Can You Inherit a House with a Mortgage?

Inheriting a home with a mortgage adds another layer of complexity to settling the estate, as explained in a recent article from Investopedia titled “Inheriting a House With a Mortgage.” The lender needs to be notified right away of the owner’s passing and the estate must continue to make regular payments on the existing mortgage. Depending on how the estate was set up, it may be a struggle to make monthly payments, especially if the estate must first go through probate.

Probate is the process where the court reviews the will to ensure that it is valid and establish the executor as the person empowered to manage the estate. The executor will need to provide the mortgage holder with a copy of the death certificate and a document affirming their role as executor to be able to speak with the lending company on behalf of the estate.

If multiple people have inherited a portion of the house, some tough decisions will need to be made. The simplest solution is often to sell the home, pay off the mortgage and split the proceeds evenly.

If some of the heirs wish to keep the home as a residence or a rental property, those who wish to keep the home need to buy out the interest of those who don’t want the house. When the house has a mortgage, the math can get complicated. An estate planning attorney will be able to map out a way forward to keep the sale of the shares from getting tangled up in the emotions of grieving family members.

If one heir has invested time and resources into the property and others have not, it gets even more complex. Family members may take the position that the person who invested so much in the property was also living there rent free, and things can get ugly. The involvement of an estate planning attorney can keep the transfer focused as a business transaction.

What if the house has a reverse mortgage? In this case, the reverse mortgage company needs to be notified. You’ll need to find out the existing balance due on the reverse mortgage. If the estate does not have the funds to pay the balance, there is the option of refinancing the property to pay off the balance due, if the wish is to keep the house. If there’s not enough equity or the heirs can’t refinance, they typically sell the house to pay off the reverse mortgage.

Can heirs take over the existing loan? Your estate planning attorney will be able to advise the family of their rights, which are different than rights of homeowners. Lenders in some circumstances may allow heirs to be added to the existing mortgage without going through a full loan application and verifying credit history, income, etc. However, if you chose to refinance or take out a home equity loan, you’ll have to go through the usual process.

Inheriting a house with a mortgage or a reverse mortgage can be a stressful process during an already difficult time. An experienced estate planning attorney will be able to guide the family through their options and help with the rest of the estate.

Reference: Investopedia (April 12, 2022) “Inheriting a House With a Mortgage”

Half of Americans Making More than $100K Don’t Have a Will

About 70% of participants in a new survey from Wealth, an estate planning platform, said that they want to pass wealth down to their loved ones. However, only about half (53%) have an estate plan. And only about a third (32%) say they have a will in place.

Think Advisor’s recent article entitled “Nearly Half of Families Earning $100K or More Lack an Estate Plan: Survey” reports that the survey found that people of color, in particular, face accessibility barriers. This group is 14% less likely to have an estate plan in place than their counterparts in the sample.

Wealth’s findings were based on a survey conducted in the U.S. by WALR in partnership with Manifest in the last two weeks of last year among 10,000 employed respondents ages 30 to 55 with a household income of more than $100,000.

The survey results showed that the main factor keeping people from securing their financial legacy is the notion that estate planning should be done in the future rather than now — possibly because 45% of respondents said they avoid thinking about death.

Another misperception is that estate planning is only for the very wealthy: 42% of survey participants said they don’t own anything valuable and as a reason they do not have a plan, and 30% said they don’t have enough money.

Wealth said it behooves employers to make employees aware of estate planning in their benefits packages.

Just 13% of the sample said they receive estate planning as an employee benefit.

About 72% of the respondents who don’t have a plan said they’d be more likely to create a will if the services were offered by their employer.

“Estate planning should not only be available to high-net-worth households,” Rafael Loureiro, Wealth’s co-founder and chief executive, said in a statement. “Employees of all income levels and walks of life can benefit from financial clarity and emotional peace of mind that comes with having an estate plan.”

The survey found that 40% haven’t gotten around to setting up an estate plan, although 70% say they eventually will do it and about 45% say that they actively avoid thinking about death (especially men and 51% of millennials). Almost half (45%) also think it’s inappropriate to talk about money with friends, missing out on valuable financial advice.

Reference: Think Advisor (March 29, 2022) “Nearly Half of Families Earning $100K or More Lack an Estate Plan: Survey”

What Assets are Not Considered Part of an Estate?

In many families, more assets pass outside the Last Will than through the Last Will. Think about non-probate assets: life insurance proceeds, investment accounts, jointly titled real estate assets, assuming they were titled as joint tenants with right of survivorship, and the like. These often add up to considerable sums, often more than the probate estate.

