Michigan Estate Planning Blog

Why an Updated Estate Plan Is Critical, Especially Now

 

Without a properly prepared and current estate plan, property is distributed following the intestacy law of the decedent’s state of residence. In most cases, the laws are centered around kinship, with spouses and children dividing percentages of the estate.

If you had something else in mind, it wouldn’t matter—the time to create and update an estate plan is while you’re living. We all know this. However, many just keep procrastinating. A recent article, “Make sure your estate plan is updated to reflect law changes,” from Los Altos Town Crier, explains precisely what pitfalls your loved ones will face if you put off creating an estate plan until it’s too late.

Probate can be minimized or avoided with a professionally prepared estate plan. The probate experience varies with the jurisdiction: in some courts, it’s a streamlined process, while in others, it is a series of delays, sometimes stretching out over months or even years. The time and costs of probate also depend upon the complexity of the estate. In some states, probate can cost 4—7% of the estate’s total value.

An estate planning attorney works with clients to create a means of passing assets to their intended beneficiaries without court involvement. This takes many different shapes depending on the family, the value of the assets, the structure of ownership, etc. Trusts, payable on death accounts, joint tenancy ownership and LLCs (Limited Liability Corporations) are just a few means of passing wealth without involving probate.

Estate planning attorneys help clients control how and when assets are passed to heirs. For instance, if someone had a child who is exceptionally mature and responsible, they may wish to provide the child with their inheritance upon their death. A trust can be created to address the concerns of a family with an adult child who, for whatever reason, cannot manage money. The trust can have a trustee who will be charged with distributing assets according to directions provided by the parents—after achieving certain milestones, at specific ages, or when the trustee deems funds should be distributed.

Incapacity is unpleasant to consider but is as much a part of estate planning as planning for asset distribution after death. Without having a plan for incapacity, the family may be forced to go to court and petition for a supervised conservatorship, a costly and stressful process.

Incapacity or death are the last things on the minds of new parents. However, when a new child joins the family, updating an estate plan to include naming a guardian becomes critical. If there is no will or the will has never been updated to reflect the addition of children, the court determines who will raise the children. Any interested party may petition the court to be appointed as a guardian. The court ultimately makes the decision. However, the decision by the parents, as expressed in an estate plan, will have more weight than an estranged sibling.

An estate plan protects the family by lessening the chances of family disputes and legal battles, which can lead to lifelong divisions. A meeting with an estate planning attorney will give you insight into the importance of having an estate plan and how it serves as a gift to loved ones.

Reference: Los Altos Town Crier (Oct. 29, 2024) “Make sure your estate plan is updated to reflect law changes”

The Biggest Mistakes Made with Trusts

The Dallas Morning News’ recent article entitled “Owning your trust: Avoid these five common trust mistakes” explains these big mistakes frequently made with trusts.

Mistake 1: Failing to fund the trust. This involves transferring assets into the trust and managing assets with the trustee. It also makes the assets subject to the trust’s terms. A trust without assets is a worthless piece of paper.

Mistake 2: Placing your homestead into the trust. For example, a homestead designation in Texas carries several benefits, like creditor protection, tax exemptions and bankruptcy protection. Those are lost when you put your homestead into a trust, unless it is a “qualifying trust.” If your homestead has a mortgage, transferring it into a trust may cause a default. A mortgage company may also refuse to refinance an existing mortgage or extend new financing on a homestead that is in a trust.

Mistake 3: Funding the trust with a vacation home. This can be a headache for the trust’s beneficiaries. Most of us don’t leave enough money in the trust to maintain the home in perpetuity. Your children and their spouses will fight over holiday usage. It ends up being an expensive albatross. If you decide to keep the property in the family, ask an experienced estate planning attorney about a family limited partnership or an LLC. However, before you take this step, ask your children if they want to keep it.

Mistake 4: Failing to understand the trust document. While most trusts are long, boring and contain provisions that make absolutely no sense to anyone but the IRS, if you rely on a trust for your financial future and legacy, you must know what it says and does.

