Do I Need an Estate Planning Attorney?

March 27, 2023

Sound estate planning can help minimize taxes and expenses associated with transferring your assets and property after your death, says Urban Asia’s recent article entitled “Why Is It Important To Hire An Estate Planning Attorney.”

An experienced estate planning attorney can help you with your estate planning goals efficiently, avoiding legal processes that can be time-consuming and costly. Estate planning through an attorney can help you, and your loved ones avoid legal complications or unwanted delays.

What are the benefits of hiring an experienced estate planning attorney?

Legal expertise: They have specialized knowledge of the laws and regulations governing probate and estates. They can advise you on the best plan to suit the utilization of your assets and needs, and make sure that your estate planning complies with all applicable laws.
Tax implications: Estates can have tax implications. An experienced estate planning attorney can advise you on how to structure your estate plan to minimize taxes and maximize the benefits for your beneficiaries.
Customization: They can help customize your estate plan to suit your individual needs and goals.
Protection of beneficiaries: Estate planning attorneys can help protect your heirs’ interests by ensuring that your will and trust are administered correctly. They can help assure that all your assets are protected from creditors and other legal claims.
Charitable giving: An estate planning attorney can advise you on how to make philanthropic gifts, either during your lifetime or at death, through charitable trusts or other charitable giving vehicles.
Incapacity planning: They can help you plan for incapacity by creating a power of attorney or living will to let you specify how your assets and property should be managed, if you are unable to decide for yourself.

Finding the right attorney for estate planning can be a challenging task. Estate planning can be complex, and selecting an attorney with experience and expertise in this discipline is essential. Therefore, look for an attorney with plenty of experience in estate planning.

Reference: Urban Asia (Jan. 22, 2023) “Why Is It Important To Hire An Estate Planning Attorney”

Do Family Secrets Hurt Estate Planning?

March 24, 2023

A study by the financial services research firm reveals just how big a problem family secrets can be, as reported in Financial Advisor’s recent article “Family Wealth Transfers Undermined by Secrecy.” Most asset holders plan to share their wishes and intentions with family members before they die. However, the research reveals only about half actually do so.

The survey looked at two demographics: affluent investors with more than $250,000 in investable assets and near affluent, investors under age 45 with earnings more than $125,000. Responses were weighted to reflect the distribution of households within these segments, which are wealthier and older than the average U.S. population.

Estate planning attorneys understand the complexity of multi-generational families and are experienced with nuances in family dynamics and the hesitancy of families to share their financial details. After a lifetime of not discussing wealth, it can be difficult to know where to begin.

When asked how well informed heirs are about their parent’s desires and plans for bequests, only 26% said their heirs were very well informed. The greater the wealth, the more likely conversations had taken place. About a third of respondents with more than $1 million in investable assets said heirs knew of their plans.

Those with less than $250,000 to pass on were not sure if heirs knew their wishes or, worse, admitted their heirs had absolutely no idea.

Although skipping generations offers tax advantages, most heirs receive inheritances directly from a parent upon their death. Having an estate plan in order, including wills and trusts agreements, ensures an orderly transfer of wealth.

A key component of successful wealth transfer is communication. However, this survey found a full 25% of respondents never intend to share information about their assets while they are living. This prevents comprehensive planning from taking place, since a number of aspects of wealth planning require active planning and other people to be involved during the parent’s lifetime.

Planning for incapacity requires the involvement of siblings, spouses, and heirs. Advanced directives, power of attorney, health care power of attorney and related documents need to be shared with family members, so they can act on the parent’s behalf. Lacking these documents creates emotional and financial burdens on loved ones.

Reference: Financial Advisor (Feb. 22, 2023) “Family Wealth Transfers Undermined by Secrecy”

More Vets are Enrolling in VA Medical Services

March 22, 2023

The Department of Veterans Affairs experienced a surge in patients signing up for department health care services after the passage of sweeping military toxic exposure legislation last summer. Nonetheless, the VA is confident they have hiring plans in place to absorb the extra work.

Military Times’ recent article entitled “Enrollments in VA medical care spiked after PACT Act passage last year” reports that this is an increase of more than 17% from the same five-month period a year earlier. Elnahal said officials don’t yet have data specifically linking the increase to the signing of the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act (better known as the PACT Act) last summer. However, officials believe the two issues are connected.

“We are also doing everything we can to make our resources and personnel systems as efficient as possible, so that our clinics can absorb that demand as it really starts to come in,” he said.

“And we do still have targets for this year to reduce wait times, which really means that our priority around staffing up is first and foremost.”

