Estate Planning Blog Articles

Estate & Business Planning Law Firm Serving the Providence & Cranston, RI Areas

How Does an Estate Plan Address Young Beneficiaries?

Certain beneficiaries require more intentional estate planning than others. While the law sets the age of adulthood at 18, specific testamentary instruments can redefine at what age a beneficiary is considered an adult. A recent article from The News-Enterprise, “When planning for young beneficiaries, consider all options,” explains how this works.

Young beneficiaries, especially 18-year-olds still in high school, are still immature, and their brains are still developing. Add a strong dose of grief to a teenager’s life, and even a bright, stable adolescent may not make good decisions.

Young adult beneficiaries are categorized in two ways: primary and contingent.

A primary beneficiary is one who the testator or grantor expects to be a young beneficiary at the time of distribution of assets or who is young when the estate planning documents are executed. This is typically the parents of young children or grandparents who intend to leave property to young grandchildren.

Contingent beneficiaries are those who are not anticipated to receive property as young beneficiaries. However, they could inherit if a primary beneficiary dies, such as when a grandchild receives an inheritance following their parent’s death.

Even for contingent beneficiaries, some level of planning needs to be done to define the age of majority and provide options for distribution. This is done through an immediate split of assets, with assets going into a general needs trust or a common pot trust.

Assets are most commonly left to young beneficiaries through an immediate split of assets upon estate distribution. Assets are held in a separate trust for each beneficiary, with a trustee appointed for each trust. Assets within the trust are typically available for the child’s health, education, maintenance, or support until the child reaches the predetermined age.

Upon reaching the age defined by the trust, the child may receive the assets either outright or incrementally over a period of time.

Another option is to use a common pot trust. This is used for parents with multiple minor children. This type of trust allows the assets to remain in one trust to be used for the needs of all children until a triggering event, such as the youngest child reaching age 18. At that time, the remaining trust assets are split into as many shares as there are beneficiaries, and the shares are distributed according to the remaining instructions. Each separate share is usually left in an ongoing general needs trust until a certain age.

Leaving property in trust for young beneficiaries doesn’t cut off their ability to use the money property. The trustee can continue to use the assets for the beneficiary’s care. However, whatever is left is distributed to the beneficiary upon reaching the distribution age.

Your estate planning attorney can help you determine the best way to structure trusts for your children or grandchildren based on your wishes and their ages. By redefining the age of majority and outlining specific directions for distributions, young beneficiaries can receive the most value from their inheritance.

Reference: The News-Enterprise (Feb. 10, 2024) “When planning for young beneficiaries, consider all options”

QTIP Trust: Understanding Qualified Terminable Interest Property Trusts and How They Work

What Is a QTIP Trust?

A QTIP Trust, or Qualified Terminable Interest Property Trust, is a specific type of trust used in estate planning. This trust allows a spouse to leave assets to a surviving spouse, while maintaining control over how those assets are distributed upon the surviving spouse’s death. This is particularly useful in scenarios involving children from previous marriages or when there are specific wishes about estate distribution.

How Does a QTIP Trust Work?

The QTIP trust is a type of irrevocable trust. Once it is set up, the terms cannot be easily altered. This trust typically holds various assets and provides income to the surviving spouse. When the surviving spouse passes away, the assets within the trust are then distributed according to the terms set by the first spouse.

Benefits of a QTIP Trust

Providing for a Surviving Spouse

One of the primary benefits of a QTIP trust is that it ensures the surviving spouse is taken care of. The trust can be structured to provide regular income for the spouse, ensuring that their financial needs are met.

Control Over Asset Distribution

A QTIP trust allows the grantor to specify how the assets will be distributed after the death of the surviving spouse. This is particularly important in blended families or when there are specific wishes regarding inheritance.

QTIP Trusts and Marital Deduction

The assets in a QTIP trust qualify for the marital deduction, meaning they are not subject to federal estate tax when the first spouse dies. This can result in significant tax savings, especially for larger estates.

