EHDH Estate Planning

Common Estate Planning Mistakes

Despite the pandemic, two out of three American adults still do not have a will. Procrastination and thinking they don’t have enough assets to warrant a will are the top reasons given, says the article “The Biggest Mistakes People Make in Their Wills, According to Estate Lawyers” from Huff Post. Estate planning lawyers know this is a tragic mistake, since everyone over age 18 needs some estate planning documents. They can spare family members considerable financial and emotional stress during a terrible time.

Here are the biggest mistakes seen by estate planning attorneys:

Assigning co-executors. One executor and an alternate executor are all you need. If you make all of your children executors, the chances they will all agree are unlikely. Selling a house is the best example. What if one child wants to keep the house and two want to sell? What if they do not agree on the price?

If the parents insist on naming all of the children executors, then one solution is to have everyone sign waivers to agree in advance how disputes will be settled.

Thinking all you need is a will to avoid probate. A valid will has to go through probate and, depending on where you live, be administered by the court to some degree. However, if your estate includes assets titled solely in your name, without a beneficiary designation, they will go through probate before being distributed according to directions in the will. Talk with an estate planning attorney about how trusts work, how to title assets and other strategies to minimize probate.

Not being clear about personal possessions. Simple language of leaving “an equal share” to your heirs makes conflict inevitable. When loved ones die, emotional attachments to possessions become powerful. Siblings who always got along may find themselves battling over items they never seemed to care about in the past. The more discussions you can have with children before passing, and the more details in the will, the less likely the disputes will grow into litigation. If one of your children wants the family silver, write it in the will.

Failing to update wills and estate plans. Certain life events seem obvious times to update a will and estate plan, like the birth of a new child or grandchild, divorce, marriage or relocating. However, even without these “trigger” events, an estate plan needs to be reviewed and revised every three to five years. If you have children and grandchildren, for instance, and one of the children dies, the grandchildren will not inherit anything, unless provisions are made in the will.

Will an inheritance be helpful or harmful? Leaving a large amount of wealth to a young adult can be destructive, even if it is legal. An outright gift to a college student could disqualify them from financial aid. A large gift to a family member contemplating divorce could end up in the bank account of the ex-spouse. Think carefully about the short and long-term impact of the inheritance.

Keeping your will and estate planning documents a secret. Make sure people know where to find these documents and keep them in a safe place. If wills are not found, it is as if they do not exist.

Trying to do it yourself or with someone who is not an experienced estate planning attorney. If the will is found invalid by the court, it is as if you do not have a will and state law will determine what happens to your property. Even the best intentions from an attorney who practices in another area of the law puts your estate and your family at risk. Estate planning is complicated, and mistakes quickly become expensive for heirs.

Reference: Huff Post (March 8, 2022) “The Biggest Mistakes People Make in Their Wills, According to Estate Lawyers”

What Is a Dynasty Trust?

Don’t be put off by the term “dynasty.” Just as every person has an estate, even if they don’t live in a million-dollar home, every person who owns assets could potentially have a dynasty trust, even if they don’t rule a continent. If you have assets that you wish to pass to others, you need an estate plan and you may also benefit from a dynasty trust, says this recent article from Kiplinger, “A Smart Option for Transferring Wealth Through Generations: The Dynasty Trust.”

When parents die, assets are typically transferred to their descendants. In most cases, the assets are transferred directly to the heirs, unless a trust has been created. Estate taxes must be paid, usually from the assets in the estate. Inheritances are divided according to the will, after the taxes have been paid, and go directly to the beneficiary, who does what they want with the assets.

If you leave assets outright to heirs, when the beneficiary dies, the assets are subject to estate taxes again. If assets are left to grandchildren, they are likely to incur another type of taxes, called Generation Skipping Transfer Taxes (GSTT). If you want your children to have an inheritance, you’ll need to do estate planning to minimize estate tax liability.

If you own a Family Limited Partnership (FLP) or a Limited Liability Company (LLC), own real estate or have a large equity portfolio, you may have the ability to use gifting and wealth transfer plans to provide for your family in the future. You may be able to do this without losing control of the assets.

The “dynasty trust,” named because it was once used by families like the DuPont’s and Fords, is created to transfer wealth from generation to generation without being subject to various gift, estate and/or GSTT taxes for as long as the assets remain in the trust, depending upon appliable state laws. A dynasty trust can also be used to protect assets from creditors, divorcing spouses and others seeking to make a claim against the assets.