In addition to expanded disability benefits for those suffering from illnesses linked to burn pit smoke and other toxins from military service, the PACT Act mandated 10 years of VA health care coverage for troops when they separate from the military. This extension affected about 800,000 vets. The VA also has made a public push in recent months to encourage more veterans to sign up for department health care to ensure their military-specific conditions are being tracked and treated.

The PACT Act and the fiscal 2023 budget approved by Congress included both funding and flexibility for increased staffing at VA medical centers to address the possible increase in enrollment. VA officials have a goal of about 52,000 new hires this fiscal year to replace departing staffers and add personnel to high-demand areas.

The move builds on efforts to publicize health care and disability payouts available through the PACT Act. Through the first four months of the fiscal year, VA has already hit about half of its hiring goal, he said.

“We need to hire more providers, more clinicians and schedulers, folks from top to bottom in this organization,” he said. “And as we do that, we’re making sure we’re holding ourselves to efficiency and productivity standards that our veterans deserve.”

Reference: Military Times (Jan. 26, 2022) “Enrollments in VA medical care spiked after PACT Act passage last year”

What Recourse Is Available if Inheritance Is Stolen?

March 20, 2023

State inheritance theft laws typically cover four distinct aspects, says Yahoo’s recent article entitled “Someone Stole My Inheritance. What Are My Options?”

The four are:

Who committed the inheritance theft,
When the theft happened,
What was taken, and
How the theft happened.

As far as the “how” goes, note that inheritance theft can take many different forms. One of the most common examples involves elder financial abuse where someone takes advantage of an elderly person’s weakened physical or mental state to steal from them.

If you think someone’s stolen your inheritance, it’s important to review inheritance theft laws in your state. Again, each state has different guidelines regarding:

What constitutes inheritance theft,
Who has the standing to bring a civil claim or file a criminal complaint concerning a stolen inheritance,
The legal grounds for successfully pursuing an inheritance theft claim, and
Penalties and remedies for inheritance theft.

Speaking with an experienced estate planning attorney can help you see if you have standing and grounds to file a claim for inheritance theft. Your attorney may advise you to take certain steps to develop a case, including:

Taking an inventory of the estate’s assets,
Reviewing estate documents, such as wills or trusts, to look for any potential signs of fraud or forgery, and
Verifying the validity of will or trust documents.

With a larger estate, you may need to hire a forensic accountant. They specialize in examining financial documents, which may be helpful if you’re struggling to create a paper trail to support a claim of inheritance theft.

Inheritance theft laws can help to protect your rights to an estate if you think your inheritance was stolen. You can also take actions to preserve your own estate for your heirs by drafting a valid will, creating a trust and choosing trustworthy individuals to act as your executor, trustee and power of attorney.

Reference: Yahoo (Jan. 18, 2023) “Someone Stole My Inheritance. What Are My Options?”

How Can I Relieve My Family’s Stress when I Die?

March 17, 2023

After losing a family member, people experience pain and grief. The situation gets worse if legal issues are involved, resulting in family conflicts. Such challenges are typically the result of a lack of planning when they could have been much easier if a good plan had been in place, says Scubby’s recent article entitled “7 Ways To Ease Your Loved Ones’ Suffering After You Die.” Let’s look at some ways to avoid problems after you pass away.

Create an Estate Plan. This is the first step you can take in making your family’s life easier. Your heirs will inherit your estate after you die. If you don’t have a written estate plan, it can be more difficult.
Maintain a Binder for Documents. Store all of your important documents and information in a master document binder or some other system. Include important documents and information about your bank accounts, credit cards, investment accounts and information about your digital assets, such as emails, online banking, social media accounts and any other digital assets that you own. You should also give information that your family will need to access these documents and information.
Buy Life Insurance. It’s smart to purchase life insurance as part of your basic estate plan. The loss of a family member can result in confusion, worry and anxiety regarding finances. Those left behind can sometimes wonder how to pay for necessities after a family member dies, so an insurance policy can solve that problem. This will give your family a financial cushion that will provide them with some breathing room.
Write An Instruction Letter. A last letter of instructions for your family is smart, in addition to your estate plan. This gives you the chance to express your love and affection to each of your family members. You can also state where you want to be buried or if you’d like to be cremated, and what kind of memorial service you would like. Your testament doesn’t appear in this document. It only lets you state your final wishes about each of these matters. It has no real legal significance.
Prepare Them Emotionally. It’s hard to comprehend the truth of death for you and your family. They’ll go through the grieving period without you, and to help them emotionally, you can honor the people in your life who matter most; offer an apology to those you have hurt; and/or forgive your loved ones, if they have hurt you.
Pre-plan Your Funeral. To ease the burden on your family at your death, pre-plan your funeral. This means you’ve made your funeral arrangements and chosen what you want as part of your funeral services.
Collect Important Documents and Contact Information. Organize important documents in a folder. This should include info on bank accounts, mortgages, insurance policies, employer contact information, estate planning, safe combinations and Social Security information. Make a list of close friends and family members, including their contact info, for your loved ones to contact in the event of your death.

