Estate Planning Blog Articles

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Should I Discuss Estate Planning with My Children?

US News & World Report’s recent article entitled “Discuss Your Estate Plan With Your Children” says that staying up-to-date with your estate plan and sharing your plans with your children could make a big impact on your legacy and what you’ll pay in estate taxes. Let’s look at why you should consider talking to your children about estate planning.

People frequently create an estate plan and name their child as the trustee or executor. However, they fail to discuss the role and what’s involved with them. Ask your kids if they’re comfortable acting as the executor, trustee, or power of attorney. Review what each of the roles involves and explain the responsibilities. The estate documents state some critical responsibilities but don’t provide all the details. Having your children involved in the process and getting their buy-in will be a big benefit in the future.

Share information about valuables stored in a fireproof safe or add their name to the safety deposit box. Tell them about your accounts at financial institutions and the titling of the various accounts, so that these accounts aren’t forgotten, and bills get paid when you’re not around.

Parents can get children involved with a meeting with their estate planning attorney to review the estate plan and pertinent duties of each child. If they have questions, an experienced estate planning attorney can answer them in the context of the overall estate plan.

If children are minors, invite the successor trustee to also be part of the meeting.

Explain what you own, what type of accounts you have and how they’re treated from a tax perspective.

Discussing your estate plan with your children provides a valuable opportunity to connect with your loved ones, even after you are gone. An individual’s attitudes about money says much about his or her values.

Sharing with your children what your money means to you, and why you are speaking with them about it, will help guide them in honoring your memory.

There are many personal reasons to discuss your estate plans with your children. While it’s a simple step, it’s not easy to have this conversation. However, the pandemic emphasized the need to not procrastinate when it comes to estate planning. It’s also provided an opportunity to discuss these estate plans with your children.

Reference: US News & World Report (Feb. 17, 2021) “Discuss Your Estate Plan With Your Children”

If I Move to a New State, Do I Need to Update My Estate Plan?

The U.S. Constitution requires states to give “full faith and credit” to the laws of other states. As a result, your will, trust, power of attorney, and health care proxy executed in one state should be honored in every other state.

Although that’s the way it should work, the practical realities are different and depend on the document, says Wealth Advisor’s recent article entitled “Moving to a New State? Be Sure to Update Your Estate Plan.”

Your last will should still be legally valid in the new state. However, the new state may have different probate laws that make certain provisions of the will invalid. This can also happen with revocable trusts.

However, it’s not as common with powers of attorney and health care directives. These estate planning documents should be honored from state to state, but sometimes banks, medical professionals, and financial and health care institutions will refuse to accept the documents and forms. They may have their own, as is the case frequently with banks.

You should also know that the execution requirements of your estate planning documents may be different, depending on the state.

For example, there are some states that require witnesses on durable powers of attorney, and others that do not. A state that requires witnesses may not allow a power of attorney without witnesses to be used to convey real estate, even though the document is perfectly valid in the state where it was drafted and signed.

With health care proxies, other states may use different terms for the document, such as “durable power of attorney for health care” or “advance directive.”

When you move to a different state, it’s also a smart move to consult with an experienced estate planning attorney to make certain that your estate plan in general is up to date. There are also other changes in circumstances—like a change in income or marital status—that can also have an impact on your estate plan. Moreover, there may be practical changes you may want to make. For example, you may want to change your trustee or agent under a power of attorney based on which family members will be closer in proximity.

For all these reasons, when you move out of state it’s wise to have an experienced estate planning attorney in your new home state review your estate planning documents.

Reference: Wealth Advisor (Jan. 26, 2021) “Moving to a New State? Be Sure to Update Your Estate Plan”

What Estate Planning Documents Should I Have when I Retire?

Research shows that most retirees (53%) have a last will and testament. However, they don’t have six other crucial legal documents.

Money Talks News’ recent article entitled “6 Legal Documents Retirees Need — but Don’t Have” says in fact, in this pandemic, 30% of retirees have none of these crucial documents — not even a will — according to the 20th annual Transamerica Retirement Survey of Retirees.

