When a loved one suffers from a mental illness, one small comfort can be knowing that your trust can help take care of them through thick and thin. There are some ways this can happen, ranging from the funding of various types of treatment to providing structure and support during his or her times of greatest need. Let’s explore a few ways your trust can…
Tools You Can Use to Leave Words of Wisdom to the Next Generation
You come into the world a blank slate, and as you grow, you gain wisdom. You’ve planned your estate to leave physical assets to beneficiaries, so now think about leaving them something that’s just as important but less tangible: the hard-won wisdom you’ve accumulated over your life. Let your family and friends learn from your mistakes, and profit from your successes. Living and Other Trusts…
The Difference between Lifetime and Deathtime Planning… and Why a Comprehensive Plan Must Include Both
According to a March 2017 survey by Caring.com, six out of ten Americans have no will or any other kind of estate planning. Many said they’d get around to it, eventually. When they’re old. (The survey did find that the elderly are much more likely to have some plan in place.) It’s all too clear that most of us think “estate planning” is a euphemism…
How a Trust Can Help a Loved One Who Struggles with Addiction
Substance addiction is by no means rare, impacting as many as one in seven Americans. Because of its prevalence, navigating a loved one’s addiction is actually a relatively common topic in everyday life. But you should also consider it when working on your estate planning. Whether the addiction is alcoholism, drug abuse, or behavioral like gambling, we all want our loved ones to be safe…
Does a Dynasty Trust Make Sense for Your Family?
“A dynasty trust can keep your wealth in the family for generations and ensure the legacy you’ve worked so hard to create.” Earlier this year, NBA team owner Gail Miller made headlines when she announced that she was effectively no longer the owner of the Utah Jazz or the Vivint Smart Home Arena. These assets, she said, were being placed into a family trust, therefore raising interest…
How a Community Property Trust Can Save Tens of Thousands of Dollars in Capital Gains Taxes
Community property trusts can save your clients tens of thousands of dollars in capital gains taxes, and that is just one of their many benefits. This lesser-known strategy is not necessarily the best fit for all couples either because of their assets or state of residence. However, for households you work with that can make the most of them, it is a planning tactic that…
If You Are Married, Does Your Estate Plan Properly Cover All Four Critical Phases?
THE PHASES OF ESTATE PLANNING – Part One For married couples, proper estate planning entails covering four phases. Let’s begin with a discussion about Phase One PHASE ONE – ALIVE AND WELL Many people come to me to discuss estate planning because of one or two main concerns or goals. Such concerns and goals often include: how to best give their loved ones an…
Asset Protection Planning for the Modern Client
Only the very wealthy and those in high-risk professions need asset protection planning, right? That’s a myth. In reality, we all need asset protection. Why? Because we all can be sued and lose everything we have. A car accident, business failure, foreclosure, medical crisis, or injured tenant can result in a monetary judgment that will decimate your client’s finances. This week, our goal is to…
How to Pick a Trustee, Executor, and Agent Under a Power of Attorney
While the term fiduciary is a legal term with a long history, it very generally means someone who is legally obligated to act in another person’s best interests. Trustees, executors, and agents are all examples of fiduciaries. When you pick trustees, executors, and agents in your estate plan, you’re picking one or more people to make decisions in your and your beneficiaries’ best interests and…
Harnessing the Power of Trusts to Help Your Clients Protect Their Heirs
Now January is behind us, and we are back into our work routine, here’s a question to ponder: Are all your clients’ estate plans structured to provide long-term protection against court interference, creditors, bankruptcy, divorcing spouses, and financial mismanagement? As a financial or tax professional, you need to assume that “Murphy’s Law” is always potentially in play: if something can go wrong for your client,…