This list of things you can do to ease the burden on your family isn’t exhaustive. However, it’s certainly helpful.

Reference: Scubby “7 Ways To Ease Your Loved Ones’ Suffering After You Die”

Beneficiary Battle over Presley Estate Reveals Possible Problems in Estate Planning

March 15, 2023

This is the situation facing the estate of Lisa Marie Presley, whose estate is being challenged by her mother, Priscilla Presley, as described in a recent article, “Presley beneficiary battle sets example of poor estate planning practices” from Insurance NewsNet. These situations are not uncommon, especially when there’s a lot of money involved. They serve as a teachable moment of things to avoid and things to absolutely insist upon in estate planning.

Lisa Marie’s estate is being challenged because of an amendment to the trust, which surfaced after she died. The amendment cut out two trustees and named Lisa Marie’s children as executors and trustees.

At stake is as much as $35 million from three life insurance policies, with at least $4 million needed to settle Lisa Marie’s debts, including $2.5 million owed to the IRS.

When this type of wealth is involved, it makes sense to have professional trustees hired, rather than appointing family members who may not have the skills needed to navigate family dynamics or manage significant assets.

A request to change a will by codicil or a trust by amendment happens fairly often. However, some estate planning attorneys reject their use and insist clients sign a new will or restate a trust to make sure their interests are protected. In the case of Lisa Marie, the amendment might be the result of someone trying to make changes without benefit of an estate planning attorney to make the change correctly.

The origins of the estate issues here may go back to Elvis’ estate plan. His estate was worth $5 million at the time of this death, $20 million if adjusted for inflation. His father was appointed as the executor and a trustee of the estate. His grandmother, father and Lisa Marie were beneficiaries of the trust. Lisa Marie was just nine when her famous father died, and her inheritance was held until she turned 25.

When his father died, Priscilla was named as one of three trustees. When his grandmother died, Lisa Marie was the only surviving beneficiary. She inherited the entire amount on her 25^th birthday—worth about $100 million largely at the time because of Priscilla’s skilled management.

Terminating such a large trust and handing $100 million to a 25 year old is seen by many estate planning attorneys as a big mistake. Distribution at an older age or over the course of the beneficiary’s lifetime could have been a smarter move. Lisa Marie reportedly blew through $100 million as an adult and was millions of dollars in debt, despite the estate having plenty of cash because of two large life insurance policies.

In 1993, Lisa Marie established a trust naming her mother and former business manager as trustees. The amendment in question seems to have been written in 2016, removing Priscilla and business manager Siegel as trustees, appointing Lisa Marie’s daughter and son as trustees, and naming her son and her fourteen year old twin sons as beneficiaries.

Priscilla’s attorneys say they had no prior knowledge of the change. Certain changes in estate plans require written notification of people with interest in the estate, which did not occur. They are also challenging the amendment’s authenticity, saying it was neither witnessed nor notarized. Priscilla’s name is misspelled and Lisa Marie’s signature is not consistent with other signatures of hers.

The estate is being contested, with a preliminary hearing on the matter scheduled for April 13.

Any changes to an estate plan, particularly those involving changes to the will, trusts or beneficiaries, should be done with the help of an experienced estate planning attorney. When large changes are made, or large assets are involved, a simple codicil or amendment could lead to complicated problems.

Reference: Insurance NewsNet (Feb. 17, 2023) “Presley beneficiary battle sets example of poor estate planning practices”

What Strategies Minimize Estate Taxes?

March 15, 2023

The gift and estate tax benefits from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) are still in effect. However, many provisions will sunset at the end of 2025, according to a recent article “Trust and estate planning strategies” from Crain’s New York Business.

The most important aspect for estate planning was the doubling of the estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax exemptions. Adjusted for inflation, the current federal estate, gift and GST exclusion is $12.92 million in 2023. This is more than double the pre-TCJA amount, which will return in 2026, unless Congress makes any changes.

While these levels are in effect, there are strategies to consider.

