California Probate - Law Offices of Janet Brewer Blog

How Do I Create a Letter of Last Instruction?

“A letter of last instruction is a document that outlines funeral planning processes and arrangements. A letter of last instruction should not be confused with a will or testament, which is a legal document that expresses an individual’s wishes on how and to whom their estate should be transferred after their death.”

It is important to know that a Letter of Last Instruction does not pass through a legal process. It’s an informal but organized method of providing your family with instructions on the decisions related to financial and personal matters that should be made when you die. This can also be an alternative way of ensuring that your family members are cared for after your death and to prevent issues that could arise from not probating the will.

Qrius’ recent article entitled “How to Prepare a Letter of Last Instruction” explains that preparing it can relieve your relatives of added headaches and stress after your death because it can provide crucial information on personal, financial, and funeral matters. Here are some ideas as to what to include in your Letter of Last Instruction:

Personal info. This is basic information like your full name, date of birth, father’s name and mother’s maiden name, address, Social Security number, and place of birth. Add information about significant people in your life, like family, friends, business partners, clergy, and others you’d like to be notified about your death.

Business and Financial Contacts. List the contact info of your business and financial partners, as well as your accountant and investment adviser. Include information on your insurance policies, as well as your bank account details.

Legal Document Location. Make sure your executor can find important legal documents, such as your will, tax returns, marriage license, Social Security card, birth certificates, trust documents, deeds, veteran benefits info, and contracts. State the location of those documents in your Letter of Last Instruction.

Loan and Debt Info. Make a list of creditors containing collateral and payment terms, along with any credit card account numbers and loan account numbers. Likewise, list the people who owe you money, including their contact info and collateral and payment terms.

Usernames and Passwords. Include a section with your usernames and passwords for your online banking accounts, social media email, computer, smartphone, and other electronics, so your executor or someone responsible for overseeing your estate can be certain your accounts and financial information are not compromised after your death.

Beneficiaries. Make a list of the names and contact details of all your beneficiaries with additional information on specific instructions you may want to give to clarify your intentions on the distribution of the assets.

Funeral Arrangements. Include your desires as to your funeral arrangements, such as the type of flowers, pictures, and service music. You can also state the clothes in which you wish to be buried, the type of service and location, and other items that will help your family with this task.

Once you have the letter, be sure your executor or at least a close family member knows where it can be located after your death.

Ask an experienced estate planning attorney for pointers on writing your Letter of Last Instruction and keep updating it regularly. 

If you have any questions about your current estate plan, please call or email us today.

Reference: Qrius (Dec. 8, 2020) “How to Prepare a Letter of Last Instruction”

Incorporating Gifting with an Estate Plan

“Gifting sounds pretty simple, but there are many ways to do it. There are also several tax ramifications to be aware of.”

Kiplinger’s recent article entitled “Gifting sounds pretty simple, but there are many ways to do it, and several tax ramifications to be aware of as well” explains that no matter if a gift is made this year or in future years, there are some important questions to consider.

Increased exemption. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act significantly upped the lifetime gift, estate and generation-skipping tax exemption to $11.58 million per individual ($23.16 million per couple). It’s set to expire at the end of 2025. Thus, there’s the prospect of possibly losing an opportunity to transfer wealth out of your estate and save on future estate taxes earlier than anticipated.

When to Give. A big question is whether a person should give away assets during their lifetime or at their death. Those who opt to gift while they’re alive often do so to reduce their estate and to share in the joy of seeing the effect it makes in the lives of the recipients. Others decide to gift after death for the security of having the assets on hand, if they’re needed. Gifting after death also gives recipients time to prepare for the responsibility that comes along with inheriting wealth.

Unified Federal Estate & Gift Tax Exemption. There are many ways to distribute assets. What works for one family isn’t necessarily the wisest strategy for another. Note that any transfer is gift tax-free up to the annual exclusion amount ($15,000 per person per donor in 2020). Any gift over this amount will count against the donor’s lifetime exemption amount. After that lifetime exemption is used, the gift will be subject to gift tax.

Outright cash gifts. This appears to be the most uncomplicated way of gifting. However, for those with significant wealth, this approach could have some drawbacks. These concern the ability and experience gift recipients have to manage money, outside risks, such as a spouse or high-risk professions, and demotivating recipients to live off their inheritance, instead of becoming productive on their own. Therefore, distributing large amounts of money—particularly at a young age—is generally discouraged.

