Why Even “Regular Folks” Can Benefit from Trust Funds – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

A trust is a useful tool, even if you’re not a wealthy person. There are many different types of trusts, but the most basic types are revocable and irrevocable. A recent article from Business Insider “A trust fund gives you control over your money after you’re gone, and it’s not just for the super rich” clarifies when and how to use a trust fund.

Trust funds are often used to avoid having assets pass through the probate process. They allow for a tax-efficient means of transferring wealth, avoid or defer estate taxes and help with charitable giving. An experienced estate planning attorney can help clarify what type of trust is needed, and how it can work with an overall estate plan.

Trust funds have a bad reputation for creating badly-behaved young adults, but they are a good planning tool for anyone. Some trusts are more expensive to maintain than others, which is why they are often associated with wealthy people. However, they have the same purpose: to ensure that a person’s money goes where they want it to go. The directions can be as specific as you wish.

There are three people involved in any trust: the grantor, who puts their assets in the trust fund; the beneficiary or beneficiaries, who receive those assets according to the terms of the trust; and the trustee, the person or group of advisors or the organization that is responsible for managing the trust when the trust is created and after the grantor has died. A grantor can put almost any kind of asset into a trust, but most people use them for real estate, bank accounts, investment accounts, business interests and life insurance policies.

If a trust is revocable, it means the grantor may make changes at any time and can generate income through the assets in the trust. The assets are included in the grantor’s estate and the grantor may pay taxes on the assets now and upon their death. Creditors can access the assets for any unpaid debts. Once the grantor of a revocable trust dies, the trust becomes irrevocable.

An irrevocable trust cannot be changed, once it is created. It can only be accessed after the death of the grantor. The assets are not included in the grantor’s estate and they do not have to pay taxes during their lifetime or at death. The taxes are the responsibility of the trust and beneficiaries. Depending on how the trust is designed, creditors may not access the trust.

If you are considering setting up a trust, meet with an estate planning lawyer to discuss your unique situation and determine which type of trust works best for you and your family.

Reference: Business Insider (December 2, 2019) “A trust fund gives you control over your money after you’re gone, and it’s not just for the super rich”

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys

What 2020 Tax Changes May Bring for Wealthy Families – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

What happens in the political landscape in 2020 could have an impact on wealthy individuals, in a positive and a negative way. The biggest impact may be changes in estate and income taxes. With income taxes, the tax brackets are indexed, so they will go higher in 2020. There are also new IRS thresholds, so people will need to be aware of these changes.

The article “What Wealthy Clients Need to Know About 2020 Tax Changes” from Financial Advisor offers a look at what’s coming next year.

The tax rates were generally lowered, and thresholds increased. The top bracket for married couples in 2017 was 39.6% for couples whose taxable income was higher than $470,700. In 2020, that same bracket is 37%, with a new income threshold of $622,051.

There are more holiday gifts from the IRS. The estate exemption increases to $11.58 million in 2020, although the annual exclusion for gifts stays at $15,000. The maximums for retirement account contributions have also been increased.

The mandated penalty for not having health insurance is gone. Therefore, anyone who has the income to self-insure without having a policy that is ACA-qualified won’t have to pay a penalty. However, that varies by state: California enforces a tax penalty for people who do not have health insurance.

A major consideration for 2020 is the higher standard deduction. This may mean more strategic planning for which years people should itemize. Some experts are advising that taxpayers bunch their deductions, so they can itemize. One strategy is to do this every other year.

Many nonprofits are advising their donors to plan their charitable giving to take place every other year for the same reason.

With the stock market continuing to hit record highs, it may also make sense for people to transfer highly appreciated securities to donor advised funds.

Another potentially big series of changes that is still pending is the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019. The legislation is still pending, but it is likely that some form of the bill will become law, and there will be further changes regarding retirement accounts and taxes. The bill passed the House in the spring, but it still pending in the Senate.

