Michigan Estate Planning Blog

Why Would I Need a Will or a Trust?

 

Say that some time ago-- when your family was still young, and the estate tax limit was $600,000—you created a revocable and an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT). This was designed to take care of your family after your death. However, at this point, everyone is financially independent, and the value of your estate is far less than the taxable threshold of $11.7 million.
If the trust is terminated, the beneficiaries will get a step-up basis at your death and pay taxes at their own rates, rather than the trust rate. Would you need a will, if all the accounts have your children as beneficiaries? The ILIT was also funded with a term life insurance policy that is going to expire soon.
Nj.com’s recent article entitled “Should I terminate this trust and do I need a will?” says that there are number of issues to address. The purpose of an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) is to own and control term or permanent life insurance policies, so that the policy proceeds aren’t included in the insured’s taxable estate upon his or her death.
While the current federal estate tax exemption amount is $11.7 million per person, the law is scheduled to expire at the end of 2025, when it will return to an exemption of $5 million, adjusted for inflation. It’s unknown if Congress will change the proposed exemption amount when the law sunsets.
If the ILIT is funded with a term policy that is set to expire soon, it may be easier to let the policy owned by the ILIT expire, which would render the ILIT immaterial. The terms of the ILIT will govern the procedure for the termination of the trust, which may be simple or onerous. Consult with an experienced estate planning attorney to who can look more closely at the trust’s language.
A revocable living trust lets the person creating the trust control the assets in the trust and avoid probate. It also can be used to manage the trust assets by a successor trustee, in the event the grantor who created the trust becomes incapacitated.
For example, New Jersey banks may freeze 50% of the assets in an estate at the owner’s death to be certain that any estate or inheritance taxes that may be due are paid. A tax waiver must be obtained to lift the freeze. However, any assets in a trust, aren’t subject to a similar freeze.
At the grantor’s death, a trustee must pay income tax, if the gross income of the trust is $600 or more. Depending on the amount of assets in the trust, the trust may not accumulate gross income of $600, if the assets are distributed outright to the beneficiaries right after the death of the grantor.
Lastly, it’s wise to have a will, even if the majority of assets are in a living trust or are in IRAs and other retirement accounts. That is because there may be some assets that are outside the trust or retirement account or there may be a need for a personal representative of the estate to handle tax or other types of refunds.
Reference: nj.com (June 15, 2021) “Should I terminate this trust and do I need a will?”

Should a Trust Be a Component of My Estate Planning?

 

Let’s say that there’s a young father with a wife and young son, who owns a home and a Roth IRA account, with a few stock investments. On the stock investments, he’s filled out the beneficiary designation forms passing all his assets to his wife and son, should anything happen to him.
This father owns his home is joint tenancy with right of survivorship with his wife.
Does he need to set up a separate trust, if most of his assets pass through beneficiary designations?
Nj.com’s recent article entitled “Do I need a trust in case something happens to me?” says that leaving assets outright to a minor is typically a bad move. The son’s guardian and/or the court would take custody of the assets, both of which require significant court oversight and involvement.
The minor would also receive the assets upon attaining the age of majority, which in most states is age 18.
No one can tell what a young child will be like at the age of 18, especially after suffering the loss of their parents. Even if there are no significant issues, such as drug addiction or special needs, parents should think about what they’d have done with that much money at that age.
The best option is to leave assets in trust for the benefit of the minor son.
The trustee can manage and use the assets for the benefit of the young boy with limited court involvement.
The terms of the trust can also delay the point at which the assets can be distributed and ultimately paid over to the beneficiary, if at all.
For example, it’s not uncommon for a trust to stipulate that the beneficiary gets a third of the assets at 25, half of the remaining assets at 30 and the rest at age 35. However, other trusts don’t provide for such mandatory distributions and can hold the assets for the beneficiary’s lifetime, which has its advantages.
In some instances, the terms of the trust are included in a will. This creates a trust account after death, which is also called a testamentary trust.
Talk to an experienced estate planning attorney, who can assess your specific situation and provide guidance in creating an estate plan. The attorney can also make certain that trust assets are correctly titled and that beneficiary designations of retirement accounts and life insurance are correctly prepared, so the trust under the will receives those assets and not the minor individually.
Reference: nj.com (June 14, 2021) “Do I need a trust in case something happens to me?”