Estate Planning Flashcards
This form of ownership involves outright or absolute ownership and control.
Fee simple
This form of ownership provies a partial interest that terminates at death.
life estate
This form of ownership allows the owner of use and enjoy the property for a set number of years.
Term of years (interest for years)
Are shares in a tenancy in common required to be equal?
No, they may be unequal
How does a tenancy in common pass at death?
It passes by will and goes through probate
What is the value of a tenancy in common in the gross estate?
The percentage of ownership and its value
Are shares in a JTWROS property required to be equal?
yes
How does a JTWROS pass at death?
It goes to the co-owner(s) via the survivorship feature; it is outside of probate
Can you sever your interest in a JTWROS without the consent of the other owner(s)?
Yes
How are estate taxes applied to a JTWROS property?
- If held between spouses, there is no estate tax and the surviving spouse received a stepped-up basis in one-half of the property
- If non-spouse owners, 100% of the asset is included in the estate of the first-to-die unless the survivor can prove that they contributed to the purchase. Then, it will be divided based on their contribution.
How are gift taxes applied to a JTWROS property?
- If held between spouses, there is no gift tax because of the unlimited marital deduction.
- If held between non-spouses, if all contribute equally there is no gift. If contributions are unequal, the amount of additional contribution will be considered a gift to the other.
Tenancy by the entirety is a form of ownership that is limited to
spouses
Is TBE recognized universally?
No, only in some common-law states
Can your right in a TBE property be severed without mutual consent?
no
How is TBE property treated for estate tax purposes?
1/2 is included in the gross estate of the first-to-die. It passes outside of probate.
What creditor protection does TBE provide?
protection from separate creditors but not joint creditors
How is community property treated for estate tax purposes?
50% is included in the gross estate of the first-to-die. 100% of the property receives a stepped-up basis. The property passes by will and will be included in the probate estate.
What is not considered community property? (3)
- separate property
- inherited assets
- gifted assets
This is a property system that allows people, including married people, to own property soley in their own names.
common-law system
This is a property system that generally assumes that property acquired during marriage belongs equally to both spouses.
community property system
For non-spouse joint tenants, the property at death is included in the decedant’s gross estate to the extent that the surviving joint tenant cannot prove that he actually contributed to the purchase price.
consideration furnished
A legal right to property that does not include the right to present possession or enjoyment of the property.
future interest
A future interest given to a person that is capable of becoming possessory upon the natural end of a prior estate created by the same instrument.
remainder
A future interest that is retained by the grantor after the conveyance of a lesser quantum that he has.
reversion
Does a revocable trust protect assets from the grantor’s creditors?
No
In what year did the federal gift and estate tax become unified?
1976
Allows for the transfer of assets between spouses tax free.
marital deduction
Transfers to qualified charities are not taxed.
charitable deduction
A credit equal to the tax on an amount of taxable transfers that Congress has declared tax payers should not have to pay out of pocket.
applicable credit amount
The dollar value of taxable gifts or a taxable estate that will generate gift or estate tax liability equal to the applicable credit amount.
applicable exclusion amount
A gift by one spouse may be treated as if half of it were given by each spouse, thereby doubling the allowable annual exlcusions.
gift splitting
A deduction is allowed annually for a limited amount of gifts of a present interest by any donor to each done in a calendar year.
annual exclusion
Money used to pay the tax is not itself taxed.
tax exclusive nature
What form must be filed for federal gift tax?
Form 709
How are most gifts valued for gift tax purposes?
at fair market value
What discounts are available for gifting closely held stock? (3)
- minority interest discount
- Lack of marketability discount
- Lock-in discount
What control can a grantor retain over an irrevocable trust and still have it count as a completed gift?
grantor can be trustee with health, education, maintenance, and support standard
How is life insurance valued for gift tax purposes?
replacement value
How are securities valued for gift tax purposes?
average of high and low prices on date of gift
How are securities valued for gift tax purposes if the security was not traded on the gift date? (7)
- FMV of security on last day it traded before gift date
- FMV of security for first day it traded after gift date
- # of business days between last trade date before gift and gift date
- # of business days between gift date and first trade date after gift date
- FMV before x # days after
- FMV after x # days before
- Add steps 5 & 6 and divide by total number of businesses days
These rules were put in place to prevent families from avoiding transfer taxes by undervaluing assets and transferring them to other family members.
