By definition, estate planning is a process designed to help you manage and preserve your assets while you are alive, and to conserve and control their distribution after your death according to your goals and objectives.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed into law in December 2017, doubled the gift and estate
tax basic exclusion amount and the GST tax exemption to $11,180,000 in 2018. They are $13,610,000 in 2024. After 2025,
they are scheduled to revert to pre-2018 levels and cut by about one-half. | |
Estate Planning — An Introduction
By definition, estate planning is a process designed to help you manage and preserve
your assets while you are alive, and to conserve and control their distribution
after your death according to your goals and objectives. But what estate planning
means to you specifically depends on who you are. Your age, health, wealth, lifestyle,
life stage, goals, and many other factors determine your particular estate planning
needs. For example, you may have a small estate and may be concerned only that certain
people receive particular things. A simple will is probably all you'll need. Or,
you may have a large estate, and minimizing any potential estate tax impact is your
foremost goal. Here, you'll need to use more sophisticated techniques in your estate
plan, such as a trust.
To help you understand what estate planning means to you, the following sections
address some estate planning needs that are common among some very broad groups
of individuals. Think of these suggestions as simply a point in the right direction,
and then seek professional advice to implement the right plan for you.
Over 18
Since incapacity can strike anyone at anytime, all adults over 18 should consider
having:
- A durable power of attorney: This document lets you name someone to manage your
property for you in case you become incapacitated and cannot do so.
- An advance medical directive: The three main types of advance medical directives
are (1) a living will, (2) a durable power of attorney for health care (also known
as a health-care proxy), and (3) a Do Not Resuscitate order. Be aware that not all
states allow each kind of medical directive, so make sure you execute one that will
be effective for you.
Young and single
If you're young and single, you may not need much estate planning. But if you have
some material possessions, you should at least write a will. If you don't, the wealth
you leave behind if you die will likely go to your parents, and that might not be
what you would want. A will lets you leave your possessions to anyone you choose
(e.g., your significant other, siblings, other relatives, or favorite charity).
Unmarried couples
You've committed to a life partner but aren't legally married. For you, a will is
essential if you want your property to pass to your partner at your death. Without
a will, state law directs that only your closest relatives will inherit your property,
and your partner may get nothing. If you share certain property, such as a house
or car, you might consider owning the property as joint tenants with rights of survivorship.
That way, when one of you dies, the jointly held property will pass to the surviving
partner automatically.
Married couples
For many years, married couples had to do careful estate planning, such as the creation
of a credit shelter trust, in order to take advantage of their combined federal
estate tax exclusions. A new law passed in 2010 allows the executor of a deceased
spouse's estate to transfer any unused estate tax exclusion amount to the surviving
spouse without such planning. This provision is effective for estates of decedents
dying in 2011 and later years.
You may be inclined to rely on these portability rules for estate tax avoidance,
using outright bequests to your spouse instead of traditional trust planning. However,
portability should not be relied upon solely for utilization of the first to die's
estate tax exclusion, and a credit shelter trust created at the first spouse's death
may still be advantageous for several reasons:
- Portability may be lost if the surviving spouse remarries and is later widowed again
- The trust can protect any appreciation of assets from estate tax at the second spouse's
death
- The trust can provide protection of assets from the reach of the surviving spouse's
creditors
- Portability does not apply to the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax, so the
trust may be needed to fully leverage the GST exemptions of both spouses
Married couples where one spouse is not a U.S. citizen have special planning concerns.
The marital deduction is not allowed if the recipient spouse is a non-citizen spouse,
but a $185,000 (in 2024, $175,000 in 2023) annual exclusion is allowed. If certain requirements
are met, however, a transfer to a qualified domestic trust (QDOT) will qualify for
the marital deduction.
Married with children
If you're married and have children, you and your spouse should each have your own
will. For you, wills are vital because you can name a guardian for your minor children
in case both of you die simultaneously. If you fail to name a guardian in your will,
a court may appoint someone you might not have chosen. Furthermore, without a will,
some states dictate that at your death some of your property goes to your children
and not to your spouse. If minor children inherit directly, the surviving parent
will need court permission to manage the money for them. You may also want to consult
an attorney about establishing a trust to manage your children's assets.
You may also need life insurance. Your surviving spouse may not be able to support
the family on his or her own and may need to replace your earnings to maintain the
family.
Comfortable and looking forward to retirement
You've accumulated some wealth and you're thinking about retirement. Here's where
estate planning overlaps with retirement planning. It's just as important to plan
to care for yourself during your retirement as it is to plan to provide for your
beneficiaries after your death. You should keep in mind that even though Social
Security may be around when you retire, those benefits alone may not provide enough
income for your retirement years. Consider saving some of your accumulated wealth
using other retirement and deferred vehicles, such as an individual retirement account
(IRA).
Wealthy and worried
Depending on the size of your estate, you may need to be concerned about estate
taxes.
Estates of $13,610,000 (in 2024, $12,920,000 in 2023) are effectively exempt from the federal gift and estate tax.
Estates over that amount may be subject to the tax at a top rate of 40 percent.
Similarly, there is another tax, called the generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax,
that is imposed on transfers of wealth that are made to grandchildren (and lower
generations). The GST tax exemption is $13,610,000 (in 2024, $12,920,000 in 2023) and the GST tax rate
is 40 percent.
Whether your estate will be subject to state death taxes depends on the size of
your estate and the tax laws in effect in the state in which you are domiciled.
Elderly or ill
If you're elderly or ill, you'll want to write a will or update your existing one,
consider a revocable living trust, and make sure you have a durable power of attorney
and a health-care directive. Talk with your family about your wishes, and make sure
they have copies of your important papers or know where to locate them.
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