One of the most useful estate planning tools is a trust, which can be used to create a legacy of wealth and protecting assets. One question to consider when creating one, is whether a grantor or non-grantor trust is more appropriate. A non-grantor trust is any trust that is not a grantor trust.
Roth IRAs and Roth IRA conversions have received a lot of press recently. Between the various tax proposals that have been floating around Congress and normal year-end tax planning strategies, Roth IRAs are a popular topic.
Americans are living longer than they were a generation ago, and the government knows it. Starting in 2022, that will be reflected in the amount of money you have to draw from retirement accounts at different ages.
Unless you spend your winters in Aspen and your summers in the Hamptons, you probably don’t have to worry about paying federal estate taxes on an inheritance. In 2021, the federal estate tax doesn’t kick in, unless an estate exceeds $11.7 million. The Biden administration has proposed lowering the exemption, but even that proposal wouldn’t affect estates valued at less than about $6 million.
The relationship is a trustee relationship. In other words, the executor is responsible for properly processing the property for all involved. Administrators do much the same, except that the ‘will’ conditions for distribution are set by the state.
Every individual needs some form of an estate plan to protect their wishes and loved ones. Your estate consists of everything that you own (aka your assets), and although death may seem far away, it is never too soon to get your estate plan in order.
You created your revocable living trust to hold your assets. You did so because of the probate avoidance and other benefits. You may have included sophisticated tax-planning provisions in your trust.
Power of attorney is one of the most important legal forms for estate and elder care planning. Along with wills and trust documents, it is a critical document for arranging one’s affairs.
