Legacy Planning, Once Removed

On this podcast, Steve talks about the best methods and structures to transfer wealth to ensure that the funds are used for their intended purposes. He also talks about ways to pass along values to beneficiaries or the next generation — values like hard work, humility, responsibility and respect. In this episode, Steve explores how golf (or activities like golf) can be a great environment for passing along those values. 

In this litigious and uncertain world, clients are increasingly concerned about asset protection — how to make sure assets are used for their intended purposes and for the benefit of the intended beneficiaries and not diverted to a creditor or other third party. Clients are not only concerned about formal creditors, they are also concerned about individuals who learn about the assets and seek to take advantage of the beneficiary. Trusts and gifts, if properly structured, can provide significant protections from these creditors and predators, while still providing for flexibility to the beneficiary.

On this episode we talk about the potential advantages of transferring wealth, but also the potential pitfalls — and the terrible irony that transferring wealth in the wrong way, at the wrong times or for the wrong reasons can sometimes have negative consequences. 

In this episode, we explore the sad situation of a beneficiary who suffers from substance abuse. In this case, the donor may fear that a gift or trust might enable destructive behavior. But if structured in the right way in terms of access, control and flexibility, the trust could even facilitate treatment and recovery.

Many clients ask about a particular kind of trust called a “dynasty trust,” “perpetuities trust” or “generation-skipping trust.” There is no set way to draft these types of trusts — rather, these terms only emphasize the intent of the trust to benefit future generations.

This episode discusses those trusts — or rather, their common features or elements, and how to incorporate these aspects into the terms of a trust related to access, control and flexibility. The episode also addresses options for funding and administering the trust for tax and nontax purposes.

On this podcast, Steve has emphasized that the estate plan is designed to carry out the intent of the testator or settlor. With that in mind, it is especially important for the client to communicate those wishes, so that the trustee, beneficiaries and other interested parties understand the settlor’s intent in situations that might arise, such as a beneficiary’s request for funds to purchase a home or for the beneficiary’s support or education.

Sometimes the trust document is not the ideal place for the settlor to include more specific instructions — the language in the trust agreement often is complicated by legalese, or by tax and other practical considerations. Some clients prefer to communicate those wishes informally or rely on the trustee to make the right decision. But many clients would benefit from leaving a separate letter, sometimes called a “Trust Letter of Wishes,” that expresses the settlor’s intent in the settlor’s own words.

This episode explores the Trust Letter of Wishes, walks through some important limitations and guiding principles for the letter, and offers suggestions on how to use such a letter to communicate the settlor’s intent.

For parents with young children, naming the guardian who will raise their children upon the parents’ passing can be one of the most important and foundational questions of an estate plan. And in fact, because this decision is so personal and important, many clients find it daunting — and as a result, they might delay making the decision, or even delay putting in place their estate plan altogether. This episode explores some common questions about the naming of a guardian and provides helpful tips for clients who are considering who to name and how to approach this important decision.

On this podcast, we talk about the importance of flexibility in irrevocable trusts and estate planning. Once a trust is irrevocable, we can explore methods to modify that trust to address changed circumstances. But in the planning process, we can look ahead and build flexibility into the documents so that even after the testator’s passing, the plan can be updated in the future.

One common method to build in flexibility is to give a person a power, called a “power of appointment,” that enables the person to change the terms of the trust and even the beneficiaries. This power can provide helpful flexibility. But as we explore in this episode, that power might give too much flexibility to that person, and the power should be carefully structured to ensure the client’s wishes are carried out.

As we have discussed on this podcast, legacy planning is not just about transferring money. It’s also about transferring values and relationships. And often the transfer of specific property goes hand-in-hand with the fostering of those values and relationships. To this end, many clients hope to pass along a family vacation home, farm or other gathering place to future generations. Practitioners and advisers often refer to this as the “family cottage.” The idea is certainly attractive. And if transferred in the right ways, such a “family cottage” can be a gathering place for generations to come, and a place where those values are communicated, and those relationships are fostered. Unfortunately, if not transferred correctly, the “family cottage” can become a source of tension and resentment for the family and can undermine those same values and relationships that the client hoped to encourage. This episode explores factors to consider in structuring such transfers.

Many clients like the idea of helping a child, grandchild or other beneficiary with the purchase of a home to give the person a “head start” and a sense of independence. But this kind of transfer can have unanticipated, adverse consequences. This episode explores options and best practices for structuring transfers from a tax and non-tax perspective, and discusses how a trust may provide for such a purchase even after the client’s passing.

Because each donor is treated as a separate party for tax and other purposes, donors often involve others in making gifts. For example, a donor might transfer assets to his or her spouse, so the spouse actually makes the gift for tax purposes. These transfers might be especially important, given the possible “sunset” of current gift, estate and GST tax exemptions at the end of 2025. 

However, the manner and timing of those transfers should be carefully structured so the transaction is respected. In some cases, the various steps of a transaction can be collapsed, so they are treated as a single transaction — with disastrous results. This episode reviews pitfalls for clients who seek to engage in this kind of planning, and considers the cautionary tale of Smaldino, a recent Tax Court case.