement is anticipated to be lapsed or surrendered—about $850 billon is projected to be policies between $100,000 and $1 million.
To qualify for a life settlement, an individual must usually be at least 70 years old and own a whole life, universal life, or convertible term insurance life insurance policy, with a death benefit of $100,000 or more.
Traditionally, life settlements have been available only where the insured has developed a significant health impairment since the policy was started, but now even those insureds without a change in health can qualify for a life settlement, depending on their age and the type and size of the policy.
Some life settlement companies take several months to make an offer to purchase a policy, asking for full medical records and independent underwriting. However, recently, life settlement companies have shortened the time in evaluating a policy and making an offer.
Reference: The Street (Dec. 22, 2020) “Is Your Life Insurance Policy Worth More Than Its Cash Surrender Value?”

What Do I Need to Know about Creating a Will?

A simple or basic will allows you to specifically say the way in which you want your assets to be distributed among your beneficiaries after your death. This can be a good starting point for creating a comprehensive estate plan because you may need more than just a basic will.
KAKE’s recent article entitled “What Is a Simple Will and How Do You Make One?” explains that a last will and testament is a legal document that states what you want to happen to your property and “worldly goods” when you die. A simple will can be used to designate an executor for the will and a legal guardian for minor children and specify who (or which organizations) should inherit your assets when you die.
A will must be approved in the probate process when you pass away. After the probate court reviews the will to make sure it’s valid, your executor will take care of the collection and distribution of assets listed in the will. Your executor would also be responsible for paying any debts owed by your estate.
Whether you need a basic will or something more complex, usually depends on a few factors, including your age, the size of your estate and if you have children (and their ages).
Having a will in place can be a good starting point for estate planning. However, deciding if it should be simple or complex can depend on a number of factors, such as:
The size of your estate
The amount of estate tax you expect to owe
The type of assets and property you own
Whether you own a business
The number of beneficiaries you want to name
Whether the beneficiaries are individuals or organizations (like charities)
Any significant life changes you anticipate, like marriages, divorces, or having more children; and
Whether any of your children or beneficiaries have special needs.
With these situations, you may need a more detailed will to plan how you want your assets to be distributed. In any event, work with an experienced estate planning attorney. With life or financial changes, you may need to create a more complex will or consider a trust. It is smart to speak with an estate planning attorney, who can help you determine which components to include in your plan and help you keep it updated.
Reference: KAKE (Nov. 23, 2020) “What Is a Simple Will and How Do You Make One?”

What Do I Need to Know about Gift-Giving with the Biden Administration?

 

After the election, many people are wondering what will happen to the federal gift and estate tax exemption. Kiplinger’s recent article entitled “Making a Gift This Year? Some Key Questions to Consider,” explains that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act dramatically upped the lifetime gift, estate and generation-skipping tax exemption to $11.58 million per individual ($23.16 million per couple). This exemption, however, is set to expire at the end of 2025. Some observers say that Democrats could significantly shorten the time frame, ending it as early as 2021.

Some families may face the possibility of losing an opportunity to transfer wealth out of their estate and save on future estate taxes sooner than anticipated. No matter when the gift is made, here are some important issues to consider.

Can I afford to give? For couples who have a significant taxable estate, gifting assets and removing future appreciation could result in some substantial tax savings for their heirs. However, just because someone has the means to make a large gift, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right move. Some are so eager to take advantage of the tax benefits that they underestimate their own cost of living down the road. Look at whether the grantor has enough assets to maintain their desired lifestyle. Then, think about what can be transferred without negatively impacting goals and lifestyle choices.

How Do I Structure a Gift? There are many ways of distributing assets. Remember that any transfer is gift tax-free up to the annual exclusion amount ($15,000 per person per donor for 2020). Any gift over this will count against the donor’s lifetime exemption amount. Once that’s exhausted, the gift will be subject to gift tax.

Outright Cash Gifts. This may be the most uncomplicated way of gifting, but for families with significant wealth, this could have some drawbacks. Some recipients may not be prepared to manage money, and it may demotivate them to live off their inheritance rather than becoming productive on their own.