Many people use an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) and transfer the assets free of the trust upon death. Most living trusts are transferred without benefit of being held within trusts.

A dynasty trust is usually created by the parents and can include any kind of asset—life insurance, securities, limited partnership interests, etc.—other than qualified retirement plans. The assets are held within the trust and when the grantor dies, the trust automatically subdivides into as many new trusts as the number of beneficiaries named in the trust. It’s also known as a “bloodline” trust.

Let’s say you have three children. The trust divides into three new trusts, dividing assets among the three. When those children die, the trust subdivides again for their children (grandchildren) in their own respective trusts and again, assets are divided into equal shares.

The trust offers broad powers for health, welfare, maintenance and support. The children can use the money as they wish, investing or taking it out. When created properly, the assets and growth are both protected from estate taxes. You’ll need a trustee and a co-trustee and an experienced estate planning attorney to draft and execute this plan.

Reference: Kiplinger (Oct. 2, 2021) “A Smart Option for Transferring Wealth Through Generations: The Dynasty Trust”

Largest Tax Bill in History Filed in South Korea

How’s this for a big inheritance tax bill: $10.8 billion! The Samsung family announced that it would be paying the sizable amount after the death of Lee Kun-hee, the chairman of Samsung. South Korea has one of the highest inheritance taxes in the world, as reported in this recent article, “An Inheritance Tax Bill You ‘Can’t Fathom’: $10.8 Billion” from The New York Times.

The family is required to inform the tax authorities of how it plans to pay the bill by the end of May, and they did so very publicly, appearing in a news broadcast to announce their plans. Their statement was clear and simple: “It is our civic duty and responsibility to pay all taxes.”

Samsung is the biggest and most profitable family-run conglomerate in South Korea.

Mr. Lee was credited for transforming Samsung into a massive tech giant, but he was also reclusive, and one of his secrets was how he wished his wealth to be divided among his wife and three children upon his death.

His only son, Lee Joe-young, is the de facto leader of Samsung. If he inherits his father’s shares in the company’s many subsidiaries, it will boost his control of the company. However, it is still unclear how much he will inherit or how he will raise the $10.8 billion needed to pay the inheritance tax.

Analysts expect that he will sell some non-essential Samsung shares and secure bank loans. How the elder Mr. Lee’s fortune is divided will impact the future of the company.

The Lees are South Korea’s wealthiest family. Samsung reported that the $10.8 billion is more than half of the value of the father’s estate, and more than three times the total inheritance taxes collected by the government last year.

The family announced that it will donate his personal art collection of 23,000 works to national and provincial museums throughout South Korea. The collection has been estimated as worth $2.2 billion.

The Lees have also committed $900 million to fight the growth of infectious diseases and help children afflicted by cancer and rare diseases. Half of the money is dedicated to building the first hospital in the country dedicated solely to infectious diseases.

The generosity is from a family that has struggled with its public identity. In January, the son was imprisoned after being convicted for bribery. Recently, business groups have lobbied the government to pardon him, so he could lead the company as the semiconductor industry faces uncertainty.

The company has long been accused of trying to secure a father-son transfer of power at all costs, even if success required breaking laws, buying political influence and avoiding taxes. The senior Mr. Lee himself received a suspended three-year prison sentence in 2009 for evading taxes for assets he secretly inherited from his own father, Samsung founder Lee Byung-chull. The money was secreted in stock accounts opened in the name of his assistants.

Mr. Lee Jae-yong has run the conglomerate, since his father suffered a heart attack in 2014.

By law, the chairman’s widow is entitled to one-third of the total inheritance, with the rest split evenly between the three children. However, the wealthy families of South Korea often reach private agreements to ensure the eldest son remains in control of the company.

The family has a history of promising to use its wealth to benefit society, but reportedly has not kept its word until this recent announcement. Reaction from South Koreans is mixed, from skeptics who take a wait-and-see attitude, to others who are pleased by the large donations being made.

Reference: The New York Times (April 28, 2021) “An Inheritance Tax Bill You ‘Can’t Fathom’: $10.8 Billion”

Will Inheritance and Gift Taxes Change in 2021?