Mistake 5: Failing to review the trust annually. A lot can change in a year, like assets, financial conditions, births, deaths, divorces, marriages, etc. These may require changes to your trust.

Reference: Dallas Morning News (March 12, 2023) “Owning your trust: Avoid these five common trust mistakes”

Addressing Vacation Home in Another State in Estate Planning

Many families have an out-of-state cabin or vacation home that’s passed down by putting the property in a will. While that’s an option, this strategy might not make it as easy as you think for your family to inherit this home in the future.

Florida Today’s recent article entitled “Avoiding probate: What is the best option for my out-of-state vacation home?” explains the reason to look into a more comprehensive plan. While you could just leave an out-of-state vacation home in your will, you might consider protecting your loved ones from the often expensive, overwhelming and complicated process of dealing both an in-state probate and an out-of-state probate.

There are options to help avoid probate on an out-of-state vacation home that can save your family headaches in the future. Let’s take a look:

Revocable trust: This type of trust can be altered while you’re still living, especially as your assets or beneficiaries change. You can place all your assets into this trust, but at the very least, put the vacation home in the trust to avoid the property going through probate. Another benefit of a revocable trust is you could set aside money in the trust specifically for the management and upkeep of the property, and you can leave instructions on how the vacation home should be managed upon your death.

Irrevocable trust: similar to the revocable trust, assets can be put into an irrevocable trust, including your vacation home. You can leave instructions and money for the management of the vacation home. However, once an irrevocable trust is established, you can’t amend or terminate it.

Limited liability company (LLC): You can also create an LLC and list your home as an asset of the company to eliminate probate and save you or your family from the risk of losing any other assets outside of the vacation home, if sued. You can protect yourself if renting out a vacation home and the renter decides to sue. The most you could then lose is that property, rather than possibly losing any other assets. Having beneficiaries rent the home will help keep out-of-pocket expenses low for future beneficiaries. With the creation of an LLC, you’re also able to create a plan to help with the future management of the vacation home.

Transfer via a deed: When you have multiple children, issues may arise when making decisions surrounding the home. This is usually because your wishes for the management of the house are not explicitly detailed in writing.

Joint ownership: You can hold the title to the property with another that’s given the right of survivorship. However, like with the deed, this can lead to miscommunication as to how the house should be cared for and used.

Plan for the future to help make certain that the property continues to be a place where cherished memories can be made for years to come. Talk to a qualified estate planning attorney for expert legal advice for your specific situation.

Reference: Florida Today (July 2, 2022) “Avoiding probate: What is the best option for my out-of-state vacation home?”

Should an Estate Plan Include a Cabin on the Lake?

 

If you don’t plan appropriately and thoughtfully, problems may arise with respect to this property and your family when you are gone, says Kiplinger’s recent article entitled “Your Vacation Home Needs an Estate Plan!”
Speaking with your spouse and children is a good first step to help determine interest in retaining the property for the next generation and financial ability to maintain it. Let’s look at three ways you can plan for your vacation home.
Leave a Vacation Home to Children Outright During Life or at Death. An outright transfer of the home via a deed to children is the easiest way to transfer a vacation home.

However, if your children all own the property equally, they all have an equal say as to its use and management.
As a result, all decisions require unanimous agreement, which can prove challenging and be ripe for disagreement. Suggest that they create a Use and Maintenance Agreement to determine the terms and rules for the property usage. The contract would require all children to agree.
Form a Limited Liability Company (LLC). This is a tool often used by families, where each family member has a certain amount of membership interests in a home or to give away a home in a controlled manner. The operating agreement states the rules for governing the use and management of the property.
Put the Vacation Home in a Trust. A trust is another way to help with the ownership and transfer of vacation homes. Ask an experienced estate planning attorney about how this might work for your family.
Planning for your family’s vacation property is important to help avoid litigation and maintain family peace.
Addressing how the property will be paid for and setting aside money for it—as well as selecting the right structure for your family to use and enjoy the property—will help avoid issues in the future.
Reference: Kiplinger (Feb. 1, 2022) “Your Vacation Home Needs an Estate Plan!”