Setting Up a QTIP Trust

Establishing a QTIP trust requires careful planning and legal proficiency. It involves drafting a trust document and transferring assets into the trust. It’s recommended to consult with an estate planning attorney to ensure that it is set up correctly.

QTIP Trust vs. Marital Trust

While both QTIP and marital trusts are designed to provide for a surviving spouse, the QTIP trust offers more control over the eventual distribution of assets. In a standard marital trust, the surviving spouse may have more discretion over the trust assets.

Estate Tax Implications

QTIP trusts can help minimize estate taxes. By taking advantage of the marital deduction, the estate can defer estate taxes until the death of the surviving spouse.

The Right Choice for Your Estate Plan?

Whether a QTIP trust is right for your estate plan depends on your specific family situation and estate planning goals. It is an excellent tool for ensuring that your spouse is provided for while maintaining control over the eventual distribution of your assets.

Tax Benefits and Limitations

While QTIP trusts offer tax benefits like deferring estate taxes, they are subject to certain limitations and rules. It’s important to understand these to leverage the trust’s advantages fully.

QTIP Trusts for Blended Families

For those with children from previous marriages, a QTIP trust can ensure that your current spouse is provided for while also preserving inheritances for your children.

Consult an Estate Planning Attorney

Setting up a QTIP trust involves complex legal and tax considerations. Consulting with an estate planning attorney is essential to ensure that the trust is properly structured and meets your estate planning objectives.

A QTIP trust is a versatile estate planning tool that allows individuals to provide for their spouse, while controlling how their assets are distributed after their spouse’s death. This type of trust can be particularly useful in blended family situations or when there are specific wishes about the distribution of assets.

Key Takeaways

  • A QTIP trust provides income and financial security for a surviving spouse.
  • It allows the grantor to control the distribution of assets after the surviving spouse’s death.
  • QTIP trusts can offer significant estate tax benefits.
  • They are ideal for blended families or when there are specific inheritance plans.
  • Consulting an estate planning attorney is crucial for properly setting up a QTIP trust.

If you’re considering a QTIP trust as part of your estate plan, or if you have any further questions about how a QTIP trust might benefit your specific situation, don’t hesitate to reach out for a personalized consultation. Remember, a QTIP trust is not just a tool for asset management – it’s a way to ensure that your loved ones are taken care of according to your wishes, even when you’re no longer there to do so yourself.

Crafting Your Family’s Financial Future: The Power of Family Trusts

A family trust is a pivotal tool in estate planning, offering a strategic way to manage and protect assets for the benefit of family members. Understanding the intricacies of establishing a family trust can ensure financial stability and peace of mind for you and your loved ones.

What Is a Family Trust?

At its core, a family trust is any trust established to benefit your family members. This type of trust allows for the management and protection of assets, ranging from bank accounts to real estate, and ensures that these assets are used for the benefit of family members.

Purpose of a Family Trust

The primary purpose of a family trust is to manage and protect family assets for current and future generations. By placing assets in a trust, you can provide for loved ones, protect assets from creditors and, in some cases, avoid estate taxes.

Types of Family Trusts

There are different types of family trusts, each serving unique purposes. The most common types include:

  • Living Trust: A living trust is established during your lifetime and can be either revocable or irrevocable.
  • Revocable Trust: This type of trust allows you to retain control over the trust assets and make changes to the trust as needed.
  • Irrevocable Trust: Once set, an irrevocable trust cannot be easily altered. It offers benefits like protection of assets from creditors and potential tax advantages.
  • Testamentary Trust: This trust is set up as part of a will and only comes into effect upon death.
  • Special Needs Trust: Created to provide for a family member with special needs without disqualifying them from government benefits.
  • Marital Trust: Designed to benefit a surviving spouse and offer tax advantages.

Establishing a Family Trust

Establishing a family trust involves several steps:

  1. Decide the type of trust that best suits your needs.
  2. Draft the trust agreement detailing the terms of the trust.
  3. Transfer assets into the trust.

Consulting with an estate planning attorney to set up your trust ensures that it is established correctly and meets your needs.