Chapter 14 rules
This applies to the valuation of the gift of a closely held business between family members when the transferer retains an interest in the entity. If the transferer gets a fixed, regular income from the business, the value of that will be deducted but the rest will be taxed.
Chapter 14, Section 2701
This rule applies to the value of a transfer in a trust between family members. The transferer must retain an interest in the trust. It applies to businesses being transferred in annuity form. The present value of the income stream is deducted from the value and the rest is taxed.
Chapter 14, Section 2702 (Grantor retained trusts)
This rule applies to buy-sell agreements. The IRS will tax any amount of FMV that is not paid for when transferring a business between family members.
Chapter 14, Section 2703
This rules provides that the lapse of a voting or liqudation right in a closely held business or partnership will be treated as a gift. The value will be the excess of FMV over what you gave up.
Chapter 14, Section 2704
What transfers are exempt from gift tax? (4)
- To political organizations
- To educational institutions if paid directly to the school
- Medical payments if paid directly for medical care or for medical or LTC insurance
- Property transfers as part of a divorce agreement
How many annual exclusions may a donor use?
It can be used for as many donees as the donor chooses
To what interests may the annual exclusion apply?
to gifts of present interest only
What are the requirements for a qualified charitable distribution of RMDs? (3)
- RMD goes directly to the charity
- Must be a gift of cash or property
- Up to $100,000/year
Will a qualified charitable distribution of RMDs also be eligible for a charitable deduction on income tax returns?
No, because the money donated is not counted as income
In this arrangement, a beneficiary receives income from the asset and when the term ends, the assets goes to a charity.
Charitable Remainder Trust
In this arrangement, the charity gets the income and the assets reverts back to the donor or family member after the term.
Charitable Lead Trust
In this arrangement, you sell a charity property for less than FMV?
Charitable bargain sale
What is the unholy trinity for life insurance?
When there are different owner, insured, and beneficiary. If the insured dies, the owner is deemed to have made a gift of the policy proceeds to the beneficiaries.
What is the 5/5 rule for general powers of appointment?
The lapse of such a power will only be considered a gift to the extent the amount the holder could have appointed exceeds the greater of $5,000 or 5% of the property subject to the power
A gift to a 2503(b) trust is considered a present interest gift because
the trust income is payable on a mandatory basis at least annually
A gift to a trust with Crummey powers is considered a present interest gift because
the beneficiary has the power to withdraw assets as they are being gifted into the trust
A gift to a 2503(c) trust is considered a present interest gift because
both the property and its income may be expended by, or for the benefit of, the beneficiary before the beneficiary reaches age 21, and the beneficiary must be given the right to access all trust property on the minor’s 21st birthday, and if the beneficiary dies before the age of 21, the property and its income will be payable either to the minor’s estate or to whoever the minor may appoint under a GPA
The donor spouse gives donee spouse a qualifying income interest for life in the property and makes an irrevocable election on his/her gift tax return to qualify the property for the marriage deduction
Qualified Terminable Interest Property (QTIP)
At current rates, the gift/estate tax on the first 1,000,000 in taxable property is
$345,800
May gift splitting be used for specific gifts only?
No, all gifts must be split if elected
A CLT in which trust income is paid to the charity in the form of a guaranteed annuity?
Charitable Lead Annuity Trust (CLAT)
A form of CLT in which trust income is paid to the charity as a fixed percentage of the net FMV of trust assets determined annually.
Charitable Lead Unitrust (CLUT)
A form of CRT in which income is payable as a sum certain that is no less than 5% of the initial FMV of all trust assets.
Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust (CRAT)
A form of CRT in which income must be payable as a fixed percentage that is not less than 5% of the net FMV of trust assets valued annually.
Charitable Remainder Unitrust (CRUT)
Who are the three parties to a trust?
- Grantor
- Trustee
- Beneficiaries
What are the common operating elements of a trust? (3)
- Legally and mentally competent grantor
- Legally and mentally competent trustee
- One or more beneficiaries
What are the roles of the trustee? (5)
- Manage and invest trust assets
- Keep trust records
- File any tax returns
- Make distributions of income and principal
- Act as a fiduciary
What are reasons for creating a trust? (5)
- Flexibility and ability to benefit beneficiaries
- Trustee’s management/investment expertise
- Avoid probate at grantor’s death
- Protect grantor’s assets from creditors
- Income, gift, or estate tax savings
How is income in a revocable living trust taxed?
It is passed through to the grantor’s personal tax return
How long may a trust last?
21 years after the death of a life in being when an interest was created
This type of trust can be rescinded or amended?
Revocable trust
How are revocable trust assets handled for estate tax purposes?
Assets are included in the estate
How are revocable trusts taxed for gift tax purposes?
The gift is not complete, so there is not gift tax
Does a revocable trust avoid probate?
if it is funded, it avoids probate
In this type of trust, the grantor relinquishes control over the property in the trust. The grantor cannot change the trust provisions.
Irrevocable trust
How are assets in an irrevocable trust handled for estate tax purposes?
The assets are out of the estate
This type of trust is set up while the grantor is alive.
Inter vivos trust
This type of trust is set up when the grantor dies. It is created by the will.
Testamentary trust
This type of trust must pay out all income at least annually. It may not distribute principal or corpus.
Simple Trust
How is a Simple Trust taxed?
At the beneficiary’s individual tax rate
This type of trust may accumulate income and/or distribute corpus. It may make charitable contributions to offset taxes.
Complex trust
This trust provision allows the trustee to dictate when a beneficiary receives money over time.
Sprinkling/spray
This trust provision allows the trustee to distribute amounts necessary for the support or education of an individual.
Support provision
This trust provision prohibits the beneficiary from assigning their interest to a creditor. It denies creditors the right to demand that the trustee pay for the beneficiary’s debts.
Spendthrift provision
What are tax advantages of a lifetime gift over a testamentary trust? (4)
- Gift tax is “tax exclusive” while estate tax is “tax inclusive”
- Removal of potential future appreciation from future transfer tax
- Taxable income may be moved from high bracket donor to lower bracket done
- May enable a decedent’s estate to take advantage of special elections if the right assets are gifted
What are non-tax advantages of a lifetime gift over a testamentary transfer? (7)
- Greater privacy
- Potential reduction of probate and admin costs
- Possible protection from creditors
- Enjoyment from seeing donee enjoy the gift
- Opportunity to see how well donee manages wealth
- Opportunity to provide for donee’s education, support, and financial well-being
- Gives the donee incentive to run a family business
What are tax disadvantages of a lifetime gift over a testamentary transfer? (5)
- Gift tax due if annual exclusion exceeded
- Loss of step-up in income tax basis for beneficiary
- Loss of possibility that property values may decline, resulting in a lower transfer tax
- Loss of possibility that tax law changes in the future may be more beneficial to the taxpayer
- Does not provide for possible changed circumstances of donor and/or donee
What are non-tax disadvantages of a lifetime gift over a testamentary transfer? (3)
- Loss of the use of, possession of, and/or income from the property
- Psychological loss from controlling of the asset
- Irrevocability
A gift given with the expectation that the donee will pay the gift tax on it.
Net gift
An informal arrangement in which Person A gives a gift to Person B with the understanding that Person B will give it back to Person A when Person B dies.
Reverse gift
How long must someone live after a reverse gift in order for the original donor to receive a stepped-up basis when they inherit?
1 year after gift date
Giving property away and then leasing the property from the person you gave it to.
Gift leaseback