Estate Planning Flashcards
Community vs. Common Law Property
Community Property:
- Form of ownership only held by spouses in community property states
- Each owns a separate/undivided equal interest in property acquired after marriage
- No survivorship rights (subject to probate)
- NO TBE
- Watch out for life insurance owned (only 50% is included in GE)
What is not community property?
- Gifts kept in a separate account
- Inheritance kept in separate account
- Assets obtained before marriage
Key Advantage of Community Property
- Entire LTCG property gets a full step-up in basis upon death of one spouse if one half is included in GE
Common Law Property:
- Get half step up in basis on LTCG property
Sole Ownership
Individually owned property & subject to probate
Joint Tenancy with Rights of Survivorship (JTWROS)
JT means JTWROS
JTWROS Rules
- Property is shared equally by all tenants
- Survivorship feature - upon death of a tenant, the property passes to the surviving joint tenants
- Not controlled by the will and skips probate
- If JTWROS is broken, it becomes TIC property
Spousal JTWROS:
- Always 50% is included in GE
Non-Spousal JTWROS
- Full values of JTWROS is included in first to dies GE unless ownership can be furnished (keep meticulous notes)
Tenancy by Entirety (TBE)
- Can only be held by spouses
- Need consent of both spouses to fund, withdrawal, or dissolve
- Divided amongst the spouses equally (50/50)
- Protected from each spouses creditors (subject to JOINT creditors)
- NOT AVAILABLE in community property states
Tenancy In Common (TIC)
- Each owner has a unique percentage of ownership (I can own 10% and someone else can own 90%)
- You own a percentage not actual piece (I dont own 10% of a room)
- Entitled to division of income based on respective percentage ownership
- Free to transfer respective share (dont need permission)
- No survivorship rights (will go through probate) and percentage ownership is included in GE
- Percent of FMV is shown on statement
Probate
Assets Subject to Probate
- Singly Owned Assets (no beneficiary)
- TIC
- Assets where beneficiary is the estate
- Community Property (50% attributable to each spouse)
Trusts DO NOT pass through probate - testamentary trust does not go through probate, but the assets used to fund the trust go through probate
Estate Tax Roadmap
Gross Estate - Includes everything an individual owns + life insurance transferred within 3 years + Gift taxes paid within 3 years
- ** Adjustments (A**dmisnitrative, Burial Costs, Casulty Loss, Debts, Emergency)
= Adjusted Gross Estate (AGE)
- Unlimited Marital Transfers & Unlimited Charity Deductions
= Taxable Estate
+ Taxable Gifts (Notes on 709)
= Tax Base
- Exemption Amount (12,920,000)
X 40%
= Tentative Tax
- Gift Taxes Paid
= Net Estate Tax
When should form 706 be filed?
Only when the total taxable estate equals or exceeds the amount of exemption ($12,920,000)
Executor generally responsible for paying the tax
Life Insurance Included in Gross Estate
- Life insurance on the decedent transferred within 3 years of death (only gifting not selling)
- Life insurance payable to the decedents estate
- Decedent possessed incidents of ownership in policy upon death (could change beneficiary, borrow)
Paying the premium is not a right of ownership
Transfers with Retained Life Estate
Property that has been transferred but the decedent still retains incident of ownership or right to income/right to enojoy
- Retaining a right to assign and designate property will be included in GE
Unlimited Marital Deduction
Unlimited amount of property can pass to spouse through the unlimited marital deduction if the below requirements are met:
- Property must be included in the decedents gross estate
- Property must actually pass to the surviving spouse (exception is the C/QTIP trust)
- Recipient spouse must be a US citizen unless a QDOT
Recommendation for Gifting Property
Highly Appreciate Property = Give to charity or a donee in a lower tax bracket (pay capital gains)
- could also keep the property until death to eat a step up, if under estate tax threshold
Property Likely to Appreciate = Gift; remove from estate
Income Producing Property = Gift; lower tax bracket
Lost Property = SELL then gift cash