Employee Skin In The Game – Family Business Stock Saginaw, MI

Some businesses are family owned, but not run by members of the family. So, how do you make such non-family key employees act like they are owners? Give them skin in the game. The most common form of “skin” in the game is company stock. Done right, this approach can be a win-win for all parties involved. That said, great caution is due; beware, as described in a recent WealthManagement.com article titled “The Tyranny of Minority Shareholders.” Structuring your family business for the future is not an easy task. What of value in life is? While each company and family is different, making a key employee a part owner certainly can give them added incentive to run things when the family cannot or will not. On the downside, you can create tension between the family owners and the key employee turned minority shareholder. For example, conflicts can arise should the majority owners (i.e., the family members) take actions in their own self-interests without considering the concerns of the minority owners (i.e., non-family members). In some cases, a minority shareholder can be protected by state and federal laws as in the case discussed in the original article regarding the Empire State Building IPO. Even if you do not own an international landmark, there are many ways you, your family, your non-family executives, and, yes, your business, can find a happy medium. However, it takes time and qualified counsel to structure things correctly.

Reference: WealthManagement.com (June 20, 2013) “The Tyranny of Minority Shareholders”

For more information, see www.jerryreiflawyer.com

 

Business Entity Selection Secrets

A business is what you make of it, and that’s not just a marketing tactic or a business school platitude. When it comes to structuring your business, your selection of “entity” is key. Do you own, stand to inherit, or are just plain curious about how to start a business (especially if you have been downsized in this economy)? If yes, then you should read a recent article in Forbes explaining the differences between a “C” and an “S” corporation. It is titled “C or S Corporation Choice is Critical for Small Business.” Spoiler alert: the main distinctions between the two basic corporate structures are all about the tax code. Yaaaawn. That noted, however, there are other significant differences between the two. Not to muddy the already murky waters, the article explores the terrain between these old standards and the new standard that is the LLC, or Limited Liability Company. LLCs are, by and large, simpler entities, but that doesn’t mean they are ideal in all situations. For some current reading on the capabilities of the LLC, it’s worth taking a hop over to the Wall Street Journal, which recently published an article titled “An Inspired Financing Choice for Artists and Patrons. These articles only scratch the surface regarding what you need to know about the veritable alphabet soup of available business structures. Ultimately, you will need to bite the bullet and obtain qualified legal counsel to help you select and structure the appropriate entity for your unique circumstances and objectives.

Reference: Forbes (May 3, 2012) “C or S Corporation Choice is Critical for Small Business”

                  The Wall Street Journal (May 21, 2012) “An Inspired Financing Choice for Artists and Patrons”

When Your “Alter Ego” May Not Be Enough

LLCs or “Limited Liability Corporations” can be excellent vehicles to accomplish just what their names suggest - limiting liability. That said, I stumbled across a recent message of caution regarding some LLCs, and the court case of Martin v. Freeman, ___ P.3d ____, 2012 WL 311660, 2012 COA 21 (Colo.App., Feb. 2, 2012) to back it up, both of which are worth sharing. You might say that an LLC is one thing, but a SMLLC, or a “single member” LLC, is a different beast entirely, at least from an asset protection point of view. To wit, the above article points out that a single member LLC is “an alter ego case waiting to happen.” The case of Martin v. Freeman is, as you might have imagined, a “veil-piercing” case as Freeman was the sole owner of an LLC involved in some hefty litigation and sold the LLC’s property to, at least in part, help cover the legal fees of the litigation. Of course, that left the LLC with no assets to satisfy the judgment that came down against it and only one place to turn for that satisfaction: Freeman himself. After all, Freeman had just under-capitalized the LLC, and did so by distributing funds to himself only to turn around and help pay legal fees for the LLC. “Undercapitalization” is the great leveler of corporations when it comes to asset protection and with little difference on record between “Freeman the LLC owner” and “Freeman the individual,” the corporate veil fell apart. Freeman was held personally liable. This is one more lesson on a subject that always bears repeating. Single member LLCs aren’t exactly flawed by nature, but they are often the easiest to muck up. In the end, keeping things straight between yourself as the “business owner” and yourself as the “individual” requires some vigilance and diligence.

