Wills

Jolynda Turner (Lexology.com) published an article entitled, "Does your Will do what you want it to? - Assets that do not automatically form part of your estate" (Oct 17, 2016).
Read more . . .

Paul Sullivan (The New York Times) has recently published an article entitled, "How a Will Treating Children Differently Can Still Be Fair" (July 29, 2016). Provided below is a brief summary to the article from The New York Times:

How a Will Treating Children Differently Can Still Be Fair

How parents leave inheritances that are unequal but fair, or at least understandable, to their children and how those children deal with it can be challenging - and may require some difficult and open conversations.

Paul Sullivan (The New York Times) published an article entitled, "When Dividing Assets, the Little Things Matter" (April 15, 2016). Provided below is a brief summary to the article from The New York Times:

 When Dividing Assets, the Little Things Matter

People often spend a lot of time crafting estate plans that lay out how their big assets - from cash to homes and securities - will be divided among their children, grandchildren and everyone else down the line.

Each state has its own particular requirements for the creation of a valid will.  Generally, the person executing the will, or the testator, must be eighteen, and of “sound mind” at the moment he or she signs the document.  The will must be in writing and witnessed as well, in addition to other requirements that are mandated by your state.  A will can be declared void unless it abides by the stringent requirements of your state.  Your attorney can also educate you on the tax implications relating to the dissemination of your property.

According to the Kaiser Health News Webinar "Who Are America's Caregivers? Nearly A Quarter Are Millennials" the commonly held belief that Baby Boomers are the only ones caring for older relatives is failing to consider the the role Millennials are taking on in the estimated $470 billion worth of work:

"Caring for older relatives is usually a task associated with Baby Boomers, the 50- and 60-somethings who find their aging parents need assistance. But almost a quarter of the adults who take care of older people — on top of their regular jobs and responsibilities — are between the ages of 18 and 34... About 40 million Americans considered themselves caregivers in 2013…[t]hose people are typically women, and their median age is 49. The work they do caring for older relatives…was estimated that same year to be worth about $470 billion.”

Source/more: Kaiser Health News

Will or Won’t? Things a Will Won’t (or Can’t) Do

Wills offer many benefits and are an important part of any estate plan, regardless of how much property you have. Your will can ensure that after death your property will be given to the loved ones you designate. If you have children, a will is necessary to designate a guardian for them. Without a will, the courts and probate laws will decide who inherits your property and who cares for your children. But there are certain things a will cannot accomplish.

A will has no effect on the distribution of certain types of property after your death. For example, if you own property in joint tenancy with another co-owner, your share of that property will automatically belong to the surviving joint tenant. Any contrary will provision would only be effective if all joint tenants died at the same time. 

If you have named a beneficiary on your life insurance policy, those proceeds will not be subject to the terms of a will and will pass directly to your named beneficiary. Similarly, if you have named a beneficiary on your retirement accounts, including pension plans, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), 401(k) or 403(b) retirement plans, the money will be distributed directly to that named beneficiary when you pass on, regardless of any will provisions.

Brokerage accounts, including stocks and bonds, in which you have named a transfer-on-death (TOD) beneficiary will be transferred directly to the named beneficiary. Vehicles may also be titled with a TOD beneficiary, and would therefore transfer to your beneficiary, regardless of any provisions contained in your will. Similar to TODs, bank accounts may have a pay-on-death beneficiary named. 

The will’s shortcomings are not limited to matters of inheritance. Generally, wills are not as well suited as trusts for putting conditions on a gift such as requiring someone to get married or divorced, or obtain a certain education level, as a prerequisite to inheriting a portion of your estate. A simple will cannot reduce estate taxes the way some kinds of trust plans can.

A trust, not a will, is also necessary to arrange for care for a beneficiary who has special needs. A will cannot provide for long-term care arrangements for a loved one. However, a special needs trust can provide financial support for a disabled beneficiary, without risking government disability benefits.

If you want to leave your estate to Fido, you’re out of luck in many states. Without a special pet trust, your will may not be able to provide for pets to inherit your assets. You can use your will to leave your pet to someone, and then leave money to that person in trust to help take care of your pet.

A will cannot help you avoid probate. Assets left through a will generally must be transferred through a court-supervised probate proceeding, which can take months, or longer, at significant expense to your estate. If it’s probate you want to avoid, consider establishing a living trust to hold your significant assets.