Benefits of a Family Trust

A family trust offers several benefits, including:

  • Asset Protection: Protects assets from creditors and legal judgments.
  • Tax Advantages: Can help minimize estate and gift taxes.
  • Control over Assets: Allows you to specify how and when assets are distributed to beneficiaries.
  • Avoiding Probate: Helps transfer assets without probate, which can be time-consuming and costly.

Parties Involved in a Family Trust

The key parties involved in a family trust include:

  • Settlor: The person who creates the trust and transfers their assets.
  • Trustee: Responsible for managing the trust assets according to the trust agreement.
  • Beneficiaries: The family members or other entities benefiting from the trust.

Revocable Trust vs Irrevocable Trust

Choosing between a revocable and an irrevocable trust depends on your goals:

  • Revocable Trust: Offers flexibility as you can make changes during your lifetime. It does not provide asset protection from creditors.
  • Irrevocable Trust: Provides asset protection and tax benefits but is less flexible since you cannot easily alter the trust once it is established.

Trust vs Will

A trust and a will serve different purposes in estate planning:

  • Trust: Provides for managing and distributing assets during your lifetime and after your death.
  • Will: Comes into effect only after death and dictates how your assets should be distributed.

Family Trust vs Other Trusts

Family trusts are specifically designed to benefit family members. They differ from other trusts, such as charitable trusts, which are set up to benefit a charity or the public.

Creating Your Family Trust

Creating a family trust involves thoughtful planning and understanding of your financial goals. Working with an estate planning attorney or financial advisor is advisable to ensure that your trust is set up according to your wishes.

Conclusion

Establishing a family trust can be a crucial step in protecting your assets and ensuring the financial well-being of your family. If you’re considering setting up a family trust, contact an experienced estate planning attorney to explore your options and create a plan tailored to your needs.

Key Takeaways

  • Family trusts offer asset protection, tax advantages and control over the distribution of assets.
  • Different types of family trusts cater to various needs, including living trusts, irrevocable trusts and special needs trusts.
  • The choice between a revocable and irrevocable trust depends on your specific goals and the level of control you wish to maintain.
  • Working with an estate planning attorney is essential in establishing a trust that meets your family’s unique needs.

What are the Important Steps in the Estate Planning Process?

Estate planning is about taking charge of your legacy and your life. Despite all good intentions, only one in three Americans has an estate plan, according to a recent article from Kiplinger, “10 Things You Should Know About Estate Planning.”

An estate plan does not prevent death or illness. However, it does protect the family from stress and grief. By creating an estate plan, you provide your loved ones with clarity about what you want to happen to your property upon your death.

Equally importantly, the estate plan explains your wishes if you have a serious medical condition and can’t make decisions or communicate yourself. A financial Power of attorney (POA) names someone to oversee your finances and do tasks like paying bills if you are alive but incapacitated. A healthcare POA names someone to make healthcare decisions on your behalf. A healthcare directive explains your wishes for medical treatment in different situations.

What happens if you don’t have an estate plan? Each state has its own laws for what to do when someone dies or if they become incapacitated. Having an estate plan means you are making those decisions yourself. The court may assign someone to make healthcare and/or financial decisions for you. However, they may not be the person you would have selected or make the decisions you would have chosen.

Beneficiary designations supersede your will. Any account with beneficiary designations will go to the person named on the document, regardless of what your will may say.

Trust funds provide control of assets during life and after death. A trust is a legal entity holding property for someone else’s benefit. The trust can be set up to control exactly how you want your money and property distributed after death.

When you die, the court reviews your will to ensure that it’s been properly prepared and gives your executor the power to perform their tasks. This is called probate and can take time. A good estate plan can take much or all your assets out of your probate estate, speeding up the process of distributing assets faster.

Estate planning includes tax planning. In 2024, the federal exemption is $13.61 million, but 17 states and the District of Columbia levy a state estate tax. Some states also have inheritance taxes. Your estate planning attorney will help you incorporate tax planning into your estate plan.