Trusts. These are frequently used for bigger gifts to provide for beneficiaries, while using some restrictions by the grantor to protect the assets from being squandered. One plan is to distribute the trust assets in stages, when the beneficiary reaches a certain age or achieves a specific goal. Another option is to leave assets in a discretionary lifetime trust, which would maintain the assets in a trust for the beneficiary’s entire lifetime. Drafted properly by an experienced estate planning attorney, this offers a high level of protection from divorcing spouses, lawsuits, bad decisions and outside influences. It also lets grantors create a lasting family legacy for many generations.

Gifts for Education Expenses. You can also make direct payments for education or for medical expenses with no gift tax consequences.

Uniform Trust to Minors Act (UTMA) and Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA). These custodial accounts are usually less restrictive than trusts and allow minor beneficiaries access to funds at age a specific age, depending on state law.

Reference: Kiplinger (Oct. 30, 2020) “Making a Gift This Year? Some Key Questions to Consider”

What Should I Know about a Living Trust?

 

A will and a living trust both can be very important in your estate plan. However, a living trust doesn’t require probate to transfer your assets.

KYT24’s recent article entitled “Fundamentals Of A Living Trust” explains that everyone who owns a home and/or other assets should have a will or a living trust. Proper estate planning can protect your family from unnecessary court costs and delay, if you become incapacitated, disabled, or die.

With a living trust, you can avoid all probate delays and related costs and make life much simpler for your family in a crisis. If you pass away, your spouse will be able to automatically and immediately continue without any delay or unnecessary expense.

When you and your spouse both die, your assets will also transfer directly to your beneficiaries.

Living trusts can save time, expense and stress for your loved ones. Speak with an experienced estate planning attorney about creating a living trust.

A trust agreement, being a legal document, must be written by an experienced estate planning attorney who has the knowledge and experience to prepare such a legal document to cover all of your needs and desires. If not properly and completely drafted, you run the risk of issues after you’re gone for your family.

After your attorney drafts your living trust, you must fund the trust, by titling or adding assets to it. If assets aren’t titled to or otherwise connected to your trust agreement, they won’t be legally part of the trust.

This totally defeats the purpose of drafting your living trust agreement in the first place.

It’s a common mistake to fail to fund a trust, which can happen as a result of poor follow through after signing the trust.

Work with an experienced estate planning attorney to complete a living trust and your entire estate plan. This includes a thorough review of your goals and objectives, as well as reviewing all estate assets to complete the funding of your trust, by transferring assets into the name of the living trust.

Reference: KYT24 (Nov. 14, 2020) “Fundamentals Of A Living Trust”

What are the Biggest Estate Planning Mistakes?

One of the largest wealth transfers our nation has ever seen is about to occur, since in the next 25 years, roughly $68 trillion of wealth will be passed to succeeding generations. This event has unique planning opportunities for those who are prepared, and also big challenges due to the ever-changing legal and tax world of estate planning.
Fox Business’ article “5 estate planning disasters you'll want to avoid,” discusses the biggest estate planning errors to avoid.
Failing to properly name beneficiaries. This common estate planning mistake is easily overlooked, when setting up a retirement plan for the first time or when switching investment companies. A big advantage of adding a beneficiary to your account, is that the account will avoid probate and pass directly to your beneficiaries.
Any account with a properly listed beneficiary designation will override what is written in your will or revocable living trust. Therefore, you should review your investment and bank accounts to make certain that your beneficiaries are accurate and match your intentions.
Naming a minor as a beneficiary. This can be a problem, if they are still minors when you die. A minor won’t have the legal authority to take control of inheritance or investment accounts until they reach the age of 18 or 21 (depending on state law). When a minor receives an asset as a beneficiary, a court-appointed guardianship will be created to supervise and manage the assets on behalf of the minor. To avoid this mistake, you can name a guardian for the minor child in your will.
Forgetting to fund a trust. Creating a trust is the first step, but many people don’t properly fund their trust after it’s established.
Making a tax mess for your heirs. A significant advantages of passing on real estate or other highly appreciated investments or property, is that your beneficiaries receive what is known as a “step-up” in basis, so that they aren’t responsible for any income taxes on the appreciated assets when they are received. The exception is when inheriting retirement accounts, such as 401k’s and traditional IRAs. Except for a surviving spouse, inheriting a traditional IRA or 401k means that you are now responsible for the taxes owed. With the recent passage of the SECURE Act, most non-spouse beneficiaries must totally withdraw a 401k or IRA within 10 years. It is deemed to be ordinary income for beneficiaries, which could result in a huge tax bill for your heirs. To avoid this, you can convert some or all of your retirement account assets to a Roth IRA during your lifetime, which lets you to pay the conversion taxes at your current income tax rate—a rate that may be much lower than your children or grandchildren’s tax rate. When you pass away, any money that is passed inside a Roth IRA goes tax-free to your heirs.
Failing to create a comprehensive estate plan. Properly establishing your estate plan now, will care for your loved ones financially, and can also save them a lot of emotional stress after you’re gone.
Talk to an experienced estate planning attorney about planning now. It can really affect your family for generations. It is one of the best gifts that you can leave your family.
Reference: Fox Business (Nov. 12, 2020) “5 estate planning disasters you'll want to avoid”