In addition, the Transamerica survey found the following among retirees:

  • 32% have a power of attorney or medical proxy, which allows a designated agent to make medical decisions on their behalf
  • 30% have an advance directive or living will, which states their end-of-life medical preferences to health care providers
  • 28% have designated a power of attorney to make financial decisions in their stead
  • 19% have written funeral and burial arrangements
  • 18% have filled out a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) waiver, which allows designated people to talk to their health care and insurance providers on their behalf; and
  • 11% have created a trust.

The study shows there is a big gap that retirees need to fill, if they want to be properly prepared for the end of their lives.

The coronavirus pandemic has created an even more challenging situation. Retirees can and should be taking more actions to protect their health and financial well-being. However, they may find it hard while sheltering in place.

Now more than ever, seniors may need extra motivation and support from their families and friends.

The Transamerica results shouldn’t shock anyone. That is because we have a long history of disregarding death, and very important estate planning questions. No one really wants to ponder their ultimate demise, when they can be out enjoying themselves.

However, planning your estate now will give you peace of mind. More importantly, this planning can save your heirs and loved ones a lot of headaches and stress, when you pass away.

Talk to an experienced estate planning attorney today to get your plan going.

Reference: Money Talks News (Dec. 16, 2020) “6 Legal Documents Retirees Need — but Don’t Have”

pandemic

Does Pandemic have an Impact on Financial Powers Of Attorney?

If you’re concerned about the consequences of contracting COVID-19, you’d typically create an advanced directive, a medical power of attorney and a HIPAA release to give authority to those you want to have access to your medical information. These documents are intended to both state your medical care wishes and specify who can make medical decisions for you, if you’re unable.

Forbes’s recent article entitled “If You Lose It, Don’t Lose It: Financial Powers Of Attorney In A Covid-19 World” says that sometimes the issue of money is lost in the confusion. If you’re in the hospital or otherwise unavailable, who do you want to take care of any of your immediate financial issues?

People frequently associate this issue with just writing checks, like paying the mortgage. If it’s deducted automatically, it should be okay, and the other bills can wait until they recover. However, some financial issues are planning-related, and those can’t wait, like in late December when you want to make a Roth IRA conversion but you’re in a hospital. You might also want to make a contribution to your favorite charity, since the CARES Act provides a $300 non-itemized charitable deduction. If you are incapacitated, you need a trusted agent who can make important financial decisions for you and execute them on your behalf.

A financial power of attorney (POA) is often the answer. It is separate from a medical POA but equally as important. Without a binding financial POA, your incapacity will have a major financial impact. A financial POA gives you the power to name an agent to act on your behalf, if you lose the physical or mental capacity to handle your own finances.

If you are worried about the financial risk related to a sudden impairment from an event, such as the coronavirus, ask an experienced estate planning attorney about creating a springing and durable POA. “Springing” means the power doesn’t trigger until you’ve lost legal capacity to handle your own finances. “Durable” means that your agent continues to retain the power to act on your behalf, until you either recover or die. This is the preferred approach because they retain control until something bad happens (causing it to “spring” into action) and then their agent maintains control, even if some unscrupulous individual attempts to hijack the process (proving the power is “durable”).

Note that a POA may not be recognized when it is presented to an individual or company. Financial institutions have been hesitant to accept a financial POA submitted by the principal’s agent because they’re concerned about liability if the POA turns out to be fraudulent, or if the agent acts contrary to the accountholder’s desires. Without the institution’s agreement, the incapacitated person’s plans won’t happen. However, many states have addressed this.

Many people are creating “just in case” estate planning documents to deal with the possibility of contracting COVID-19. Ask an experienced estate planning attorney about creating a financial POA.

Reference: Forbes (Oct. 27, 2020) “If You Lose It, Don’t Lose It: Financial Powers Of Attorney In A Covid-19 World”

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