Don’t neglect your pets. You can express your wishes in an estate plan. However, a pet trust is better. It is enforceable and provides specific information about how you want the pet to be cared for and who you want to care for it.

Digital assets need to be addressed to protect assets and prevent theft. Create an inventory of your accounts, usernames, passwords and name a person who will be your digital executor.

Review your plan every three to five years with an experienced estate planning attorney.

Reference: Kiplinger (Feb. 1, 2024) “10 Things You Should Know About Estate Planning”

Do I Need a Pour-Over Will?

A living trust, also known as a revocable trust, is used in estate planning to transfer ownership of assets in trusts and accomplishes several things. It takes assets out of your probate estate, while permitting you to continue to control the assets. You can be the trustee while living and of sound mind, as explained in the article “What Is A Pour Over Will?” from Forbes. The trust names a backup or successor trustee who manages the trust assets if you become incapacitated or die. The living trust includes the names of your beneficiaries, which may be individuals or charitable organizations.

When you die, assets held in the living trust are transferred using the trust administration process. Assets held (owned) outside the trust must be addressed differently. This usually means going through probate.

If you have no will, your state’s intestacy laws will apply. These laws would distribute your assets to family members based on their relationship to you—kinship. This may not be what you wanted, especially if a family member is estranged from you. However, it won’t matter, and other family members will have to live with the court’s decision.

However, you can use a pour-over will to “pour over” any assets not in the trust at the time of your death into the trust after your passing. This ensures that the assets will be transferred through the trust administration as well.

When the living trust is established, assets must be retitled so the trust becomes the legal owner. But you might not do this with everything you own, or you may acquire assets after the trust is created and die before you can transfer them. You might simply forget some assets.

As you create a trust for the specific reason to facilitate effective management and transfer of property through the trust administration process, it makes sense to have all your property moved into that trust upon your passing.

An experienced estate planning attorney can help create the living trust and coordinate it with your will and instructions for all assets not otherwise accounted for to pass into the trust upon your death. You’ll need to work with an estate planning attorney to be sure the trust, will and other estate planning documents comply with your state’s laws.

An estate planning attorney can help you understand other options for transferring assets and provision for loved ones. The pour-over will is one of many estate planning tools available to protect your loved ones.

Reference: Forbes (Jan. 29, 2024) “What Is A Pour Over Will?”

When was Your Last Estate Plan Check-Up?

For most people, estate planning includes preparing a last will and testament, trusts and important advance directives to prepare for incapacity, including Power of Attorney and a designation for a health care surrogate. Creating a comprehensive estate or updating an estate plan is on many people’s “to-do” lists, says a recent article from Kiplinger, “Estate Plan Check-Ups: Don’t Just Set It and Forget It.” Like most items on those never-ending lists, the goal is to get it done and move on to the next task. However, unlike some duties, the estate plan needs to be reviewed regularly.

Think of taking care of your estate plan as you do your annual physical, which is necessary even if you are healthy in the future. Your estate plan may be healthy now. However, you want to be sure it stays that way by having check-ups on a regular basis. If you have not gone for your physical or had your estate plan reviewed in a while, there are two appointments you need to make for 2024—one with your physician and the other with your estate planning attorney. Here is why:

Life is all about changes, from birth to death, marriage to divorce. Each of these life events may impact your estate plan. If your will was created before you were married or had children, it needs an update. The same is true if you leave your entire estate to an adult child who has proven to be less than responsible about money or choosing good friends.

Laws impacting estate plans change often. Changes in tax laws, estate planning regulations and inheritance rules could have already made your estate plan ineffective or invalid. Regular reviews with your estate planning attorney can ensure that your will takes advantage of new opportunities presented by these changes.

If your net worth has changed over the years, for better or worse, your estate plan needs to reflect those changes. Let’s say you own two pieces of real estate—a home and a vacant piece of land. If your old estate plan leaves the house to one child and the vacant land to another, their values may have changed dramatically in the last few years.

