New York Estate Planning Lawyer Blog

Estate plans are designed to take care of future issues and concerns, such as planning for retirement, long-term health issues, avoiding estate taxes, planning inheritance, and preparing for Medicare and Medicaid eligibility. However, creating an estate plan now can also help eliminate a present-day issue: stress and worry that comes with the unknown. Most planners admit that they feel a certain level of relief once an estate plan has been put into place because they know that their loved ones are protected and provided for should anything happen.

Elements of a Stress-Free Plan

Every person’s needs and wants are different when it comes to an effective, stress-free estate plan. However, there are some basic elements that should be covered in every plan besides deciding who should get what from the estate. This includes issues surrounding the creator of the estate as well as any family issues that can be protected or prevented by the estate.

This year saw a number of tragic celebrity deaths, and some were complicated further with estate planning issues. Using these stories can be a good way to transition into discussing issues of estate planning with your own family. A look back on the celebrity deaths and estate battles of the rich and famous shows just how many things can go wrong when an estate is not properly planned.

Patrick Swayze

Although Patrick Swayze died over five years ago, reports are coming out now that members of his family believe that his will was forged only a couple of months before his death while Mr. Swayze was hospitalized. His entire estate was left to his widow, and nothing was left to his mother or siblings. Because of the length of time that the estate has been closed, chances are that the estate documents will remain valid despite allegations of forgery.

Divorce is almost always an emotionally and financially draining experience, and high asset divorces come with an increased level of tension and drama. It is because of that emotion that some spouses in high asset divorce settlements make irrational decisions or financial errors that can cost them thousands or millions of dollars in the end. However, there are some areas in a high asset divorce that can be analyzed to ensure that you are getting the most out of the settlement proceedings.

Hiring a Valuation Expert

One way to minimize potential mistakes in a high asset divorce is to hire a valuation expert. This person is an objective professional who is hired to make accurate valuations of all assets for the couple based on specific metrics and methodologies. Many valuation experts are associated with accounting firms and carry special designations for their profession. However, more help may be necessary for the expert if highly specialized assets like a privately held company, holdings in a family business, or other technical investment interests are at stake.

It is risky to leave your estate and financial affairs unattended or secret from the rest of your family. According to research released this year, over 64% of all Americans do not have a will, and half of the people included in that statistic have children. When you do not have a will or keep your estate planning matters secret, it has the potential to cause discord in the family or cause the assets in the estate to be improperly handled. However, with the holiday season upon us, now can be a great time to discuss your estate plans with family members and avoid any potential problems in the future.

Choose the Right People for the Right Roles

One common error in the estate planning process is giving roles to members of the family according to what the testator thinks that they would want, rather than assigning tasks according to who would be best suited for the role. Acting as a fiduciary, trustee, or executor to an estate is a job, and you need to pick the right candidate. This means considering who would be truly best suited to handle tough responsibilities like medical, financial, and legal decisions.

Balancing the relationship between a trustee and beneficiary can be delicate, and if it is not handled properly the results can be costly problems and years of frustration. The beneficiaries are set to inherit valuables, homes, stock, and other assets. Yet it is the very nature of those assets that can cause tension with a trustee who controls the purse strings. However, there are some tips that can help ease the tension and create a good relationship between the person in charge of managing a trust and those set to inherit it.

Address Sources of Tension

The entire purpose of a trustee is to be a barrier between an heir and the money, so there are natural sources of tension between a trustee and a beneficiary. Most often, an heir wants access to their inheritance faster, and the trustee is hesitant out of fear that the money will be spent unwisely.

Each decade of life ushers in a new set of challenges and issues for financial and estate planning. In your 20s, you are trying to establish yourself as independently financial and pay off your student loans. In your 30s, the estate and financial focus typically turns to planning for a family.

There can be more complications in your 40s, where you must balance supporting your children in addition to yourself and possible your parents. This decade is also crucial because there is still enough time before retirement to significantly affect your future. Here are some financial and estate planning moves to make before you turn fifty that can keep your retirement plan on track.

Increase Retirement Plan Contributions

Couples without children have two main tasks when it comes to estate planning: the first is determining how to distribute the assets in the estate. The second, and arguably trickier task, is to assign a person or people who will handle your medical and financial affairs in the unfortunate event that you become incapacitated.

Durable Power of Attorney and Healthcare Proxy

A durable power of attorney form names a person to handle all of your financial matters if you become incapacitated or otherwise unable to take care of your own finances. This includes some legal matters, as well. A healthcare proxy is similar to a durable power of attorney, but this person is responsible for all medical decisions if you are incapable of making those decisions for yourself.

In previous posts, we have discussed the use of trusts to pass down pieces of art and other collectibles to your heirs. However, special considerations come into play when estate planning involves the inheritance of guns. Regardless of whether it is an antique gun from the Revolutionary War, your grandparent’s service gun from his time in war, or a current collection of guns for hunting or home protection, gifting firearms comes with a set of unique challenges. However, some estate planning attorneys are solving these issues through the use of a new planning tool, the “gun trust.”

What is a Gun Trust?

A gun trust is typically set up as a revocable living trust. It is made specifically to transfer firearms, with the gun owner set up as the trustee. Gun trusts are most commonly used to transfer firearms that come with federal restrictions, such as guns with silencers. This is because the trust can cut down on some of the paperwork needed to possess, transfer, and own these types of guns. However, a growing number of people are now using gun trusts to pass down a deceased loved one’s personal collection.

Many parents with adult children find the idea of discussing their estate plans uncomfortable, embarrassing, or unnecessary. Few parents want to think about their mortality or bring up the subject with their kids. Concerns about family fights over parts of the estate, which child is getting what, or reliance on a future inheritance also put parents off from discussing their plans with their children; however, there are some great benefits both emotionally and financially that can come with sharing your plans with your children.

Telling your children ahead of time about your estate plans allows you as parents to explain your decisions and lets the children plan their lives accordingly. Feedback from the children can also have an effect on your estate plans that you can implement before it is too late. In some cases, there can even be tax benefits involved. Full disclosure of estate plans may not be right for every family, but here are five reasons why it might be worthwhile to share your estate planning with your children.

You Can Settle Any Issues

For wealthy donors who wish to put their name on a building, beware. There can be a lot of disappointment for donors who give away large sums of money, thinking that they would get to see their name on a building or institution like a university, science lab, or cultural center but end up in a legal battle instead.

Naming Rights and More

The best way to ensure that this type of drama is avoided is for donors to clearly state their wishes in a detailed, legally binding document. Donors need to make sure that all payment terms, signage, publicity, and deadlines for work to be done are also set within the contract. Each party should know exactly what they are agreeing to.