Trusts. These are used frequently for larger gifts to provide for beneficiaries, while using controls by the grantor. These parameters can include things like distributing trust assets in stages (when the beneficiary reaches a certain age or achieves a specific goal). You can also leave assets in a discretionary lifetime trust, which would maintain the assets in a trust for the beneficiary’s entire lifetime. When set up by an experienced estate planning attorney, this offers a high level of protection from divorcing spouses, lawsuits, poor financial decisions and outside influences. It can also let the grantor create a lasting family legacy for many generations.

Gifts for education or medical expenses. Direct payments for college tuition or for medical expenses have no gift tax consequences. Educational gifts can also be made by funding a 529 educational savings plan. While there are no contribution limits for a 529 plan, gifts over the annual exclusion amount can have gift tax consequences or count against the lifetime exemption. You can also pre-fund an account up to $75,000 and it will receive the same tax treatment, as if it were gifted in $15,000 increments over five years.

Uniform Trust to Minors Act (UTMA) and Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA). These custodial accounts are generally less restrictive than trusts and let minor beneficiaries access funds at age a specific age depending on state of residence.

You can read more about how our process works, how we can make sure we are a good fit for your needs, and how to get started today right here.

Reference: Kiplinger (Oct. 30, 2020) “Gifting sounds pretty simple, but there are many ways to do it, and several tax ramifications to be aware of as well.”

How Do I Keep Money in the Family?

“If you're single and die in 2020, you can have up to $11.58 million in assets before your heirs have to worry about paying a penny in estate taxes.”

That seems like an awfully large amount of money. You might think only the super wealthy need to worry about estate planning, but you'd be wrong to think planning is only necessary for the 1%.

US News and World Report’s recent article entitled “5 Estate Planning Tips to Keep Your Money in the Family” reminds us that estate taxes may be only part of it. In many cases, there are income tax ramifications.

Your heirs may have to pay federal income taxes on retirement accounts. Some states also have their own estate taxes. You also want to make certain that your assets are transferred to the right people. Speaking with an experienced estate planning attorney is the best way to sort through complex issues surrounding estate planning. Here are some things you should cover:

Create a Will. This is a basic first step. However, 68% of Americans don’t take it. Many of those who don't have a will (about a third) say it's because they don't have enough assets to make it worthwhile. This is not true. Without a will, your estate is governed by state law and will be divided in probate court. Ask an experienced estate planning attorney to help you draft a will.  You should also review it on a regular basis because laws and family situations can change.

Review Your Beneficiaries. There are specific types of accounts, like retirement funds and life insurance in which the owners designate the beneficiaries, rather than this asset passing via the will. The named beneficiaries will also supersede any directions for the accounts in your will. Like your will, review your account beneficiaries after any major life change.

Consider a Trust. Ask an experienced estate planning attorney about a trust for possible tax benefits and the ability to control when a beneficiary gets their money (after they graduate college or only for a first home, for example). If money is put in an irrevocable trust, the assets no longer belong to you. Instead, they belong to the trust. That money can’t be subject to estate taxes. In addition, a trust isn't subject to probate, which keeps it private.

Convert to Roth’s. If you have a traditional 401(k) or IRA account, it might unintentionally create a hefty tax bill for your heirs. When your children inherit an IRA, they inherit the income tax liability that goes with it. Regular income tax must be paid on distributions from all traditional retirement accounts. In the past, non-spousal heirs, such as children could “stretch” those distributions over their lifetime to reduce the total amount of taxes due. However, now the account must be completely liquidated within 10 years after the death of the owner. If the account balance is substantial, it could necessitate major distributions that may be taxed at a higher rate. To avoid leaving beneficiaries with a large tax bill, you can gradually convert traditional accounts to Roth accounts that have tax-free distributions. The amount converted will be taxable on your income taxes, so the objective is to limit each year's conversion, so it doesn't move you into a higher tax bracket.

Make Gifts While You’re Alive. A great way to make certain that your money stays in the family, is to just give it to your heirs while you're alive. The IRS allows individuals to give up to $15,000 per person per year in gifts. If you're concerned about your estate being taxable, these gifts can decrease its value, and the money is tax-free for recipients.

Charitable Donations. You can also reduce your estate value, by making charitable donations. Ask an experienced estate planning attorney about setting up a donor-advised fund, instead of making a one-time gift. This would give you an immediate tax deduction for money deposited in the fund and then let you make charitable grants over time. You could designate a child or grandchild as a successor in managing the fund.