Reference: Forbes (February 5, 2012) “Martin: The Inherent Dangers Of The Single Member LLC And Alter Ego Veil Piercing

LLC Planning For Your Business and Family

When it comes to understanding your estate and planning for it, the key concept is ownership. How do you own your assets? How should you own your assets? How can you easily pass along this ownership to your loved ones? When it comes to business assets, whether in the context of ordinary day-to-day operations or as a business owner setting up your estate plan, ownership is still the name of the game. One question that arises, then, is whether your assets should be spread across separate or multiple LLCs. I came across a recent article in CPA Magazine and, according to the author, whether you should start splintering your assets into multiple LLC depends a great deal on what you hope to accomplish. No surprise there. However, to many it’s simply a question of liability and risk protection, but then there are other goals. Namely, splitting into multiple business entities will allow your company to move the ownership of assets around between family members or employees without necessarily dividing the business. This can be accomplished with some careful planning, corporate due diligence, and transactions like the sale-leaseback or, more in the vein of estate planning, the gift-leaseback. In that latter play, the business owner either leases or gifts the asset away and then immediately leases it back, thereby spreading ownership but retaining the operations of the company. Of course, not all business assets are well equipped for this practice, but others are perfectly positioned, especially those that deal in large equipment or vehicles. It’s not quite as simple in practice, and diligence is a necessity, but for many small and family owned businesses this fractured structure will allow a great deal of leeway. Whether it truly is right for you will take some thought and competent counsel at your side. In the end, it all comes down to your own unique goals, first for your business and second for your family.

Reference: CPA Magazine (2011) “How to Determine if a Separate LLC is Right for Your Assets”

LLC Planning For Your Business and Family

When it comes to understanding your estate and planning for it, the key concept is ownership. How do you own your assets? How should you own your assets? How can you easily pass along this ownership to your loved ones? When it comes to business assets, whether in the context of ordinary day-to-day operations or as a business owner setting up your estate plan, ownership is still the name of the game. One question that arises, then, is whether your assets should be spread across separate or multiple LLCs. I came across a recent article in CPA Magazine and, according to the author, whether you should start splintering your assets into multiple LLC depends a great deal on what you hope to accomplish. No surprise there. However, to many it’s simply a question of liability and risk protection, but then there are other goals. Namely, splitting into multiple business entities will allow your company to move the ownership of assets around between family members or employees without necessarily dividing the business. This can be accomplished with some careful planning, corporate due diligence, and transactions like the sale-leaseback or, more in the vein of estate planning, the gift-leaseback. In that latter play, the business owner either leases or gifts the asset away and then immediately leases it back, thereby spreading ownership but retaining the operations of the company. Of course, not all business assets are well equipped for this practice, but others are perfectly positioned, especially those that deal in large equipment or vehicles. It’s not quite as simple in practice, and diligence is a necessity, but for many small and family owned businesses this fractured structure will allow a great deal of leeway. Whether it truly is right for you will take some thought and competent counsel at your side. In the end, it all comes down to your own unique goals, first for your business and second for your family.