Property Subject to Depreciation = Keep (get depreciation)
Fully Depreciated Property = SCIN or Gift Lease-back
Out-of-State Property = Gift, Sell, avoid ancillary probate
Life Insurance = Gift; the gift is based on the cash value
Calculating Amount of Gift
Value of Gifted Appreciated Property = Amount of FMV (retains donors basis)
- Taxable gift to the Donor = Gift - Annual Exclusion $17,000
- DO NOT MISS THIS
Value of Gifted Loss Property = FMV (double basis)
Exempt Gifts / Deductible Gifts / Qualified Transfers
The below gifts are fully exempt form gift taxes - no taxable gift amount:
- Unlimited Marital Deduction
- Qualified payments made directly to an educational institution for someone’s tuition
- Payments made to a medical institution on behalf of an individual
- Gifts to AMERICAN political parties (organizations, not candidates)
This is just for the estate tax portion, still limited to income tax thresholds
When to File a Gift Tax Return (709)
When to File 709 in Common Law State
- Giving more than annual exclusion amount ($17,000) - non-spouse
- Gift Splitting - when under 2X annual exclusion amount ($34,000) only one return and spouse signs
- Gift of future interest
When to File 709 in Community Property State or JTWROS Account
- Over 2X annual exclusion ($34,000)
- Gift of future interest
Dont have to file gift tax return when giving straight to college or hospital
Present Interest Rule
First $17,000 of the total annual value of PRESENT INTEREST gift to each donee is excluded from the donors taxable estate
What is a present interest gift?
- 2503(c)
- UTMA/UGMA
-529 Plans
- Crummy Trust
- Direct Gift
What is a future Interest Gift?
- 2503(b)
- Remainder Interest
- Irrevocable trust where income will be accumulated (hence 2503(b))
Gifting Life Insurance
Gifts of Life Insurance During Lifetime = Interpolated Terminal Reserve + unearned premium (replacement value)
Watch out for when someone puts someone else as beneficiary on a policy of a third party - death benefit becomes a gift
- Ex. Mom puts daughter as beneficiary for a policy on Dad. If Dad dies, daughter gets DB and Mom has a taxable gift of the DB
Powers of Attorney (Durable vs. Non-Durable)
Durable Power of Attorney
- Not affected by principals incapacity; however, ended by death
- Principal must be capacitated when drafting DPOA
- Can be sprinting - effective upon incapacity of the Principal
Non-Durable Power of Attorney
- Does not survive incapacity; will not be valid
Powers that can not be given to another
- Execute or revoke a will (has to be done by that person)
- Execute a living will or right to die - Must sign a document before incapacity
Revocable trust is great with incapacity planning as wants/needs can be written into the trust document and continues after death
Guardianship / Conservatorship
Guardian: Makes healthcare and personal decisions on behalf of another
Conservator: Guardian of property; makes financial decisions
Both are appointed by a court
Elements of a Trust
- Trusts must have property - unless they are just a piece of paper
- Must have a Grantor/Trustor - transfers property to the trust - Grantor must be competent
- Trustee - holds legal title - could be the Grantor
- Becomes fiduciary when get control of assets
- Beneficiary - holds equitable title (not legal title)
Irrevocable Grantor Trust (IDIOT Trust)
Grantor trust happens when the maker of the trust holds to much control or to many strings over the property for tax purposes - deemed tainted or defective
- Wealthy client might want trust to be tainted for income tax purposes but not estate purposes - lower tax bracket than trust tax bracket
When is a trust tainted for estate purposes?
- A reversionary interest that exceeds 5% of the trust value at the time of creation is retained by the grantor or grantors spouse at death
- The power to control the beneficial enjoyment of the trust principal or income held by the grantor or grantors spouse (holding right to dictate income)
Beneficial enjoyment typically involves a grantor of an irrevocable trust who retains control as the trustee. The grantor or grantors spouse should not e the trustee of the trust or it will be tainted. This effects UTMAs/UGMAs