This is why a recent article from The Mercury titled “Planning Ahead: Pay attention to your non-probate assets” strongly urges readers to pay close attention to accounts transferred by beneficiary.

Most retirement accounts like IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s and others pass by beneficiary designation and not through the Last Will. Banks and investment accounts designated as Payable on Death (POD) or Transfer on Death (TOD) also do not pass through probate, but to the other person named on the account. Any property owned by a trust does not go through probate, one of the reasons it is placed in the trust.

Why is it important to know whether assets pass through probate or by beneficiary designation? Here’s an example. A man was promised half of this father’s estate. His dad had remarried, and the son didn’t know what estate plans had been made, if any, with the new spouse. When the father passed, the man received a single check for several thousand dollars. He knew his father’s estate was worth considerably more.

What is most likely to have happened is simple. The father probably retitled the house with his new spouse as tenants by the entireties–making it a non-probate asset. He probably retitled bank accounts with his new spouse. And if the father had a new Last Will created, he likely gave 50% to the son and 50% to the new spouse. The father’s car may have been the only asset not jointly owned with his new spouse.

A parent can also accidentally disinherit an heir, if all of their non-probate assets are in one child’s name and no provision for the non-probate assets has been made for any other children. An estate planning attorney can work with the parents to find a way to make inheritances equal, if the intention is for all of the children to receive an equal share. One way to accomplish this would be to give the other children a larger share of probated assets.

Any division of inheritance should bear in mind the tax liability of assets. Non-probate does not always mean non-taxed. Depending upon the state of residence for the decedent and the heirs, there may be estate or inheritance tax on the assets.

Placing assets in an irrevocable trust is a commonly used estate planning method to ensure inheritances are received by the intended parties. The trust allows you to give very specific instructions about who gets what. Assets in the trust are outside of the probate estate, since the trust is not owned by the grantor.

Your estate planning attorney will be able to review probate and non-probate assets to determine the best way to achieve your wishes for your distribution of assets.

Reference: The Mercury (April 12, 2022) “Planning Ahead: Pay attention to your non-probate assets”

My Children Really Don’t Want My Stuff?

Next Avenue’s recent article entitled “Your Top 10 Objects Your Kids Don’t Want” gives us a list of these items and what to do with them.

Books. Unless your grown children are professors, they don’t want your books. If you think the book is rare, call a book antiquarian.

Paper Ephemera. Snapshots, old greeting cards and postcards are called paper ephemera. Did you know that? Me neither. Old photos are not worth anything, unless the subject is a celebrity or linked with an important historical event. Old greeting cards are not valuable, unless handmade by a famous artist or sent by a celebrity. Postcards are valued mainly for the stamps. Take all your family snapshots and have them made into digital files. The other option is to sell those old snapshots to greeting card publishers who use them on funny cards or give family photos to image archive businesses, like Getty. If the archive is a not-for-profit, take the donation write-off.

Steamer Trunks, Sewing Machines and Film Projectors. Thrift stores are full of these items. Therefore, unless your family member was a professional and the item is top-notch, yours can go there as well.

Porcelain Figurine Collections and Bradford Exchange Pieces. Your collections of frogs, shoes, flowers, and trolls, as well your Hummel’s, and Precious Moments won’t be wanted by the children. See if you can find a retirement home that does a gift exchange at Christmas and donate the figurines. If you want to hold on to a memory of your mom’s collection, have a professional photographer take a photo for your wall. Collector’s plates won’t sell. Donate these as well.

Silver-Plated Stuff. Your children won’t polish silverplate, so if you give them platters, serving bowls, tea services and candelabra, you won’t enhance your standing. The exception may be silver-plated items from Tiffany or Cartier but give these away to any place or person who will take it.

Heavy, Dark, Antique Furniture. There’s still a market for this sort of furniture at secondhand shops. However, you’ll get less than a quarter of purchase price, if you sell on consignment. Unless your furniture is mid-century modern, there’s a good chance you will have to pay someone to take it off your hands. Instead, donate it and take a non-cash charitable contribution using fair market valuation.

Persian Rugs. No, these aren’t really in vogue for younger adults. However, the high-end market is still collecting in certain parts of the country, like Martha’s Vineyard. However, unless the rug is rare, it’s one of the hardest things to sell these days. If you think the value of the rug is below $2,000, it will be a hard sell. Like antique furniture, it may be best to donate these.