Five Common Reasons a Will Might Be Invalid

There are several reasons that a will may prove invalid. It is important for testators to be aware of these pitfalls in order to avoid them.

Improper Execution

The requirements vary from state to state, but most states require a valid will to be witnessed by two people not named in the will. Some jurisdictions require the document to be notarized as well. Although these restrictions may be relaxed if the will is holographic (handwritten), it is best to satisfy these requirements to ensure that the testamentary document will be honored by the probate court.

Lack of Testamentary Capacity

Anyone over the age of 18 is presumed to understand what a will is. At the end of life, individuals are often not in the best state of mind. If court finds that an individual is suffering from dementia, is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or is incapable of understanding the document being executed for some other reason, the court may invalidate the will on the grounds that the individual does  not have testamentary capacity.

Replacement by a Later Will

Whenever an individual writes a new will, it invalidates all wills made previously. This means that a will might be believed to be valid for months until a more recently executed document surfaces. The newest will always takes precedence, controlling how assets should be distributed.

Lack of Required Content

Every will is required to contain certain provisions to carry out its purpose. These provisions, ensure that the testator understands the reason for executing the document.  Although these provisions vary from state to  state, some are common to all jurisdictions. It should be clear that the document is intended to be a will. The document  should demonstrate an individual’s wishes in regard to what should happen to his or her property after death. A proper will should also include a provision to appoint an executor to act as an agent for the estate and enforce the terms of the will. If the document  lacks any of these provisions, the will may be declared invalid. 

Undue influence or fraud

A will that was executed under undue influence, coercion or fraud will be invalidated by a court. If a will has been presented to a testator for a signature as if it were any other document, like a power of attorney or a business contract, the court will find that the will was fraudulently obtained and will not honor it. If an individual providing end of life care with exclusive access to the testator threatens to stop care unless a will is modified, that modification is considered to be the result of undue influence and the court will not accept it.

A thorough and complete estate plan must take into account a significant amount of information about your assets, your family, your property, and your wishes during and after your life.  When you make your first appointment with an estate planning attorney, ask the attorney or the paralegal if they can provide a written list of important information and documents that you should bring to the meeting.  

Generally speaking, you should gather the following information before your first appointment with your estate planning lawyer.

Family Information
List the names, birth dates, death dates, and ages of all immediate family members, specifically current and former spouses, all children and stepchildren, and all grandchildren.

If you have any young or adult children with special needs, gather all information you have about their lifetime financial needs.

Property Information
For all real property you own or can reasonably expect to acquire, gather the property description, your ownership interest information, the address, market value, any outstanding mortgage balance, and the most recent tax assessment.

For any personal property of value (such as vehicles, jewelry, coins, antiques, stamps, and art), compile a list that includes a description, the physical location of each item, your ownership interest information, the market value, and any liens against the property.

Business Information
If you have an ownership interest in a business, make sure you have documents showing your ownership interest in the business, the business location, the names and contact information of other owners, and 2-3 years of past profit and loss statements.

Financial Information
Compile a list of all your financial accounts, including: checking accounts, savings accounts, investment accounts, stocks and bonds, and U.S. Treasury notes.  If any of these accounts currently have designated beneficiaries, bring that information as well.

Gather all retirement savings information, including 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, IRAs, life insurance policies, Social Security statements, and pension information.  Make sure you have the account names, account numbers, current balances, outstanding loan balances, and currently named beneficiaries.

If any family members owe you debts, compile that information.

Questions to Think About
The following are some of the first questions your estate planning attorney will ask.  You are not required to have answers ready for all these questions, but because some of them are complex, it is a good idea to think through these issues before your appointment.

• Who will be beneficiaries of your property?
• Do you want to bequeath any specific items of property to specific individuals?
• Is there anyone you do not want to be a beneficiary of any of your property?
• Do you plan to make any bequests to any nonprofit organizations – university, church, charity, or other organization?
• Do you know who you want to act as executor of your will?
• Do you know who you want to act as trustee of any trusts you establish?
• If you have minor children, who do you want to appoint as guardian?
• Do you want to make arrangements for your health and financial well-being in the event you become unable to make decisions for yourself?
• Do you have specific wishes for your funeral?
• Are you a registered organ donor?

Call and Schedule a Free Initial Consultation Today!

During our initial consultation, we will review your family and financial situation, discuss your wishes, answer your questions and suggest strategies to protect your family, wealth and legacy.