Reference: CPA Magazine (2011) “How to Determine if a Separate LLC is Right for Your Assets”

Keeping The Family Vacation Home In The Family

For those of you with still-fresh memories of this past Labor Day weekend out at the family cottage, now may be the time to take action to ensure that future Labor Days and summer outings will continue to be enjoyed by your family long after you are gone. In other words, ensure the future of the family cottage and the peace and domestic tranquility of your family through proper estate planning. So, how do you do that? The Wall Street Journal Online recently touched on the topic. The best way to leave an inheritance that includes a family vacation home depends on who will be inheriting it. That is the first essential decision. For example, are you leaving it to one family member or to several? Who will be interested in the home (or more interested in your portfolio)? Who will be able to use the home? The adult child living in California might not be able to enjoy the Cape Cod cottage. This is especially true if they have their own vacation property, or if they wouldn’t be able to afford the upkeep, insurance and taxes. If you’ve settled on a single person to inherit the family vacation home, then it is relatively easy: you can either gift it during your lifetime (before 2013 would be prudent), or leave it through your Last Will and Testament or Revocable Living Trust. If you are leaving it to multiple beneficiaries, like an entire generation of your family, then perhaps consider establishing a specific arrangement for such ownership. For example, many families find the Limited Liability Company (LLC) or various forms of trusts to be practical tools. If all of the heirs are adults, then an LLC might be a better bet as it allows members a more equal say in what to do, while still providing a framework for decisions or an organizational structure through the use of a solid operating agreement. Of course, you could take it a step further and form a trust that owns an LLC that owns the home, or even specific trusts like a Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT.). On the other hand, if there are young children in the family, then a trust with a long-term duration might be better. Why? Because it allows parents to pass on the vacation home to their children while still appointing an adult in charge as trustee. In addition, properly drafted with “spendthrift provisions,” such trusts can protect the family home from the potential divorces, lawsuits and bankruptcies of the heirs. For many, a family vacation cottage is a place of many happy memories shared over a long family history. As a result, it just has to stay in the family. Once you start down the path to make that happen, however, don’t wander too far without appropriate legal counsel. You will need experienced help to navigate the details, figure out what’s best for your unique situation, and eventually put ink to paper.

Reference: The Wall Street Journal Online (September 4, 2011) “Create A Plan To Pass On The Family Cottage

Keeping The Family Vacation Home In The Family

For those of you with still-fresh memories of this past Labor Day weekend out at the family cottage, now may be the time to take action to ensure that future Labor Days and summer outings will continue to be enjoyed by your family long after you are gone. In other words, ensure the future of the family cottage and the peace and domestic tranquility of your family through proper estate planning. So, how do you do that? The Wall Street Journal Online recently touched on the topic. The best way to leave an inheritance that includes a family vacation home depends on who will be inheriting it. That is the first essential decision. For example, are you leaving it to one family member or to several? Who will be interested in the home (or more interested in your portfolio)? Who will be able to use the home? The adult child living in California might not be able to enjoy the Cape Cod cottage. This is especially true if they have their own vacation property, or if they wouldn’t be able to afford the upkeep, insurance and taxes. If you’ve settled on a single person to inherit the family vacation home, then it is relatively easy: you can either gift it during your lifetime (before 2013 would be prudent), or leave it through your Last Will and Testament or Revocable Living Trust. If you are leaving it to multiple beneficiaries, like an entire generation of your family, then perhaps consider establishing a specific arrangement for such ownership. For example, many families find the Limited Liability Company (LLC) or various forms of trusts to be practical tools. If all of the heirs are adults, then an LLC might be a better bet as it allows members a more equal say in what to do, while still providing a framework for decisions or an organizational structure through the use of a solid operating agreement. Of course, you could take it a step further and form a trust that owns an LLC that owns the home, or even specific trusts like a Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT.). On the other hand, if there are young children in the family, then a trust with a long-term duration might be better. Why? Because it allows parents to pass on the vacation home to their children while still appointing an adult in charge as trustee. In addition, properly drafted with “spendthrift provisions,” such trusts can protect the family home from the potential divorces, lawsuits and bankruptcies of the heirs. For many, a family vacation cottage is a place of many happy memories shared over a long family history. As a result, it just has to stay in the family. Once you start down the path to make that happen, however, don’t wander too far without appropriate legal counsel. You will need experienced help to navigate the details, figure out what’s best for your unique situation, and eventually put ink to paper.

Reference: The Wall Street Journal Online (September 4, 2011) “Create A Plan To Pass On The Family Cottage”