Linens. No, they don’t want them. They might not even own an iron or ironing board, and they definitely don’t set that kind of table. Give these to needlewomen who make handmade Christening clothes, wedding dresses and quinceañera gowns. You may also donate linens to costume shops of theaters and deduct the donation. A site like P4a.com has auction results to establish the fair market value of such objects.

Sterling Silver Flatware and Crystal Wine Services. Matching sets of sterling flatware are tough to sell because they rarely go for “antique” value. Do the children do a lot of formal entertaining? The same is true for crystal. These sets are too precious, and the wine they hold is too small a portion. Sites like Replacements.com offer matching services for people who do enjoy silver flatware and have recognized patterns. Because they sell per piece, and therefore buy per piece, sellers get a rather good price.

Fine Porcelain Dinnerware. Your grown children may not want to store four sets of fancy porcelain dinnerware and won’t see the benefit of unpacking it once a year for a holiday or event. China is something to consider selling. Know your pattern to get a quote. Some replacement companies buy per piece, so the aggregate of the selling price is always more than a bulk sale at a consignment store, which might be the only other option.

Reference: Next Avenue (March 1, 2018) “Your Top 10 Objects Your Kids Don’t Want”

Why Is Communication Important in Estate Planning?

Successful transition of wealth from generation to generation is best accomplished when family members have a shared understanding of the overall use of the family wealth. While the initial wealth creators have final say about how their assets are distributed, awareness and agreement on the part of the receiving family members regarding how the wealth is used can help preserve assets as they move to the next generation.

Forbes’ recent article entitled “Communication Can Be The Key To Creating Harmony In Multi-Generational Estate Planning” says that coming to an agreement can sometimes be difficult, especially if family members bring their own perspectives and values to the estate planning process. However, good communication can help head off potential multi-generational conflicts before they happen.

One of the most significant challenges in achieving multi-generational wealth preservation is that each individual and generation has a different outlook on wealth. Today’s families could include four or even five generations. This big gap in ages could mean differing perspectives on many topics, including:

Personal values. Family members may have different belief systems and values, including how they view work, social and political systems, relationships, and other topics.
Investing priorities. Some generations may give greater importance to socially conscious investing than others. This could create a conflict when it comes to how and where to invest.
Shifting economic environments. Older generations who have lived through various economic scenarios may have very different perspectives than younger generations, particularly those just coming of age in a time of high inflation and a slowing economy.
Communication. Not every generation or family member is comfortable talking openly about money, especially when it comes to sharing how much is involved and how to spend it.
View of the role of a financial advisor. Some family members may see a financial advisor as a trusted partner, and others may be more skeptical.

While these differences can create challenges in the estate planning process, you can resolve them and reach an agreement about how to best manage the family’s wealth. Begin with a plan designed for the long-term, spanning current and future generations that’s flexible to meet the family’s changing needs and shifting economic environments.

Reference: Forbes (April 18, 2022) “Communication Can Be The Key To Creating Harmony In Multi-Generational Estate Planning”

Is Your Incapacity Plan in Place?

Wise incapacity planning usually includes the execution of a power of attorney.

This is a document that appoints an agent who can legally sign checks, pay bills and make other financial decisions on your behalf, as the principal, in the event you become incapacitated by illness or an accident.

A power of attorney is also used when the principal is unable to be present to sign necessary documents.

The designated agent can be given broad legal authority or limited authority to make decisions about the principal’s property, finances, or medical care.

FedWeek’s recent article entitled “Putting an Incapacity Plan in Place” suggests that, rather than a “regular” power of attorney, you may prefer one of the following:

A durable power of attorney can name a trusted friend, relative, or advisor to sign papers, if you are unable to make knowledgeable decisions.

These documents remain in effect if you become incapacitated.

Springing power is a durable power of attorney that will go into effect only if one or more doctors declare that you are incompetent or that you cannot perform some “activities of daily living,” such as being able to get dressed and go to the bathroom.

A springing power will not go into effect as long as you are competent.

Some financial institutions also may not accept your power of attorney because they require the use of their own forms.

Send a copy of your power to each of your banks, brokers and other accounts to see if there is an issue. Some companies will also not recognize old powers.

Add an expiration date on the document and update it every year or two, so it expresses your current wishes.

A power of attorney can also end for a number of reasons, such as when the principal revokes the agreement or dies, when a court invalidates it, or when the agent can no longer carry out the responsibilities outlined.

In the case of a married couple, the authorization may be invalidated if the principal and the agent divorce.