Reference: Financial Advisor (December 2, 2019) “What Wealthy Clients Need to Know About 2020 Tax Changes”

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys

Q & A – Medicaid for Nursing Home Care – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

As we approach our third act, new terminology comes into our daily lives that we may have heard before, but maybe never gave much thought to. Terms like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Long-Term Care, and so on, can become sources of anxiety, if we don’t truly understand them. Therefore, today we’re answering some of the fundamental questions about Medicaid for nursing home care, in the hopes that we can alleviate at least one source of anxiety for you.

Question #1 – What is Medicaid?

Medicaid is a state and federal government-funded program that provides medical services to financially eligible individuals. Unlike Medicare, you do not have to be elderly to qualify for Medicaid, and many elderly individuals receive Medicaid benefits, including nursing home care. Every state administers its own version of Medicaid. For more information on Medicaid programs in your state, visit the Medicaid website, and select your state.

Question #2 – What are Medicaid’s basic financial eligibility requirements for nursing home care?

To determine your eligibility for nursing home benefits under Medicaid, the government will look at your income and resources in a given month to ensure you are within the legal limits for Medicaid benefits. To qualify for Medicaid, your monthly income must be less than the Medicaid rate for nursing home care, plus your typical monthly healthcare expenses. If you are eligible, you are allowed to keep $70 of your income for personal use. The rest is taken to pay for your care.

Question #3 – What is the Medically Needy Program under Medicaid?

For individuals that may exceed the financial limits to receive Medicaid, they may still qualify to receive Medicaid benefits under the medically needy program. This program allows individuals with medical needs to “spend down” their income to acceptable rates, by paying for medical care for which they have no insurance. For individuals over the age of 65, states are required to allow you to spend down your income regardless of medical necessity.

Question #4 – What resources can we have if my spouse is applying for Medicaid?

When a married couple applies for Medicaid, both spouses’ income and resources are included in the qualifying calculations. You may have all of the “exempt” resources, like an automobile and a house, along with one non-exempt item that does not exceed a set value (currently just over $58,000), such as cash or investments. Once your spouse qualifies for Medicaid, after one year, all excess income and resources must be transferred to the non-Medicaid-benefitted individual. That spouse may also accrue income and resources over and above the limits that Medicaid imposes on the benefitted spouse.

More information can be found on the Medicaid website, including requirements and benefits information for the state in which you reside.

References:

Medicaid.gov. (Accessed November 28, 2019) https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/index.html

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys

The Medicaid Medically Needy “Spend-Down Program” – What You Need to Know – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

If you’ve been denied Medicaid benefits because you have too many assets or too high an income, don’t give up. There are available programs that may enable you to qualify for Medicaid benefits, despite this setback. Each state may offer different programs, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has added new ways to obtain coverage. This article addresses the “spend down program” offered in every state.

Medicaid Spend-Down Program – The Basics

To qualify for Medicaid benefits, your income and assets may not exceed a certain amount set by law. If these items do exceed the legal limits, you may still qualify after a spend-down period. The medically needy spend-down program helps individuals over the age of 65, and some younger individuals with disabilities. To be eligible for this program, you must not be receiving public financial assistance.

Exempt & Non-Exempt Assets

It is not necessary to sell off everything you own to qualify for the spend-down program. You may keep a certain amount of “exempt assets,” such as the home you live in, your car (used for transportation), household furniture, clothes, jewelry and other personal items. None of these assets affect your eligibility, regardless of their value (unless you have high equity, say $1 million in an asset, in which case you may need to spend that down).

Non-exempt assets, on the other hand, do affect your eligibility for the spend-down program. These assets include bank accounts, stocks, investments, and cash over $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a married couple.

Amount of Income You Can Have to Apply

It does not matter how much income you have when you apply. The more income you have, though, the more medical expenses you must incur before your coverage can start. The way you spend down this income is by spending it on medical expenses, until you reach the income requirements for Medicaid. Interestingly, you just need to incur medical costs. You don’t have to actually pay them.

In addition, you can pay down accrued debt to spend down your income. Therefore, paying down credit card bills, car payments, or mortgage debt can count towards your spend down. Another tactic you can use, is to pay excess monthly amounts on old medical bills.