Complicated strategies and a constantly changing tax code can make estate planning feel intimidating. However, ignoring it can be a costly mistake for your heirs. Talk to an estate planning attorney.

If you have any questions about your current estate plan, please call or email us today.

Reference: US News and World Report (Sep. 30, 2020) “5 Estate Planning Tips to Keep Your Money in the Family”

Does My Estate Plan Need an Audit?

“Estate planning is the process of transferring the management of your assets, if and when you are unable to manage them yourself due to disability or death. Whether you have $100 or $100 million you should have an estate plan.”

You should have an estate plan because every state has statutes that describe how your assets are managed, and who benefits if you don’t have a will. Most people want to have more say about who and how their assets are managed, so they draft estate planning documents that match their objectives.

Forbes’ recent article entitled “Auditing Your Estate Plan” says the first question is what are your estate planning objectives? Almost everyone wants to have financial security and the satisfaction of knowing how their assets will be properly managed. Therefore, these are often the most common objectives. However, some people also want to also promote the financial and personal growth of their families, provide for social and cultural objectives by giving to charity and other goals. To help you with deciding on your objectives and priorities, here are some of the most common objectives:

• Making sure a surviving spouse or family is financially OK
• Providing for others
• Providing now for your children and later
• Saving now on income taxes
• Saving on estate and gift taxes in the future
• Donating to charity
• Having a trusted agency manage my assets, if I am incapacitated
• Having money for my children’s education
• Having retirement income; and
• Shielding my assets from creditors.

Speak with an experienced estate planning attorney about the way in which you should handle your assets. If your plan doesn’t meet your objectives, your estate plan should be revised. This will include a review of your will, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare proxies, beneficiary designation forms and real property titles.

Note that joint accounts, pay on death (POD) accounts, retirement accounts, life insurance policies, annuities and other assets will transfer to your heirs by the way you designate your beneficiaries on those accounts. Any assets in a trust won’t go through probate. “Irrevocable” trusts may protect assets from the claims of creditors and possibly long-term care costs, if properly drafted and funded.

Another question is what happens in the event you become mentally or physically incapacitated and who will see to your financial and medical affairs. Use a power of attorney to name a person to act as your agent in these situations.

If, after your audit, you find that your plans need to be revised, follow these steps:

1. Work with an experienced estate planning attorney to create a plan based on your objectives
2. Draft and execute a will and other estate planning documents customized to your plan
3. Correctly title your assets and complete your beneficiary designations
4. Create and fund trusts
5. Draft and sign powers of attorney, in the event of your incapacity
6. Draft and sign documents for ownership interest in businesses, intellectual property, artwork, and real estate
7. Discuss the consequences of implementing your plan with an experienced estate planning attorney; and
8. Review your plan regularly.

You can read more about how our process works, how we can make sure we are a good fit for your needs, and how to get started today right here.

Reference: Forbes (Sep. 23, 2020) “Auditing Your Estate Plan”

Why Should I Think about My Death?

“Talking about death makes most of us uncomfortable, so we don't plan for it. That's a big mistake, because if you don't have an end-of-life plan, your state's laws decide who gets everything you own. A doctor you've never met could decide how you spend your last moments, and your loved ones could be saddled with untangling an expensive legal mess after you die.”

Planning for the end of life isn't about you, says NPR’s recent article entitled “End-Of-Life Planning Is A 'Lifetime Gift' To Your Loved Ones.” As the owner of the estate, you really don’t get to see the benefit of your estate planning. The NPR article gives us some easy and practical steps to planning for the end of life.

Name your executor. If you're an adult, you should have a last will. This is because estate planning isn’t just for the rich. With a last will, you name an individual you trust to take care of everything when you die. That is the executor or personal representative. It's a good idea to choose someone from your family or a person with whom you have a good relationship. This person also should have a good attention to detail, because an executor would have to locate all your financial assets and communicate with everyone you've named in your last will.

Conduct an inventory. Create a list of everything you own. This includes financial assets—such as bank accounts, retirement savings or car—as well as things that have sentimental value, like jewelry, furniture and mementos. Once this is done, specify in writing those persons you want to have these items. If you have young children, designate a guardian for their care, in case you and your spouse are no longer alive. This person will be responsible for your child's schooling, health care decisions and value system. Digital accounts are also part of your property, such as your social media accounts, online photos, and whatever is in your Google Drive or iCloud. This also includes any online subscriptions and airline or credit card rewards. Create a secure list of all those accounts and the login and password details. Let your executor know where to find it. Make specific instructions about what you'd like to have happen with your online information.