Reference: FedWeek (Feb. 1, 2022) “Putting an Incapacity Plan in Place”

Medicare’s Coverage of New Controversial and Expensive Alzheimer’s Drug Is Limited

The final decision, which comes after a proposed policy released in January, will have significant consequences for millions of Alzheimer’s patients and tens of millions of Medicare enrollees. It’s the latest step in the drug’s contentious path to market, reports CNN’s recent article entitled “Medicare limits coverage of controversial Alzheimer’s drug to those in clinical trials.”

The policy is expected to restrict the number of people who can receive the medication. This coverage policy would also apply to other drugs in this class, such as monoclonal antibodies that target amyloid, or plaque, for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, that the FDA may approve in the future.

Biogen, the maker of Aduhelm, called CMS’ decision unprecedented and said it will deny all Medicare enrollees access to the drug and may limit coverage for treatments approved in the future.

“When additional data from this new class of treatments become available, Biogen urges CMS to reconsider today’s decision for all FDA-approved amyloid-beta targeting therapies,” the company said in a statement, noting that it is considering its options.

The CMS made this decision based on evidence and analysis of public feedback, CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in a statement. More than 10,000 comments on the proposed policy were submitted.

“CMS has a responsibility to ensure that people with Medicare have equitable and appropriate access to therapies that are reasonable and necessary for use in the Medicare population,” she said. “Through this decision, we are creating a pathway for people with Medicare to quickly access drugs the FDA determines have shown a clinical benefit and encourages manufacturers and trial administrators to ensure that the clinical trials recruit racially diverse participants.”

The agency examined the potential for patient benefits against the significance of serious unknown factors that could result in harm, Dr. Lee Fleisher, CMS chief medical officer, said in a statement.

“There is the potential for promise with this treatment; however, there is not currently enough evidence of demonstrating improved health outcomes to say that it is reasonable and necessary for people with Medicare, which is a key consideration for CMS when making national coverage determinations,” Fleisher said.

CNN says that Medicare has never required enrollees to participate in a clinical trial for a drug already approved by the FDA that is being used for its intended purpose.

The FDA’s approval of Aduhelm last June brought about questions and concerns about the process, the drug’s efficacy, as well as its annual cost. Biogen initially priced it at about $56,000 a year. The approval was also a big motivator for a huge increase in Medicare Part B premiums for 2022. The standard monthly payment increased to $170.10, up from $148.50 last year, for the more than 63 million enrollees.

Roughly $10 of the premium spike is due to Aduhelm, a CMS official told CNN. The remainder is from a general increase in health care prices and usage, as well as from congressional action that limited the rise in Part B premiums for 2021 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Reference: CNN (April 7, 2022) “Medicare limits coverage of controversial Alzheimer’s drug to those in clinical trials”

Should an Estate Plan Include a Cabin on the Lake?

If you don’t plan appropriately and thoughtfully, problems may arise with respect to this property and your family when you are gone, says Kiplinger’s recent article entitled “Your Vacation Home Needs an Estate Plan!”

Speaking with your spouse and children is a good first step to help determine interest in retaining the property for the next generation and financial ability to maintain it. Let’s look at three ways you can plan for your vacation home.

Leave a Vacation Home to Children Outright During Life or at Death. An outright transfer of the home via a deed to children is the easiest way to transfer a vacation home.

However, if your children all own the property equally, they all have an equal say as to its use and management.

As a result, all decisions require unanimous agreement, which can prove challenging and be ripe for disagreement. Suggest that they create a Use and Maintenance Agreement to determine the terms and rules for the property usage. The contract would require all children to agree.

Form a Limited Liability Company (LLC). This is a tool often used by families, where each family member has a certain amount of membership interests in a home or to give away a home in a controlled manner. The operating agreement states the rules for governing the use and management of the property.

Put the Vacation Home in a Trust. A trust is another way to help with the ownership and transfer of vacation homes. Ask an experienced estate planning attorney about how this might work for your family.

Planning for your family’s vacation property is important to help avoid litigation and maintain family peace.

Addressing how the property will be paid for and setting aside money for it—as well as selecting the right structure for your family to use and enjoy the property—will help avoid issues in the future.

Reference: Kiplinger (Feb. 1, 2022) “Your Vacation Home Needs an Estate Plan!”

How to Handle Digital Assets in a Will

Now that cryptocurrency has become almost commonplace, it is necessary to incorporate it into estate plans and their administration, according to the article “Estate planners want to keep the crypt out of cryptocurrency” from Roll Call.