Seeking Professional Assistance

Medicaid programs are different in each state, and the laws change frequently. If done wrong, you could end up incurring penalties instead of obtaining benefits. It may be a good idea to enlist the help of a Medicaid specialist or elder law attorney to walk you through the process in a way that will avoid these types of penalties.

Resources:

National Council on Aging. “Benefits Checkup” (Accessed November 28, 2019) https://www.benefitscheckup.org/fact-sheets/factsheet_medicaid_la_medicaid_spend_down/#/

U.S. News and World Report. “How a Medicaid Spend Down Works.” (Accessed 28, 2019) https://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/baby-boomers/articles/how-a-medicaid-spend-down-works

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys

Having “The Talk” – Resources to Help You Talk About End of Life Needs – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

When it comes to thinking about the end of our lives, it can be uncomfortable. Perhaps you’ve thought a lot about how you want the end of your life to look, but you’re having trouble initiating a conversation with your loved ones. Perhaps you’re the adult child of aging parents who have not mentioned their end-of-life wishes. This is a conversation that should not be put off any longer. This article provides resources to get the conversation started, so that you and your loved ones are on the same page regarding end-of-life issues.

Preparing for the Conversation

We often don’t talk about difficult things with family, because we don’t know where to start or we don’t have the words to broach the subject. It can be helpful to sit down and outline what your goals are in the conversation. For example,

  • Putting finances in order
  • Ensuring a family member or pet is taken care of
  • Alerting loved ones to an important or upsetting health issue
  • Informing loved ones, as to who you want as your health care proxy

This list can get pretty long, so it’s essential to write things down in advance to help keep you on track. One resource we’ve found that is useful at this stage is The Conversation Project’s Conversation Starter Kit. This 11-page guide consists of fillable forms designed to help you plan and guide the conversation with your loved ones.

Educating Loved Ones

Sometimes, priming yourself and your loved ones can provide a starting point for the end-of-life conversation. Podcasts are a popular way for people to learn new things. -Why not end-of-life care options? Here’s a list of several popular podcasts addressing end-of-life issues that you can subscribe to and share with your friends and family:

Finding the Words

Whether you are thinking about your own future or the future of an aging loved one, it can be hard to find the right time and the right words to begin a conversation. The truth is, this doesn’t have to be one single, heavy conversation. You can lead up to longer, more in-depth discussions using a few smaller conversations that can happen at any time. Consider these conversation-starters:

  • “I was thinking about what happened to Aunt Sally, and it made me realize…”
  • “My friend Louis died suddenly last month, leaving his wife and daughter reeling. I’m worried that might happen to you and dad.”
  • “You know, I’m okay right now, but I’m worried that _____, and I want to be prepared.”
  • “I need your help thinking about the future.”
  • “Remember when Uncle Fred died and everyone said it was a ‘good death’? How can we make sure yours is too?”

Talking about end-of-life issues can be difficult. However, it’s a conversation worth having to ensure you face your last years, months, days and hours on your own terms.

Resources:

The Conversation Project. “Starter Kits.” (Accessed November 28, 2019)  https://theconversationproject.org/

ARRP. Org. “Caregiver Life Balance.” (Accessed November 28, 2019) https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/life-balance/info-2017/talk-end-of-life-care.html

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys

Alternatives to Medicaid – A Short Primer on Long-Term Care Insurance – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

Medicaid is a state-run program that caters to those surviving on less than 125% of the official poverty level. Many elderly individuals forego purchasing long-term care insurance, in favor of relying on Medicaid to cover their expenses. Unfortunately, after bankrupting themselves to qualify for Medicaid nursing home coverage, many of these same individuals find themselves dismayed at the lack of choice and care options.

Qualifying for Medicaid Long-Term Care

To obtain long-term care benefits through Medicaid, you must meet the income and asset requirements. In addition, you must be unable to perform at least two of the following six activities of daily living:

  • Feeding
  • Bathing
  • Walking
  • Transferring
  • Toilet Use
  • Dressing

If you qualify, you may be able to get all or most of your care covered, but you don’t have as many options when it comes to choice of facility. Medicaid also doesn’t typically cover adult daycare, assisted living, respite care, or in-home care.