Your decisions will change over time, so review and update your last will.

Think about your health care decisions. Your last will addresses what happens after you die. However, an advance directive is a legal document that addresses your health care and protects your wishes at the end of your life. There are two parts to an advance directive: a medical power of attorney, which is granted to someone to make decisions for you if you’re incapacitated; and a living will, in which you detail how you should be cared for by healthcare professionals.

Remember the emotional and spiritual aspects of death. The way in which you want to die is personal and about much more than just the medical aspect. It may be about being at peace with God or having your pets nearby.

Plan ahead to give you and your family peace of mind.

Reference: NPR (June 30, 2020) “End-Of-Life Planning Is A 'Lifetime Gift' To Your Loved Ones”

When Exactly Do I Need to Update My Will?

“It is also important to realize that it isn’t merely “why” you are updating your will, but “when” you are updating that can make all the difference. Acting too late (or too early) may mean your changes are no longer appropriate or even immediately invalidated.”

Many people say that they’ve been meaning to update their last will and testament for years but never got around to doing it.

Kiplinger’s article entitled “12 Different Times When You Should Update Your Will” gives us a dozen times you should think about changing your last will:

1. You’re expecting your first child. The birth or adoption of a first child is typically when many people draft their first last will. Designate a guardian for your child and who will be the trustee for any trust created for that child by the last will.

2. You may divorce. Update your last will before you file for divorce, because once you file for divorce, you may not be permitted to modify your last will until the divorce is finalized. Doing this before you file for divorce ensures that your spouse won’t get all of your money, if you die before the divorce is final.

3. You just divorced. After your divorce, your ex no longer has any rights to your estate (unless it’s part of the terms of the divorce). However, even if you don’t change your last will, most states have laws that invalidate any distributive provisions to your ex-spouse in that old last will. Nonetheless, update your last will as soon as you can, so your new beneficiaries are clearly identified. 

4. Your child gets married. Your current last will may speak to issues that applied when your child was a minor, so it may not address your child’s possible divorce. You may be able to ease the lack of a prenuptial agreement, by creating a trust in your last will and including post-nuptial requirements before you child can receive any estate assets.

5. A beneficiary has issues. Last wills frequently leave money directly to a beneficiary. However, if that person has an addiction or credit issues, update your last will to include a trust that allows a trustee to only distribute funds under specific circumstances.

6. Your executor or a beneficiary die. If your estate plan named individuals to manage your estate or receive any remaining funds, but they’re no longer alive, you should update your last will.

7. Your child turns 18. Your current last will may designate your spouse or a parent as your executor, but years later, these people may be gone. Consider naming a younger family member to handle your estate affairs.

8. A new tax or probate law is enacted. Congress may pass a bill that wrecks your estate plan. Review your plan with an experienced estate planning attorney every few years to see if there have been any new laws relevant to your estate planning.

9. You come into a chunk of change. If you finally get a big lottery win or inherit money from a relative, update your last will so you can address the right tax planning. You also may want to change when and the amount of money you leave for certain individuals or charities.

10. You can’t find your original last will. If you can’t locate your last will, be sure that you replace the last will with a new, original one that explicitly states it invalidated all prior last wills.

11. You purchase property in another country or move overseas. Many countries have treaties with the U.S. that permit reciprocity of last wills. However, transferring property in one country may be delayed, if the last will must be probated in the other country first. Ask your estate planning attorney about having a different last will for each country in which you own property.

12. Your feelings change for a family member. If there’s animosity between people named in your last will, you may want to disinherit someone. You might ask your estate planning attorney about a No Contest Clause that will disinherit the aggressive family member, if he or she attempts to question your intentions in the last will.

If you have any questions about your current will or any other estate planning documents, please call or email us today.

Reference: Kiplinger (May 26, 2020) “12 Different Times When You Should Update Your Will”

How Can I Avoid Family Fighting in My Estate Planning?

“One problem that frequently stems from the inheritance process is fractured relationships between siblings. Unfortunately, the common denominator in many of these situations is the parents' estate plan.”