Beneficiary designations are part of your estate plan, even if they are not in your will or advanced care directives. Any account with the ability to name a designated beneficiary should be checked whenever you update your estate plan. If you do not, you may be passing assets on to ex-spouses or excluding new family members.

By regularly updating your estate plan, you can ensure that it reflects your wishes and will be effective in protecting your loved ones.

Reference: Kiplinger (Jan. 26, 2024) “Estate Plan Check-Ups: Don’t Just Set It and Forget It”

Do Not Neglect Digital Estate Planning

You may think having a will and perhaps a trust or two is all you need for your estate plan to be complete. However, if you do not also have a “digital estate plan,” your online life, from emails to financial accounts, may live forever and leave your estate and your heirs vulnerable to identity theft, says a recent article from Consumer Affairs, “Your digital legacy could be exposed after you die.”

Do not feel guilty, since most people age 65+ are completely unaware of their digital legacies, while 75% of millennials have a digital executor in their wills.

The problem is, if your executor cannot identify and access your digital assets, they may be left online in perpetuity and could be accessed by thieves who know more about navigating the web and selling stolen assets than you or your heirs.

You could leave your digital legacy to fate. However, it would be far better to be proactive by creating a digital estate plan. This also reduces the chances of your heirs quarrelling over your intentions with digital assets, just as your will and trust do for traditional assets.

Start with an inventory. List all your online accounts, websites where photos are stored online, social media profiles and all other files. You should then document all your login credentials, passwords and security questions for each asset. You may wish to use a password manager to organize and encrypt the information.

Make sure your executor and heirs know what you want by providing clear instructions in a document like a Letter of Intent. This is not legally enforceable. However, it can convey your wishes properly. Be sure that the right person or people know where your digital assets inventory is located.

Remember, you do not want the inventory of assets in your will, since it will become part of the public record when the estate goes through probate. However, you do want it documented.

Make it legal and secure. Most states have adopted the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA), which gives trustees the right to access and manage digital assets after the owner’s death or incapacity.

Talk with your estate planning attorney about how your state’s laws address digital assets and what actions you will need to take.

Reference: Consumer Affairs (Dec. 18, 2023) “Your digital legacy could be exposed after you die”

Should You Talk with Loved Ones about Your Estate Plan?

We think of family time as gatherings for holidays and celebrating joyful occasions. However, there are times when the business side of life needs to be addressed. The best time to share your estate plan information with the family is when you are well, mentally and physically, says the article “Financial Focus: Consider family meeting to discuss estate plans” from Vail Daily.

What should your conversation include?

What are your wishes for your estate plan? Do you hope to leave an inheritance for family members, support a family member in need, or create a legacy with a charitable organization? The family meeting is the time to clarify your thoughts with loved ones, especially if there are concerns within the family, such as a special needs member or economic disparities between siblings.

Be prepared for surprises. Your millennial children may be more concerned about you having a secure retirement than an inheritance.

If you have your estate planning documents in order, this is a time to discuss them. If you do not, make an appointment to meet with an experienced estate planning attorney to create a comprehensive plan. Your documents may include a will, a trust, financial power of attorney, health care power of attorney and end-of-life documents. Give your family members a general idea of your wishes, especially for end-of-life matters. This relieves them from having to guess what you would have wanted in times of incapacity or upon your death.

Talk about the roles you wish them to play. You will need to name an executor to administer your estate. They should be asked to take on this role before the time comes. You will also need a trustee and a successor trustee for any trusts. Choosing the right person for these roles involves acknowledging who is more capable—just because one sibling is older does not mean they are the best candidate to serve as executor.

For some families, the best setting for a family meeting is their estate planning attorney’s office. It is a neutral setting and people are less likely to fall into old behavior patterns (including spats) when they are in a professional office.

Let the family know this is not the final discussion about your estate plan. Encourage questions and, if necessary, offer to meet again. If the initial groundwork is set, you will have begun establishing a legacy for yourself and your family.