Uncertainty is driving many wealth transfers, with gifting taking the lead for many wealthy families, reports the article “No More Gift Tax Exemption?” from Financial Advisor. For families who have already used up a large amount or even all of their exemptions, there are other strategies to consider.

Making gifts outright or through a trust is still possible, even if an individual or couple used all of their gift and generation skipping transfer tax exemptions. Gifts and generation skipping transfer tax exemption amounts are indexed for inflation, increasing to $11.7 million in 2021 from $11.58 million in 2020. Individuals have $120,000 additional gift and generation-skipping transfer tax exemptions that can be used this year.

Annual exclusion gifts—individuals can make certain gifts up to $15,000 per recipient, and couples can give up to $30,000 per person. This does not count towards gift and estate tax exemptions.

Don’t forget about Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT) options. The GRAT is an irrevocable trust, where the grantor makes a gift of property to it, while retaining a right to an annual payment from the trust for a specific number of years. GRATS can also be used for concentrated positions and assets expected to appreciate that significantly reap a number of advantages.

A Sale to a Grantor Trust takes advantage of the differences between the income and transfer tax treatment of irrevocable trusts. The goal is to transfer anticipated appreciation of assets at a reduced gift tax cost. This may be timely for those who have funded a trust using their gift tax exemption, as this strategy usually requires funding of a trust before a sale.

Intra-family loans permit individuals to make loans to family members at lower rates than commercial lenders, without the loan being considered a gift. A family member can help another family member financially, without incurring additional gift tax. A bona fide creditor relationship, including interest payments, must be established.

It’s extremely important to work with a qualified estate planning attorney when implementing tax planning strategies, especially this year. Tax reform is on the horizon, but knowing exactly what the final changes will be, and whether they will be retroactive, is impossible to know. There are many additional techniques, from disclaimers, QTIPs and formula gifts, that an experienced estate planning attorney may consider when planning to protect a family legacy.

Reference: Financial Advisor (April 1, 2021) “No More Gift Tax Exemption?”

Trusts can Work for ‘Regular’ People

A trust fund is an estate planning tool that can be used by anyone who wishes to pass their property to individuals, family members or nonprofits. They are used by wealthy people because they solve a number of wealth transfer problems and are equally applicable to people who aren’t mega-rich, explains this recent article from Forbes titled “Trust Funds: They’re Not Just For The Wealthy.”

A trust is a legal entity in the same way that a corporation is a legal entity. A trust is used in estate planning to own assets, as instructed by the terms of the trust. Terms commonly used in discussing trusts include:

• Grantor—the person who creates the trust and places assets into the trust.
• Beneficiary—the person or organization who will receive the assets, as directed by the trust documents.
• Trustee—the person who ensures that the assets in the trust are properly managed and distributed to beneficiaries.

Trusts may contain a variety of property, from real estate to personal property, stocks, bonds and even entire businesses.

Certain assets should not be placed in a trust, and an estate planning attorney will know how and why to make these decisions. Retirement accounts and other accounts with named beneficiaries don’t need to be placed inside a trust, since the asset will go to the named beneficiaries upon death. They do not pass through probate, which is the process of the court validating the will and how assets are passed as directed by the will. However, there may be reasons to designate such accounts to pass to the trust and your attorney will advise you accordingly.

Assets are transferred into trusts in two main ways: the grantor transfers assets into the trust while living, often by retitling the asset, or by using their estate plan to stipulate that a trust will be created and retain certain assets upon their death.

Trusts are used extensively because they work. Some benefits of using a trust as part of an estate plan include:

Avoiding probate. Assets placed in a trust pass to beneficiaries outside of the probate process.

Protecting beneficiaries from themselves. Young adults may be legally able to inherit but that doesn’t mean they are capable of handling large amounts of money or property. Trusts can be structured to pass along assets at certain ages or when they reach particular milestones in life.

Protecting assets. Trusts can be created to protect inheritances for beneficiaries from creditors and divorces. A trust can be created to ensure a former spouse has no legal claim to the assets in the trust.

Tax liabilities. Transferring assets into an irrevocable trust means they are owned and controlled by the trust. For example, with a non-grantor irrevocable trust, the former owner of the assets does not pay taxes on assets in the trust during his or her life, and they are not part of the taxable estate upon death.