It’s not uncommon for parents to modify their first estate plans, when their children become adults. At that point, many parents’ estate plans are designed to help efficiently transfer assets to the surviving spouse and ultimately to the adult children. However, this process can encounter a number of hiccups and headaches.

Forbes’ recent article entitled “Three Steps To Estate Planning Without The Family Friction” explains that there are a number of reasons for sibling animosity in the inheritance process. The article says that frequently there are issues that stem from a lack of communication between siblings, which causes doubts as to how things are being done. In addition, siblings may not agree if and how property should be sold and maintained. To help avoid these problems, use this three-step process for estate planning.

Work with an experienced estate planning attorney. Hire an estate attorney who has many years of working in this practice area. This will mean that they’ve seen—and more importantly—resolved every type of family conflict and problem that can arise in the estate planning process. That’s the know-how that you’re really paying for, in addition to his or her legal expertise in wills and trusts.

Create a financial overview. This will help your beneficiaries see what you own. A financial overview can simplify the inheritance process for your executor, and it can help to serve as the foundation for you and your executor to frankly communicate with future beneficiaries to reduce any lingering doubts or questions that they may have, when they’re not in the loop. Your inventory should at least include the following items:

• A list of all assets, liabilities and insurance policies you have and their beneficiaries
• Contact information for all financial, insurance and legal professionals with whom you partner;
• Access information for any websites your beneficiaries may need for your online accounts; and
• A legacy letter that discusses non-financial items for your children.

Hold a family meeting. Next, conduct a family meeting that includes the parents and the children who will be inheriting assets. Some topics for this meeting include:

• The basics of your estate intentions
• Verify that a trusted person knows the location of your important estate documents
• State who your executor and other involved people will be and your rationale
• Make certain that all parties value communication and transparency during this process; and
• Discuss non-financial legacy items that are important for you to give to your children.

This three-step process can help keep your children's relationships intact after you are gone. Hiring an experienced estate planning attorney, creating a clear financial overview and communicating what’s important to you are critical steps in helping to keep your family together.

You can read more about how our process works, how we can make sure we are a good fit for your needs, and how to get started today right here.

Reference: Forbes (July 2, 2020) “Three Steps To Estate Planning Without The Family Friction”

What are Three Areas of Giving Not to Skip?

“How do you plan to pass the gift of your good financial fortune on? Defining your goals and creating a giving strategy is key to beginning the process.”

It may be important to you that your family and the charities in which you believe, benefit from your success. Giving lets you practice your core values. However, for your giving to be meaningful, you need a plan to maximize your generosity.

Kiplinger’s recent article entitled “Gifting: 3 Areas You Shouldn't Overlook” advises that there are many things to think about before gifting, and although there are benefits to estate planning, there are other issues to consider.

Think about your gifting goals. Any amount given to a family member, friend, or organization will no doubt be treasured, but ask yourself if the recipient really wants or values the gift, or it only satisfies your personal goals.

As far as giving to a charity, you should be certain that your donation is going to the right organization and will be used for your intended purpose. Your giving goals, objectives and motivations should match the recipient’s best interests.

If gifting straight to a family member is not a goal for you now, but you want to engage your family in your giving strategy and decision making, there are several gifting vehicles you can employ, like annual gifts, estate plans and trusts. Whichever one you elect to use, it will let you place an official process in the works for your strategy. Family engagement and a formalized structure can help your gift make the greatest impact.

There is more to gifting than just determining who and how much. It’s critical to be educated on the numbers, in order to maximize your gift value and decrease your tax exposure.

You can now gift up to $11.58 million to others ($23.16 million for a married couple) while alive, without any federal gift taxes. The amount of gift tax exemption used during your life also decreases your federal estate tax exemption. You should also be aware that this amount will fall back to $5 million (and $10 million for a married couple) indexed for inflation after 2025, unless renewed.

If you transfer your wealth to heirs and beneficiaries early and letting it compound over time, you can avoid significant estate taxes. In addition, note the annual gift exemption because with it, you can gift up to $15,000 ($30,000 as a married couple) to anyone or any kind of trust every year without taxes.

An experienced estate planning attorney can help you create a giving strategy to achieve success for you and those you are benefiting.

Reference: Kiplinger (March 19, 2020) “Gifting: 3 Areas You Shouldn't Overlook”

How Can I Add Charitable Giving to My Estate Planning?

“Charitable giving comes in many forms. Some people donate annually to their favorite charities, while others may volunteer their time or professional services.”