What Key Estate Planning Terms Should I Know?

Estate planning can help you accomplish several objectives, including naming guardians for minor children, choosing healthcare agents to make decisions for you should you become ill, minimizing taxes so you can give more wealth to your heirs and saying how and to whom you would like to pass your estate at death.

Emmett Messenger Index’s recent article entitled “13 Estate Planning Terms You Need to Know” provides some important terms to understand as you consider your own estate plan.

Assets: This is anything a person owns. It can include a home and other real estate, bank accounts, life insurance, investments, furniture, jewelry, collectibles, art, and clothing.

Beneficiary: This is an individual or entity (like a charity) that gets a beneficial interest in an asset, such as an estate, trust, account, or insurance policy.

Distribution: A payment in cash or asset(s) to the beneficiary who’s designated to receive it.

Estate: All of the assets and debts left by a person at death.

Fiduciary: An individual with a legal obligation or duty to act primarily for another person’s benefit, such as a trustee or agent under a power of attorney.

Funding: The process of transferring or retitling assets to a trust. Note that a living trust will only avoid probate at the trustmaker’s death if it’s fully funded. A trustmaker also may be known as a grantor, settlor, or trustor.

Incapacitated or Incompetent: The situation when a person is unable to manage her own affairs, either temporarily or permanently, and often involves a lack of mental capacity.

Inheritance: These are assets received from someone who has died.

Probate: This is the orderly court-supervised process of distributing the assets of a person who has died.

Trust: This is a fiduciary relationship where a trustmaker gives a trustee the right to hold property or assets for the benefit of another party, known as the beneficiary. The trust is a written trust agreement that directs how the trust assets will be distributed to the beneficiary.

Will: A written document with directions for disposing of a person’s assets after their death. A will is enforced by a probate court. A will can provide for the nomination of a guardian for minor children.

Reference: Emmett Messenger Index (Oct. 28, 2020) “13 Estate Planning Terms You Need to Know”