Caring for a Special Needs beneficiary. Disabled individuals who receive government benefits may lose those benefits, if they inherit directly. If you want to provide income to someone with special needs when you have passed, a Special Needs Trust (sometimes known as a Supplemental Needs trust) can be created. An experienced estate planning attorney will know how to do this properly.

Reference: Forbes (March 15, 2021) “Trust Funds: They’re Not Just For The Wealthy”

What’s Happening to the Estate Tax?

Proposals now being considered by President Biden may expand the number of Americans who will need to pay the federal estate tax in one of two ways: raising rates and lowering qualifying thresholds on estates and increasing the liability for inheriting and selling assets. It is likely that these changes will raise revenues from the truly wealthy, while also imposing estate taxes on Americans with more modest assets, according to a recent article “It May Be Time to Start Worrying About the Estate Tax” from The New York Times.

Inheritance taxes are paid by the estate of a person who died. Some states have estate taxes of their own, with lower asset thresholds. As of this writing, a married couple would need to have assets of more than $23.4 million before they had to plan for federal estate taxes. This historically high exemption may be ending sooner than originally anticipated.

One of the changes being considered is a common tax shelter. Known as the “step-up in basis at death,” this values the assets in an estate at the date of death and disregards any capital gains in a deceased person’s portfolio. Eliminating the step-up in basis would require inheritors to pay capital gains whenever they sold assets, including everything from the family home to stock portfolios.

If you’re lucky enough to inherit wealth, this little item has been an accounting gift for many years. A person who inherits stock doesn’t have to think twice about what their parents or grandparents paid decades ago. All of the capital gains in those shares or any other inherited investment are effectively erased, when the owner dies. There are no capital gains to calculate or taxes to pay.

However, those capital gains taxes are lost revenue to the federal government. Eliminating the step-up rules could potentially generate billions in taxes from the very wealthy but is likely to create financial pain for people who have lower levels of wealth. A family that inherited a home, for instance, would have a much bigger tax burden, even if the home was not a multi-million-dollar property but simply one that gained in value over time.

Reducing the estate tax exemption could lead to wealthy people having to revise their estate plans sooner rather than later. Twenty years ago, the exemption was $675,000 per person and the tax rate was 55%. Over the next two decades, the exemption grew and the rates fell. The exemption is now $11.7 million per person and the tax rate above that amount is 40%.

Lowering the exemption, possibly back to the 2009 level, would dramatically increase tax revenue.

What is likely to occur and when, remains unknown, but what is certain is that there will be changes to the federal estate tax. Stay up to date on proposed changes and be prepared to update your estate plan accordingly.

Reference: The New York Times (March 12, 2021) “It May Be Time to Start Worrying About the Estate Tax”

Should a GRAT Be Part of My Estate Plan?

A Grantor-Retained Annuity Trust, or GRAT, is funded by the grantor, the person who creates the trust, in exchange for a stream of annuity payments at a predetermined interest rate—the IRS Section 7520 rate. The interest rate in December 2020 is 0.6%, as reported in the article “Transferring Wealth With This Trust Can Yield Big Tax Advantages” from Financial Advisor.

GRAT assets need only appreciate greater than the Section 7520 rate over the term of the trust, and any excess earnings will pass to beneficiaries, or to an ongoing trust for beneficiaries with no gift or estate tax.

Because the grantor takes back the amount equal to that which was transferred to the trust (often two or three years), which is set by the IRS when the trust is funded, future appreciation over and above the interest rate passes gift-tax free.

There’s little upkeep. Once the trust agreement is in place, a gift tax return needs to be filed once a year. If the trust is set up without a tax ID number, there’s no need to file an income tax return.

The grantor is responsible for the income generated by the asset in the GRAT, but that’s it. If the value of the property is increased following an audit, the gift won’t be increased but the annuity will. If the GRAT property decreases in value, the only out of pocket is the set-up costs.

Assets in a GRAT may be anything from an investment portfolio to shares in a closely held business.

Most GRATs are designed to have the value of the retained annuity be equal to the value of the property that is transferred to the GRAT. If the values are equal, then the amount of the gift for tax purposes is zero, since the value of the transfer less the annuity value is zero.

GRATs are not for everyone. The success of the GRAT depends upon the success of the underlying assets. If they don’t appreciate as expected, then there might not be a significant amount transferred out of the estate after paying for the legal, accounting and appraisal fees. If the grantor dies during the term of the GRAT before payments back to the grantor have ended, the GRAT will be unsuccessful.