Selecting A Personal Representative/Executor Post Mortem

The death of a loved one is a difficult experience no matter the circumstances.  It can be especially difficult when a person dies without a will.  If a person dies without a will and there are assets that need to be distributed, the estate will be subject to the process of administration instead of probate proceedings.

In this case, the decedent’s heirs can select someone to manage the estate, called an administrator instead of personal representative/executor.  State law will provide who has priority to be appointed as the administrator. Most states’ laws provide that a spouse will have priority and in the event that there is no spouse, the adult children are next in line to serve. However, those that have priority can decline to serve, and the heirs can sign appropriate affidavits or other pleadings to be filed with the court that nominate someone else as the administrator. Once the judge appoints the nominated person they will then have the authority to act and begin estate administration.

In certain circumstances, it may be necessary to change the initially appointed administrator during the administration process. Whether this is advisable depends on many factors. First, the initial administrator will have started the process and will be familiar with what remains to be done. The new administrator will likely be behind in many aspects of the case and may have to review what the prior administrator did. This can cause expenses and delays. Also, it is possible that the attorney representing the initial administrator may not be able to ethically represent the new one, again causing increased expenses and delays. However, if the first administrator is not doing his/her job, the heirs can petition to remove the individual and appoint a new one.

If you are currently involved in a situation where an estate needs to be administered, it is recommended that you speak with an estate planning attorney in your state.

If these are your circumstances, you are probably already worrying about how to continue to help your child once you are gone.  You predict that your child will misuse any lump sum of money left to him or her via your will.  You don’t want to completely cut this child out of your estate plan, but at the same time, you don’t want to enable destructive behavior or throw good money after bad.

Trusts are an estate planning tool you can use to provide an inheritance to a worrisome heir while maintaining control over how, when, where, and why the heir accesses the funds.  This type of trust is sometimes called a spendthrift trust.  

As with all trusts, you designate a trustee who controls the funds that will be left to the heir.  This trustee can be an independent third party (there are companies that specialize in this type of work) or a member of the family.  It is often wise to opt for a third party as a trustee, to prevent accusations among family members about favoritism.

The trust can specify the exact circumstances under which money will be disbursed to the heir.  Or, more simply, the trust can specify that the trustee has complete and sole discretion to disburse funds when the heir applies for money.  Most parents in these circumstances discover that they wish to impose their own incentives and restrictions, rather than rely on the judgment of an unknown third party.

The types of conditions or incentives that can be used with a trust include:

• Drug or alcohol testing before funds are released
• Payments directly to landlords, colleges, etc., rather than payment to the heir
• Disbursement of a specified lump sum if the heir graduates from university or keeps the same job for a certain time period
• Payment only to a drug or alcohol rehab center if the child is in an active period of addiction
• Disbursement of a lump sum if the child remains drug free
• Payments that match the child’s earned income

If you are considering writing this type of complex trust, it is advisable to seek assistance from a qualified and experienced estate planning attorney who can help you devise a plan that best accomplishes your wishes with respect to your child.
 

Fran Hawthorne (NYTimes.com) has an article published entitled “When Boomers Inherit, Complications May Follow” (Feb10, 2014). Provided below is a summary of the article from NYTimes.com:

When Boomers Inherit, Complications May Follow

There have never been as many heirs with as much money as now, thanks to the intersection of two demographics: the 79 million baby boomers and the general thriftiness of their Depression-raised parents.

"Inherited money is sacred money," said Rick Kagawa, 61, a financial planner in California who inherited money and property when his mother died in 2010.

"Whatever you do with that money, you should think about your parents and what they would think of what you did."

Often, as with Ms. Cornell, emotional ties make heirs reluctant to alter a penny of their parents' investment strategy or shed a single inch of property.

"We've had clients who wanted to keep a stock that was part of the family's wealth in memory of their parents, even if it's causing a lack of diversification in the portfolio," said Charles D. Haines Jr., chief executive of Kinsight, a financial advisory firm based in Birmingham, Ala., with $500 million under management.

Ms. Bradley of the Sudden Money Institute suggests that instead of trying to memorialize parents by hanging onto their stock portfolio, offspring should "Do something with the money to create a lasting memory." One client, she said, uses the interest from her inheritance to host an annual family reunion.

A picture caption on Tuesday with an article about baby boomers' inheriting their parents' estates misstated the name of the university where the photograph of a Japanese garden was taken.

To read the full article go to "When Boomers Inherit, Complications May Follow" By Fran Hawthorne (NYTimes.com).