Reference: Vail Daily (Jan. 25, 2024) “Financial Focus: Consider family meeting to discuss estate plans”

The Pitfalls of Adding a Child to Your Home’s Deed

As an estate planning attorney, I’ve witnessed many parents consider adding a child to the deed of their home with good intentions. They often view this as a simple strategy to ensure that their property seamlessly passes to their children without the complexities of probate. However, this well-intentioned move can lead to numerous unexpected complications and financial burdens. This article explains why adding a child to your home’s deed might not be the optimal choice for your estate plan.

Understanding the Basics: What Does Adding a Child to a Deed Mean?

To begin, let’s clarify what it means to add a child to the deed of your home. By doing this, you are legally transferring partial ownership rights to your child. This action is commonly perceived as a method to circumvent probate. However, it is imperative to understand that it also entails relinquishing a degree of control over your asset.

Legal Implications of Co-Ownership

When you add your child to the deed, you are not just avoiding probate; you are creating a co-ownership situation. This means your child gains legal rights over the property, equal to yours. Such a shift in ownership can have significant legal ramifications, particularly if you need to make decisions about the property in the future.

Probate: Is Avoiding It Worth the Risk?

Avoiding probate is often cited as the primary reason for adding a child to a home’s deed. Probate can be a lengthy and sometimes costly process. However, it’s essential to weigh these concerns against the potential risks and challenges of joint ownership.

The Complexity of Bypassing Probate

Probate avoidance, while seemingly beneficial, does not always equate to the most advantageous approach. The process of probate also serves to clear debts and distribute assets in a legally structured manner. By bypassing this process, you might be opening the door to more complicated legal and financial issues in the future.

Gift Tax Implications: A Costly Oversight

One of the most overlooked aspects of adding a child to your deed is the gift tax implications. The IRS views this act as a gift, and if the value of the property exceeds the annual exclusion limit, it could lead to a taxable event.

Understanding Gift Tax Rules

It’s important to understand that the IRS has established specific rules regarding gifts. If the value of your property interest exceeds the gift tax exclusion limit, you might be required to file a gift tax return. This could potentially lead to a significant tax liability, an aspect often not considered in the initial decision-making process.

Loss of Control: What Happens When You’re No Longer the Sole Owner?

The loss of control over your property is a critical consideration. Once your child becomes a co-owner, they have equal say in decisions regarding the property. This change can affect your ability to sell or refinance the property and can become particularly problematic if your child encounters financial issues.

Risks of Co-Ownership

In a co-ownership scenario, if your child faces legal or financial troubles, your property could be at risk. Creditors might target your home for your child’s debts, and in the case of a child’s divorce, the property might become part of a marital settlement.

Capital Gains Tax: A Long-Term Financial Burden

A significant financial consideration is the potential capital gains tax burden for your child. When a property is inherited, it usually benefits from a step-up in basis, which can significantly reduce capital gains tax when the property is eventually sold. However, this is not the case when a child is added to a deed.

Implications of Missing Step-Up in Basis

Without the step-up in basis, if your child sells the property, they may face a substantial capital gains tax based on the difference between the selling price and the original purchase price. This tax burden can be considerably higher than if they had inherited the property.

Family Dynamics and Legal Complications

Adding a child to your deed can inadvertently lead to family disputes and legal challenges, especially if you have more than one child. This act might be perceived as favoritism or create an imbalance in the distribution of your estate, leading to potential conflicts among siblings.

Navigating Family Relationships

It’s crucial to consider the dynamic of your family and how adding one child to the deed might affect relationships between siblings. Equal distribution of assets is often a key consideration in estate planning to maintain family harmony.

Alternatives to Adding a Child to Your Home’s Deed

There are several alternatives to adding a child to your home’s deed. Creating a living trust, for instance, allows you to maintain control over your property while also ensuring a smooth transition of assets to your beneficiaries.

Benefits of a Living Trust

A living trust provides the flexibility of controlling your assets while you’re alive and ensures they are distributed according to your wishes upon your death. This approach can also offer the benefit of avoiding probate without the downsides of directly adding a child to your deed.