Incorporating Gifting with an Estate Plan

Kiplinger’s recent article entitled “Gifting sounds pretty simple, but there are many ways to do it, and several tax ramifications to be aware of as well” explains that no matter if a gift is made this year or in future years, there are some important questions to consider.
Increased exemption. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act significantly upped the lifetime gift, estate and generation-skipping tax exemption to $11.58 million per individual ($23.16 million per couple). It’s set to expire at the end of 2025. Thus, there’s the prospect of possibly losing an opportunity to transfer wealth out of your estate and save on future estate taxes earlier than anticipated.
When to Give. A big question is whether a person should give away assets during their lifetime or at their death. Those who opt to gift while they’re alive often do so to reduce their estate and to share in the joy of seeing the effect it makes in the lives of the recipients. Others decide to gift after death for the security of having the assets on hand, if they’re needed. Gifting after death also gives recipients time to prepare for the responsibility that comes along with inheriting wealth.
Unified Federal Estate & Gift Tax Exemption. There are many ways to distribute assets. What works for one family isn’t necessarily the wisest strategy for another. Note that any transfer is gift tax-free up to the annual exclusion amount ($15,000 per person per donor in 2020). Any gift over this amount will count against the donor’s lifetime exemption amount. After that lifetime exemption is used, the gift will be subject to gift tax.
Outright cash gifts. This appears to be the most uncomplicated way of gifting. However, for those with significant wealth, this approach could have some drawbacks. These concern the ability and experience gift recipients have to manage money, outside risks, such as a spouse or high-risk professions, and demotivating recipients to live off their inheritance, instead of becoming productive on their own. Therefore, distributing large amounts of money—particularly at a young age—is generally discouraged.
Trusts. These are used frequently for larger gifts to provide for beneficiaries, while using controls by the grantor. These parameters can include things like distributing trust assets in stages (when the beneficiary reaches a certain age or achieves a specific goal). You can also leave assets in a discretionary lifetime trust, which would maintain the assets in a trust for the beneficiary’s entire lifetime. When set up by an experienced estate planning attorney, this offers a high level of protection from divorcing spouses, lawsuits, poor financial decisions and outside influences. It can also let the grantor create a lasting family legacy for many generations.
Gifts for education or medical expenses. Direct payments for college tuition or for medical expenses have no gift tax consequences. Educational gifts can also be made by funding a 529 educational savings plan. While there are no contribution limits for a 529 plan, gifts over the annual exclusion amount can have gift tax consequences or count against the lifetime exemption. You can also pre-fund an account up to $75,000 and it will receive the same tax treatment, as if it were gifted in $15,000 increments over five years.
Uniform Trust to Minors Act (UTMA) and Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA). These custodial accounts are generally less restrictive than trusts and let minor beneficiaries access funds at age a specific age depending on state of residence.
Reference: Kiplinger (Oct. 30, 2020) “Gifting sounds pretty simple, but there are many ways to do it, and several tax ramifications to be aware of as well.”

What Trusts are Available for Estate Planning?

A trust is a legal agreement that has at least three parties. The same person(a) can be in more than one of these roles at the same time. The terms of the trust usually are embodied in a legal document called a trust agreement. Forbes’s recent article entitled “Here’s What You Need To Know About The Most-Popular Estate Planning Trusts” explains that the first party is the person who creates the trust, known as a trustor, grantor, settlor, or creator.
The trustee is the second party to the agreement. This person has legal title to the property in the trust and manages the property, according to the instructions in the trust and state law. The third party is the beneficiary who benefits from the trust. There can be multiple beneficiaries at the same time, and there also can be different beneficiaries over time.
The trustee is a fiduciary who must manage the trust property only for the interests of the beneficiaries and consistent with the trust agreement and the law. Although a trust is created when the trust agreement is signed and executed, it isn’t really operational until it’s funded by transferring property to it.
A living trust, also called an inter vivos trust, is a trust that’s created during the trustor’s lifetime. A testamentary trust is created in the trustor’s last will and testament. A trust can be revocable, which means that the trustor can revoke it or modify the terms at any time. An irrevocable trust can’t be changed or revoked.
Assets that are owned by a trust avoid the cost, delay and publicity of probate. However, there are no tax benefits to a revocable living trust. The settlors-trustees are taxed as though they still own the assets. The trust assets are also included in their estates under the federal estate tax.
An irrevocable trust typically is created to reduce income and/or estate taxes. This type of trust can also protect assets from creditors. When assets are transferred to an irrevocable trust, the income and gains are taxed to the trust when they are retained by the trust and taxed to the beneficiaries when distributed to them.
Under the federal estate tax and most state estate taxes, assets that are retitled to an irrevocable trust aren’t part of the grantor’s estate. Transfers to the trust are gifts to the beneficiaries. The grantor’s gift tax annual exclusion and lifetime exemption can be used to avoid gift taxes, until gifts exceed the exclusion and exemption limit.
A grantor trust is an income tax term that describes a trust where the grantor is taxed on the income. That’s because he or she retained rights to or benefits of the property. The revocable living trust is an example of a grantor trust.
A trust can be discretionary or nondiscretionary. A trustee of a discretionary trust has the power to make or withhold distributions to beneficiaries as the trustee deems appropriate or in their best interests. In a nondiscretionary trust, the trustee makes distributions according to the directions in the trust agreement.
Another type of trust is a spendthrift trust. This is an irrevocable trust that can be either living or testamentary. The key term restricts limits the beneficiary’s access to the trust principal, and the beneficiary and the beneficiary’s creditors can’t force distributions. The spendthrift provision is used when the settlor is worried that a beneficiary might waste the money or have trouble with creditors. Many states permit spendthrift trusts, but some limit the amount of principal that can be protected, and some do not recognize spendthrift provisions.
Finally, a special needs trust can be used to provide for a person who needs assistance for life. In many cases, it’s a child or sibling of the trust settlor. It can be either living or testamentary. Critical to a special needs trust is it has provisions that make certain the beneficiary can receive financial support from the trust, without being disqualified from federal and state support programs for those with special needs.
For more about trusts and how one may fit into your estate planning, contact an experienced estate planning attorney.
Reference: Forbes (Oct. 26, 2020) “Here’s What You Need To Know About The Most-Popular Estate Planning Trusts”