Maximize gifting up to the 2023 annual exclusion of $17,000 per taxpayer, or $34,000 for married couples.
Depending on the value of the entire estate, consider strategies to keep it below the current exemption among of $12.92 million or $25.84 (married). If the estate is less than the exemption amount, no federal estate tax will need to be paid.
Plan charitable giving, including charitable IRA rollovers to make the most of the deduction on 2023 income tax returns. Qualified charitable distributions made directly from an IRA could be used to satisfy Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) and exclude them from taxable income.
Set up 529 Plan accounts for children and/or grandchildren and consider making five years of annual exclusion gifts. Take into account any gifts made during the year to children and/or grandchildren when doing this.
Submit tuition or any non-reimbursable medical expenses directly to the school or medical provider to avoid having these amounts count towards the annual or lifetime gift tax exemption.
Explore intrafamily lending, which is used to transfer partial earnings to family members without lowering the lifetime estate tax exemption or triggering gift taxes.
Re-evaluate insurance coverage, which can provide opportunities to defer or avoid income taxes, or both, and provide assets to pay estate taxes or replace assets used to pay estate taxes.

Not all of these steps will be appropriate for everyone. There are also additional planning steps available that are not listed above. However, understanding the options and discussing with your estate planning attorney will ensure that you are using the most effective strategies to achieve wealth preservation.

Reference: Crain’s New York Business (Feb. 13, 2023) “Trust and estate planning strategies”

What Should Seniors Know before Remarrying?

March 10, 2023

Seniors in particular think about remarrying with an understandable degree of concern. Maybe you are a widow or a widower after a long marriage, or your last relationship ended in a divorce, or you’ve heard of too many remarriage disasters occurring with unintended consequences. However, according to a recent article from MSN, “Planning to remarry after a divorce? 6 tips to protect your financial future,” there are some steps to take to make relationships easier to navigate and protect your financial future.

Not all of them are easy, but all are worthwhile.

No marrying without a prenup. Who wants to think about divorce when they’re head-over-heels in love and planning a wedding? No one. However, think of a prenup as about the start, not the end. It clarifies many issues: full financial clarity, financial expectations and clear details on what would happen in the worst case scenario. Getting all this out in the open before you say “I do” makes it much easier to go forward.

Trust…but verify. Estate planning ensures that assets pass as you want. A revocable living trust set up during your lifetime can be used to ensure your assets pass to your offspring. Unlike a will, the provisions of a revocable trust are effective not just when you die but in the event of incapacity. A living trust can provide for the trust creator and their children during any period of incapacity prior to death. At death, the trust ensures that beneficiaries receive assets without going through probate.

Consider life insurance. Life insurance, possibly held in an irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT), which allows proceeds to pass tax-free, can be used to provide funds for a surviving spouse or children from a prior marriage. Make sure to review all insurance policies, including life, property and casualty and umbrella insurance to be sure you have the correct coverage in place, insurance policies are titled correctly and premiums continue to be paid.

Estate planning. While you are planning to remarry is a good time to check on account titles, beneficiary designations and powers of attorney. Couples should review their estate plans to be sure planning reflects current wishes. Married couples have the benefit of the unlimited marital deduction, meaning they can gift during their lifetime or bequeath at death an unlimited amount of assets to their U.S. citizen surviving spouse without any gift or estate tax. For unmarried couples, different estate planning techniques need to be used to pass the maximum amount to partners tax free.

Check beneficiaries. After divorce and before a remarriage, check beneficiaries on 401(k)s, pensions, retirement accounts and life insurance policies, Power of Attorney and Health Care Power of Attorney documents. If you remarry, a prenup agreement or state law may require you to give some portion of your estate to your spouse, so have an estate planning attorney guide you through any changes. You should also check beneficiaries of life insurance and retirement plans.

Choose trustees wisely. Consider the advantages of a corporate trustee, who will be neutral and may prevent tensions with a newly blended family. If an outsider is named as an executor, or to act as a trustee, they may be able to minimize conflict. They’ll also have the professional knowledge and expertise with legal, tax and administrative complexities of administering estates and trusts.

Reference: MSN (Feb. 11, 2023) “Planning to remarry after a divorce? 6 tips to protect your financial future”

Why Is Lisa Marie Presley’s Mom Fighting Her Daughter’s Estate Plan?

March 8, 2023

A recent filing in Los Angeles Superior Court questions the validity of a 2016 amendment to Lisa Marie Presley’s living trust that ousted her mother Priscilla and a former business manager as trustees and replaced them with Lisa Marie Presley’s two oldest children, Riley Keough and Benjamin Keough, if she died or became incapacitated. Benjamin died in 2020.

The National News’ recent article entitled “Priscilla Presley in dispute over late daughter Lisa Marie’s estate” explains that a living trust is a form of estate planning that lets an individual control his or her assets while they’re alive—but have them distributed without probate when they pass away. A living trust serves the function of a will if a separate one isn’t filed. This looks to be the case with Lisa Marie.