One advantage of using cryptocurrencies in estate planning is the ease of transference—if all parties know how crypto works. Unlike a traditional bank, which typically requires executors to produce an original death certificate and other documents to take control of accounts in the estate, cryptocurrency only requires the fiduciary to have passcodes to gain access to accounts.

The passcode is a complex, multicharacter code appearing to be a long string of unrelated numbers and letters. It is stored in a digital wallet, which can only be accessed through the use of the 64-digit passcode, also known as a key.

While the passcode is simple, it is also very vulnerable. If the key is lost, there is no way to retrieve it. The executor must know not just where the key is physically located if it has been written down on paper, or if it is kept in a digital wallet, but how to access the digital wallet. There are also different kinds of digital wallets.

People do not usually share their passwords with others. However, in the case of crypto, consider storing it in a safe but accessible location and telling a trusted person where it may be found.

People who own cryptocurrency need to give someone access info. If someone is named an executor at one point in your life and they have the information about digital assets, then at some point you change the executor, there is no way to guarantee the former executor might not access the account.

How do you protect digital assets? Using “cold storage,” an account passcode is stored and concealed on a USB drive or similar device, allowing the information to be shared without the user needing to learn the passcode to access the account. The cold storage USB drive can be given from one fiduciary to the successor fiduciary without either knowing the passcode.

Many bills have been introduced in Congress addressing cryptocurrency and blockchain policies. The IRS has issued a number of notices and publications regarding taxes on digital currency transactions. Crypto is no longer an “invisible” asset.

In addition to policies and regulations, litigation concerning estates and cryptocurrency is still relatively new to the judiciary. Planning for these assets to ensure they are passed to the next generation securely is very important as their use and value continues to grow.

Reference: Roll Call (Feb. 22, 2022) “Estate planners want to keep the crypt out of cryptocurrency”

When Should I Think About Business Succession?

The pandemic has made many business owners rethink their business succession and retirement planning. Insurance News Net’s recent article entitled “Succession Planning For Business Owners: More Important Than Ever” reports that according to PwC’s 2021 US Family Business Survey, only a third of US family businesses have a robust, documented and communicated succession plan in place.

If you wait too long, you may not have the right people in place to run the business. It also restricts the tax planning options for the business and your personal estate. Either error can cause a business to fail, when it passes from one generation to the next.

An exit that is too sudden or without direction can leave a vacuum at the top and damage relationships with existing clients and customers. With clear objectives, a sense of urgency and an experienced estate planning attorney, you can help ensure that your business, and your future, are secure.

There are a number of areas of transition that should be addressed:

Founder Transition: Determine how long you plan to stay with the business, and what your retirement plans are;
Family Transition: If you plan to leave your business to your children, determine the way in which the roles and power relationships will change;
Business Transition: How will the company’s operations and customer relations be maintained through other transitions;
Management Transition: Decide who will make up the new management team, such as family, non-family, or both, and how new leadership will be evaluated. You should also map out the schedule for transferring control of day to day decisions;
Ownership Transition: Determine how ownership is to be transferred; and
Estate Transition: see how you will coordinate your estate plan to ensure that the other transitions above occur as planned.

Many of these transitions will be accomplished through formal documentation, such as an operating agreement, buy-sell agreements and trusts. Sit down with an attorney soon rather than later to sort this out.

Reference: Insurance News Net (December 30, 2021) “Succession Planning For Business Owners: More Important Than Ever”

Estate Planning Blog Articles

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

Can You Inherit a House with a Mortgage?

Half of Americans Making More than $100K Don’t Have a Will

What Assets are Not Considered Part of an Estate?

My Children Really Don’t Want My Stuff?

Why Is Communication Important in Estate Planning?

Is Your Incapacity Plan in Place?

Medicare’s Coverage of New Controversial and Expensive Alzheimer’s Drug Is Limited

Should an Estate Plan Include a Cabin on the Lake?

How to Handle Digital Assets in a Will

When Should I Think About Business Succession?

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Can You Inherit a House with a Mortgage?

Half of Americans Making More than $100K Don’t Have a Will

What Assets are Not Considered Part of an Estate?

My Children Really Don’t Want My Stuff?

Why Is Communication Important in Estate Planning?

Is Your Incapacity Plan in Place?

Medicare’s Coverage of New Controversial and Expensive Alzheimer’s Drug Is Limited

Should an Estate Plan Include a Cabin on the Lake?

How to Handle Digital Assets in a Will

When Should I Think About Business Succession?

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