Generation skipping transfers cannot utilize GRATS, since the generation skipping tax exemption may not be applied to a GRAT, until the grantor’s death.

Ask your estate planning attorney about whether a GRAT could benefit your family. If a GRAT is not a good fit, they will know about many other tools available.

Reference: Financial Advisor (Nov. 30, 2020) “Transferring Wealth With This Trust Can Yield Big Tax Advantages”

What Should I Do with My Unexpected Windfall?

Would you know what to do, if a few million dollars was deposited in your bank account, without any notice? It sounds thrilling but knowing how to manage wealth is not something people learn overnight.

The greater the amount you receive, the greater your stress.

Investopedia’s recent article, “Tips For Handling Sudden Wealth” reports that there’s even a stress-related disorder called "Sudden Wealth Syndrome."

This stress results in the recipients doing things that will threaten their good fortune and may leave them worse off than before they got the money.

Let’s look at few ideas to help you hang onto that new wealth:

1. Tally your money. Take the time to carefully review all the documentation associated with the windfall. Note the areas you don't understand and talk with your attorney.
2. Create a comprehensive financial and life plan. Don’t settle for a cookie-cutter solution. Look for customization that takes into account your circumstances, your goals and your desired legacy.
3. Be wary of friends and family. A downside of sudden new wealth is that new friends and estranged family members may come out of the woodwork. One idea is to pay yourself a salary, which can put some distance between you and these people.
4. Don't buy big ticket items until you’re comfortable with the advice and understand your new financial position. You should address your taxes on the gain, pay down debts or take a small vacation. However, don't make too many changes all at once. Talk to your advisors.

We’ve all read the story of lottery winners who end up with less money in their bank accounts after their big win. Be cautious and take your time deciding what to do with your new wealth. Speak with an estate planning attorney, who will be able to help you plan and protect your windfall.

Reference: Investopedia (June 25, 2019) “Tips For Handling Sudden Wealth”

Raising Children in an Affluent Household

Avoiding the “silver spoon” syndrome, where kids grow up in a wealthy family and expect that they will be handed everything on a silver platter, takes effort from parents. Whether the wealth was inherited or earned by the parents, there is a real risk to how the children’s access to affluence can have an impact on their maturity and contribution to society. A recent article from the Dallas Business Journal, “How to avoid giving your kids too much money, too soon,” provides a useful look into how parents can raise children, who can enjoy their advantages, without falling into the trap of being spoiled.

Start by listening to comments from your children that will give you a true picture of how they view money and their relationship to it. Use these comments to ask questions. You know your kids best; what will be an age-appropriate question that could lead to a productive conversation? The theme and message for a 12-year old may be the same as for an 8-year-old, but how the question is framed and what kind of answers you can expect, will be dependent upon their own maturity level.

Many families find that regular meetings with family members, especially when wealth was created by an older or extended family member, will help them to better understand the source of their family’s resources. A look at the hard work, persistence and stewardship of the wealth, along with the civic or social responsibilities that go with it, will help them understand how they fit into the larger family picture.

Those meetings are also a good time to let them understand what your expectations are for them. Do you expect them to go from college directly into the family business, or are they expected to go out into the world on their own, before joining the family business? If they don’t need to work, what role do you expect them to play in the community?

Teaching about stewardship and philanthropy are important lessons for families, where wealth spans generations. Discuss the family’s values and how it approaches philanthropy. One family holds a yearly meeting that focuses on giving. Each member is expected to select a worthwhile charity and present it as a candidate for the family’s generosity. They vote, and the winning group is the recipient of a family gift of the year.

Trusts are often a useful tool in distributing funds in a way that is tailored to specific children’s needs. They can be used to establish a payout schedule to distribute assets at certain ages, or if the child reaches certain milestones, like graduating from college, starting a new job, getting married, etc. This can provide financial security to heirs, while fostering self-reliance and personal growth. They can be used as incentives to accomplish other goals, like passing a drug test or a certain time span of sobriety.

An estate planning attorney who routinely works with affluent families understands the particular challenges that parents face. They can be of great help in both designing an estate plan that will pass wealth across the generations and communicate the values and ethics of the family.

Reference: Dallas Business Journal (September 24, 2018) “How to avoid giving your kids too much money, too soon”