Lisa Marie, who was the only child of Elvis Presley, died at a California hospital at age 54 on January 12, after paramedics answered a 911 call reporting a woman in cardiac arrest. The LA County coroner is investigating and has not yet revealed a cause of death. She was laid to rest at her family home in Graceland on Jan 22.

The court filing from Lisa Marie’s mom says there are a number of issues that cause the living trust amendment’s authenticity to be questioned. This includes a failure to notify Priscilla of the change as required, a misspelling of Priscilla’s name in a document supposedly signed by her daughter, an atypical signature from Lisa Marie and a lack of a witness or notarization. It asks a judge to declare the amendment invalid. Another claim in the filing states that the business manager, Barry Siegel, intended to resign, which according to the prior terms of the trust would leave Priscilla and Riley Keough as co-trustees.

Lisa Marie left three surviving children. In addition to Riley Keough, her daughter with first husband Danny Keough, she had 14-year-old twin daughters with her fourth husband, Michael Lockwood. Lisa Marie divorced Lockwood in 2021, but the two were still disputing finances in family court when she passed away.

Priscilla’s filing is one of the first of what are likely to be numerous legal claims concerning the estate of Lisa Marie, the only heir to Elvis Presley.

The estate’s worth is unclear

A lawsuit Lisa Marie filed in 2018, alleging Siegel had mismanaged the trust, said it had been worth in excess of $100 million, but most of that had been depleted.

Reference: The National News (Jan. 30, 2023) “Priscilla Presley in dispute over late daughter Lisa Marie’s estate”

What are Some Best Practices for a Trustee?

March 6, 2023

Forbes’ recent article entitled “How To Be An Effective Trustee” provides some great best practices for those asked to be a trustee.

Make a team. No one person can have all the necessary skills and experience to be an effective trustee. Work with an experienced estate planning attorney, an investment advisor and a tax accountant knowledgeable about the taxation of trusts. It’s a good practice for the trustee to have regular meetings with the team of advisors, both as a team and individually.
Understand the key trust terms. Understand what the trust document says and what the key terms mean. When you are named as trustee, a best practice is to read the entire trust document and go through the document with an attorney and have them explain the key terms. Some of these key terms may involve the following:

Distribution standards
Special provisions for investing, particularly direction to sell or not to sell certain assets
Provisions the trustee should act upon, like the power to appoint a successor; and
Knowing whether the beneficiary’s age will trigger distributions or any other actions.

Work productively with beneficiaries. Dealing with beneficiaries is frequently the most challenging part of being a trustee. There can be differences of opinion over distribution amounts, investment strategy, or other matters relating to the management of the trust which can lead to disagreement. To avoid potential issues with beneficiaries and facilitate a productive relationship, trustees should try to practice following:

Communication
Transparency
Education
Clear Distributions; and
Providing Required Information.

Documentation is Crucial. Although trustees can’t guarantee perfect results, they must act with care, skill and impartiality. They must have rational reasons for their decisions and documenting them is critical because it substantiates the trustee’s decision-making. Some examples of decisions that should be thoroughly documented include:

Distribution Decisions
Decisions That Set Investment Policy
Initiation or Termination of Investments and Hiring and Firing Investment Managers/Funds
Principal and Income Allocations;
Verbal Communications with Beneficiaries; And
Decisions to Hire Experts or Agents, like an attorney or an accountant.

Reference: Forbes (May 31, 2022) “How To Be An Effective Trustee”

Estate Planning Blog

Serving Clients Throughout North Central Missouri

Do I Need an Estate Planning Attorney?

Do Family Secrets Hurt Estate Planning?

What Recourse Is Available if Inheritance Is Stolen?

How Can I Relieve My Family’s Stress when I Die?

Beneficiary Battle over Presley Estate Reveals Possible Problems in Estate Planning

What Strategies Minimize Estate Taxes?

What Should Seniors Know before Remarrying?

Why Is Lisa Marie Presley’s Mom Fighting Her Daughter’s Estate Plan?

What are Some Best Practices for a Trustee?

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RECENT POSTS

Do I Need an Estate Planning Attorney?

Do Family Secrets Hurt Estate Planning?

What Recourse Is Available if Inheritance Is Stolen?

How Can I Relieve My Family’s Stress when I Die?

Beneficiary Battle over Presley Estate Reveals Possible Problems in Estate Planning

What Strategies Minimize Estate Taxes?

What Should Seniors Know before Remarrying?

Why Is Lisa Marie Presley’s Mom Fighting Her Daughter’s Estate Plan?

What are Some Best Practices for a Trustee?

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