Do I Need to Name a Guardian for My Children in the Will?

Many young couples with children and bills to pay may look at you askance, when asked about estate planning and say, “what estate?”
However, a critical part of having a will—one frequently overlooked—is naming a guardian. If you don’t name a guardian, it could result in issues for your children after your death. Your child might even be placed in a foster home.
For a young family, designating a guardian is another good reason to draft a will. If you and your spouse die together with no guardian specified in a will, the guardian will be chosen by the court.
In a worst-case scenario, if you have no close family or no one in your family who can take your child, the court will send them to foster care, until a permanent guardian can be named.
The judge will collect as much information as possible about your children and family circumstances to make a good decision.
However, the judge won’t have any intimate knowledge of who you know or which of your relatives would be good guardians. This could result in a choice of one of the last people you might pick to take care of your child.
Try to find common ground, by agreeing to a set of criteria you want in a guardian. This could include the following:
The potential guardian’s willingness to be a guardian
The potential guardian’s financial situation
Where the child might live with that person
The potential guardian’s values, religion, or political beliefs
The potential guardian’s parenting skills; and
The potential guardian’s age and health.
Next, make a decision, get the chosen guardian’s consent, write it all down, and then set out to create a will.
Ask an experienced estate planning attorney to help you do it correctly.
Reference: Lifehacker (Oct. 27, 2020) “Why You Should Name a Guardian for Your Kids Right Away”

Is My Estate Plan Set with a Power of Attorney?

A June 2020 Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies survey showed that a mere 28% of retirees have a financial power of attorney (POA)—and many people don’t understand that there are two types of these advance directives that serve different purposes.

MarketWatch recently published an article “Does your estate plan use the right type of Power of Attorney for you?” that says knowing how both types work is crucial in the pandemic, especially in the event that you get sick with coronavirus.

A Durable Power of Attorney for Finance can be either “springing” or “immediate.” “Durable” refers to the fact that this Power of Attorney will endure after you have lost mental or physical capacities, whether temporary or permanent. It lists when the powers would be granted to the person of your choosing and the powers end at your death.

An “immediate” Durable Power of Attorney for Finance is effective, as soon as you sign the document. In contrast, a “springing” POA for Finance means two physicians must first examine you and confirm in writing that you can no longer manage independently.

Therefore, to begin paying your bills, your agent must have those two physicians’ letters, and he or she doesn’t automatically have the authority to ask for them.

When issues, such as doctors’ letters, are required before the agent you chose can serve you, ask your estate planning attorney for guidance.

An obstacle for a Durable Power of Attorney for Finance can come upon you very fast and possibly include you and your spouse at the same time. For example, you both might get COVID-19.

The powers granted by a typical POA for Finance are often broad and permit selling and buying assets; managing your debt, car and Social Security payments; filing your tax returns; and caring for any assets not named in a trust you may have, such as your IRA.

If you recover your capacity, your agent must turn everything back over to you when you ask.

Remember that your advance directive documents are only as good as the people who implement them. You should also make certain anyone named knows that they’ll have the job, if needed. They must know where to find your POA and all other important information.

Reference: MarketWatch (Oct. 9, 2020) “Does your estate plan use the right type of Power of Attorney for you?”