Estate Planning Flashcards
Non-community property interest
1) Income earned by spouses PRIOR to marriage
2) Property received as a GIFT by one spouse
3) Property INHERITED by one spouse
QTIP only if ALL , TQ will give you a few but not all
Lifetime
Annual
Married
Exclusive
Joint tenancy with right of survivorship JTWROS
- property can be held by husband and wife, parent and child or children, siblings, and business partners
- control, ownership and enjoyment share equally by all joint tenants
- upon death of each tenant, property immediately passes to surviving joint tenants in equal shares
- property NOT controlled by terms f the will
- NOT subject to probate
Tenancy by the entirety
- ownership can only be held by a husband and wife
- transfer of property can only occur with the mutual consent of both parties
- in most states, property is protected from the claims of each spouse’s joint creditors
Tenancy in Common
- two or more owners each own an undivided interest in the property
- any income is distributed according to each owner’s respective share in the property
- owners are free to transfer their respective share of the property to the other individuals
- ownership stake goes through probate upon death
Assets subject to probate
- Singly owned assets
- property held by tenancy in common
- assets where the beneficiary is the estate of the insured
- common property (CP)
Assets NOT subject to probate
- property conveyed by deeds of title (IRA)
- property held by joint tenancy with right of survivorship
- Government savings bonds - co-ownership
- Revocable living trusts
- Payable on death accounts (PODs)
- Totten trust
Totten Trust
- Totten trust is a revocable trust in a bank accoutn in which the depositor is named “trustee” for another’s benefit
- the depositor retains the right of withdrawal until death
- when the depositor dies, the balance passes to the beneficiary
Payable on Death Accounts PODs
funds are deposited for the benefit of another. The depositor has complete control over the funds. The funds are transferred to the other person at the death of the original depositor.
Modifying / Revoking a Will
- Can be amended or revoked at any time
- minor changes can made by writing a codicil
- to revoke existing will, the new will must state that it is intended to revoke the former document
- will can be revoked if it is intentionally destroyed by shredding
- divorce may or may not revoke the will
Powers of Attorney
- Traditional, non-durable power of attorney - power ceases when the principal is no longer legally competent
- Durable power of attorney - authority of agent continues when principal becomes incompetent
- Springing durable power of attorney - main strength is the agent has no authority over the principal’s assets UNTIL incompetency
Tax-Related Powers
The power to the following.
- make gifts to the spouse and to children, grandchildren, etc.
- make disclaimers
- make living trust to benefit principal, spouse, and heirs
- complete transfers to a living trust, if the principal becomes incompetent
- join the competent spouse in signing income and gift tax returns
- exercise special powers of appointment
Revocable Trust
If a revocable trust is funded, (ether before incompetency or by the attrney-in-fact), the grantor can also write provisions that specify management by the trustee in the event of the grantor’s incompetency.
- Two advantages:
- trustee’s authority to act in managing assets may be recognized, and
- can be enforced while a durable power of attorney may not be
- Revocable trust continues after death while a durable power dies at death
Life Insurance added to the estate
Proceeds are paid to the executor of the decedent’s estate
Decedent at death possesses an incident of ownership in the policy
decedent transferred a policy with an incident of ownership within three years of death
Assets Included in Gross Estate
- singly owned assets
- tenancy in common
- beneficiary is the estate
- community property
- JTWROS/Entirety
- Life Insurance
- General Powers
- 3-year gross-up on gift taxes paid (but NOT GST taxes paid)
Testamentary Trust
- Trust created by a will
- will-created trust designated a person to serve as trustee, names the beneficiaries of the trust, and includes directions on how assets are to the administered in the trust.
- key feature of the trust: does not automatically take effect upon the death of a decedent; it can become effective only if the will creating the trust is admitted to probate
Adjusted Gross Estate Deductions
- Material Deduction:
- an “unlimited” amount of property passing to the surviving spouse can pass estate-tax free if these requirements are met.
- property must be included in the decedent’s gross estate
- property must actually pass to the surviving spouse
Charitable Deduction:
compared to the various rules limiting the deductions amount for income taxes, the charitable deduction is quite simple. outright transfers to qualified charities are 100% deductible for both estate and gift tax purposes
Marital Deduction Requirement Transfers
Spousal Qualifying Requirement
- property included in the decedent’s gross estates
- property actually passes to the surviving spouse
- interest passing to spouse that is not a terminal interest
Qualifying Transfers
- property transfers outright
- property passes to marital trust, estate trust, or QTIP
Powers of Appointment (Trusts)
Special Power- exercisable only with the consent of the creator of the power or a person having a substantial adverse interest
Ascertainable Standard - Relating to health, education, maintenance or support (HEMS)
General Power - Holder may exercise the power in any manner he/she wishes
General Power of Appointment vs. Special Power of Appointment
General - Power entitles the holder to transfer the property subject to the holder, the holder’s estate, the holder’s creditors, or the creditors of the holder’s estates
Special- Power limits the class of individuals who may receive the property. The holder of the special power can transfer the property only to specifically designated individuals (children of the holder or someone other than the holder) or only under specific circumstances.
5 or 5 Power
property subject to general power will be included in a donee decedent’s estate (or considered a taxable gift) only to the extent the greater of:
1) $5000 or
2) 5% of the total value of the fund subject to the power as measured at the time of lapse
Inter-vivos Gifting
Transfer of property is made while the transfer is alive
For gift purposes, a gift can be broadly defined to include a sale, exchange, or other transfer of property from one person (donor0 to another (donee) without adequate and full consideration in money or money’s worth
Appropriate Gift Property
Highly appreciated property - donee = charity or donee in a lower tax bracket - may want to keep until death
Property likely to appreciate - good to gift to remove future value from donor’s estate
Income-producing property - good to only if in a lower tax bracket
Present Interest Gift Vehicles
UGMA UTMA 2503 c Trust section 529 college saving plan Gift to a 2503B trust is a gift of future interest
Valuation of a gift
The value of a gift for gift tax purposes is its fair market value (FMV) at the date of gift.
Basis of a gift
if FMV on the date of gift is great than the donor’s adjusted basis, use the donor’s adjusted basis
if the FMV of the gift is less than the donor’s adjusted basis, use the chart below
—————-gain (client’s substituted basis clients substitute basis 1.2 million)
no gain or loss
—————loss (FMV date of gift = 660,000)