One way many people decide to give to charity, is to donate when they pass away. Adding charitable giving into an estate plan is great way to support a favorite cause.

When researching this approach, you can easily become overwhelmed by all of the tax laws and pitfalls that can make including charitable gifts in your estate plan seem more complex than it needs to be. Talk to an experienced estate planning attorney to help you do it correctly and in the best way for your specific situation.

West Virginia’s News explains in “Estate planning and charitable giving,” that there are several ways to incorporate charitable giving into an estate plan.

One way to give is to dictate giving in your will. When reading about charitable giving and estate planning, many people might begin to feel intimidated by estate taxes, feeling their heirs won’t get as much of their money as they hoped. Including a charitable contribution in your estate plan will decrease your estate taxes. This helps to maximize the final value of your estate for your heirs. Speak with your estate planning attorney and make certain that your donation is properly detailed in your will.

Another way to leverage your estate plan to donate to charity, is to name the charity of your choice as the beneficiary on your retirement account. Charities are exempt from both income and estate taxes, so going with this option guarantees the charity will receive all of the account’s value, once it’s been liquidated after your death.

You can also ask your estate planning attorney about a charitable trust. This type of trust is another vehicle by which you can give back through estate planning. For instance, a split-interest trust allows you to donate your assets to a charity but keep some of the benefits of holding those assets. A split-interest trust funds a trust in the charity’s name. You receive a tax deduction any time money is transferred into the trust.

However, note that the donors will continue to control the assets in the trust, which is passed onto the charity at the time of your death. You have several options for charitable trusts, so speak to an experienced estate planning attorney to select the best one for you.

Charitable giving is an important component of many people’s estate plans. Talk to your probate attorney about your options and go with the one that’s most beneficial to you, your heirs and the charities you want to remember.

If you have any questions about your current estate plan and charitable giving, please call or email us today.

Reference: West Virginia’s News (Feb. 27, 2020) “Estate planning and charitable giving”

When Should I Update My Estate Plan?

“Has it been a while since you reviewed your estate planning strategy? If so, it may require some updating, based on recent changes to laws impacting your tax and retirement planning.”

Forbes’ recent article entitled “Do You Need A Trust? 8 Important Goals A Trust Can Help You Achieve” discusses eight ways a trust can help you achieve specific legacy planning goals. The first step is to meet with an experienced estate planning attorney.

Everybody needs a will, but not everyone requires a trust. A trust provides greater flexibility and control over how your property and assets are distributed. Many people create a trust to avoid probate. As a result, it’s faster and easier for your named trustee(s) to distribute your assets to your heirs. There are a many different types of trusts with advantages and disadvantages. Talk about what will be best for you with your estate planning attorney.

1. No probate. This process can take months or more to complete, and it can be very expensive. A trust is designed to settle your estate in a timely and relatively inexpensive manner.

2. Privacy and confidentiality. Probate is public, so your will and other private financial and business info is available to everyone. However, a trust maintains privacy and confidentiality.

3. Protection for beneficiaries. A trust can shield beneficiaries from lawsuits, creditors, or divorce.  A trust can also protect the interests of a minor, by including direction for when distributions are made.

4. Provide for children with special needs. This type of trust provides for the health care and personal needs of a minor child or adult who has special needs and won’t impact their eligibility for Medicaid benefits.

5. Flexibility. As the creator of the trust, you determine the terms of the trust, and can put restrictions on how trust assets are managed. For instance, the trust could state that assets may only be used by the beneficiary to purchase a home or to pay medical bills but may not be distributed directly to the beneficiary.

6. Preserve family wealth. Divorce and remarriage can result in assets that were supposed to stay in the family wind up leaving with the ex-spouse. A trust can make certain that your estate is preserved for grandchildren.

7. Family values. A trust can be a wonderful way to pass down family values concerning education, homeownership, land conservation, community service, religious beliefs, and other topics.

8. Lessening family conflict. Challenging a trust is difficult and costly. Having a trust in place that clearly articulates your wishes for your family, reduces the potential for misunderstanding.

Whether you have a trust in place or are thinking about creating one, it’s important to meet regularly with your estate planning attorney to be certain your strategy and estate planning documents reflect any new state and federal tax laws, as well as any changes in your goals and circumstances.

Reference: Forbes (Feb. 24, 2020) “Do You Need A Trust? 8 Important Goals A Trust Can Help You Achieve”