Seeking Professional Advice: Why It’s Crucial

Given the complexities and potential pitfalls of adding a child to your home’s deed, seeking professional legal advice is essential. An experienced estate planning attorney can help navigate these complexities and tailor a plan that aligns with your specific needs and goals.

The Role of an Estate Planning Attorney

An estate planning attorney can provide invaluable guidance in understanding the nuances of property law, tax implications and family dynamics. They can help you explore all options and devise a strategy that best protects your interests and those of your family.

While adding a child to your home’s deed might seem straightforward to manage your estate, it’s fraught with potential problems and complications. It’s vital to consider all the implications and seek professional guidance to ensure your estate plan is effective, efficient and aligned with your long-term intentions.

Key Takeaways

  • Gift Tax Risks: Be aware of potential gift tax implications when adding a child to your deed.
  • Loss of Control: Understand that you will lose some control over your property.
  • Capital Gains Tax Issues: Consider the long-term capital gains tax burdens for your child.
  • Family Dynamics: Think about the impact on family relationships and potential legal disputes.
  • Better Alternatives: Explore other options like setting up a living trust.
  • Seek Competent Guidance: Consult with an estate planning attorney for personalized advice.

Prevent Difficulties in Probate with Advance Planning

If you think gathering your papers, passwords, logins, account information and estate planning documents is a challenging task, consider your heirs trying to do it after you’ve passed and while they are grieving your loss. By preparing all the information they’ll need, you’ll make their inheritance process as easy as possible, says a recent article from Next Avenue, “6 Ways To Save Your Heirs from a Painful Probate.”

A List of Passwords for Hardware, Online Accounts and More Our cellphones, tablets, computers, online accounts and other technology all hold important information. If your executor tries to access information and accounts, they’ll need more than your passwords. If you have accounts with two-factor authentication, for instance, they’ll need to be able to access your email and/or cellphone to access other digital assets. The list should include things like social media usernames and passwords. The information must be kept somewhere safe where a spouse or executor can find it. Some tech platforms allow you to name a legacy contact with the right to access accounts after you pass. A password manager system might be helpful. However, this may add another layer of frustration for non-technical people.

List All Assets and Accounts with Contact Information. Whether you use a spreadsheet or a notebook, this is crucial information. Make sure to include investment accounts, checking and savings accounts, 401(k)s, IRAs, pension accounts, brokerage accounts, etc. Provide contact information for your estate planning attorney, accountant and financial advisor.

The information must be well organized because it will be a lot of data. Your executor will also need the accounts for running your household, paying utilities, mortgage, cable, etc. The same goes for health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid information, life insurance policies, car insurance and deeds to your home and car.

Tell the Executor and/or Heirs Where Your Information is Located. One estate planning attorney reports receiving a few monthly calls from grieving heirs who have no idea where the estate planning documents are, who takes care of the financial accounts, or how to access these accounts. Sometimes, the calls come from people who aren’t even clients but are hoping there might be some special resource known to estate planning attorneys to provide this information. There is no such thing.

Plan for the Unexpected A significant part of estate planning is planning for financial and healthcare decisions while you are still living. A living will details whether or not you want to be kept alive by heroic or artificial means, and a power of attorney authorizes someone to make decisions on your behalf. Without a POA, the person may recover from their medical emergency to find a financial mess of late bills, missed insurance premiums, or a host of issues that could have been dealt with on their behalf. Without healthcare surrogate documents and discussions of your wishes in difficult health situations, the family will need to make difficult healthcare decisions in highly stressful situations.

If the proper documents are not in place, the family must go to court to have someone named a guardian, who can then make health care decisions for you. The same process will be needed to have someone manage your financial affairs, called conservatorship. These are expensive and invasive court processes that can easily be avoided.

Talk with your estate planning attorney and family members to plan for the future. You’ll all feel better knowing that you’ll all be prepared when difficulties arise.

Reference: Next Avenue (Jan. 9, 2024) “6 Ways To Save Your Heirs from a Painful Probate”