Alternatives for Medicaid Long-Term Care – Not Medicare

With Medicare covering about 1/5th of nursing home care in the U.S., elderly individuals are forced to look at alternative means to cover skilled nursing and other long-term care needs. As it stands, Medicare Part A covers up to 100 days of skilled nursing care. Requirements to qualify are stringent, and few people have the time or understanding to correctly navigate the Medicare system.

Long-Term Care Insurance

If you’re insurable and can afford the premiums, long-term care insurance may be the best option for your long-term care needs. Coverage will vary based on your insurance company and plan options. Be sure to get coverage for all you anticipate you’ll need.

In 2019, the average cost of a semi-private room in a nursing home was $7,513 per month. Private rooms average over $8,000 per month. Even if you don’t anticipate needing that level of care, you should be aware that a one-bedroom apartment in an assisted-living facility costs over $4,000 a month. With inflation, this will likely increase. You don’t want to come up short on coverage.

If long-term care insurance is an option for you, be sure to start planning early. Insurance companies are known to reject more applicants, the older they get. Review your plans each year to ensure your policy still meets your anticipated needs. Make changes if necessary, and never stop paying your premiums, unless you want your insurance to lapse.

Resources:

ElderLawAnswers. “Alternatives to Medicaid: A Long-Term Care Insurance Primer” (Accessed November 28, 2019)  https://www.elderlawanswers.com/elder-law-guides/5/a-long-term-care-insurance-primer

Investopedia. “Medicaid vs. Long-Term Care Insurance: What to Know” (Accessed November 28, 2019)  https://www.investopedia.com/articles/05/031005.asp

Investopedia. “Strategies to Help Pay for Eldercare” (Accessed November 28, 2019)  https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/102014/top-5-elder-care-strategies.asp

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys

Caring for Parents – 4 Alternatives to Nursing Home Care – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

As our parents continue to advance in years, questions about how best to care for them often come up, especially around the holidays. Maybe they’re slowing down a bit. Perhaps their memory is slipping. Is it time to shop for nursing homes? Maybe. However, there are alternatives to consider, when it comes to caring for aging parents.

Alternative #1 – In-Home Care

According to studies of aging Americans, this population prefers to remain in their own homes, if possible. They want to retain their personal autonomy, have familiar surroundings, and mostly—they don’t want to be filed away and forgotten. Most seniors that choose to remain in the home are cared for by family, and to a lesser extent, professional home healthcare workers.

While in-home care can be less expensive than a semi-or private-unit in a nursing home, it does have its downsides. This is particularly true, when it is a family member that is providing care. A sense of inequality often arises in the family dynamic, when one person is taking on all of the caregiving duties. When considering in-home care, it is critical to communicate with all family members and come up with an agreement, as to the division of labor for mom and dad.

Alternative #2 – Adult Daycare

Adult daycare may be used as an alternative to nursing home care, or in concert with in-home care. These types of centers enable elderly members to maintain a sense of community. These community centers are growing in popularity, due to the reduced cost of care, which is more than 50% less, according to the MetLife National Study of Adult Day Services. Studies have also shown that these types of facilities improve quality of life in older adults and their caregivers.

Adult daycare centers provide social activities, door-to-door transportation services, meals and snacks, assistance with activities of daily living and other therapeutic services, as needed. There are even specialized facilities for people with dementia or other developmental disabilities.

Alternative #3 – Assisted Living Communities

If the family home has become a hazardous environment for your aging parents, the next step could be an assisted living community. This type of facility offers some of the autonomy that the older “young-at-heart” family members still crave, while offering a scaled level of service onsite. These communities can provide:

  • Transportation
  • Medication Management
  • Healthcare monitoring
  • Entertainment
  • Community Activities
  • Help with Activities of Daily Living
  • Housekeeping
  • Laundry Services

These facilities are more affordable than nursing homes and offer active older people the assistance they need, while encouraging autonomy.

Alternative #4 – Accessory Dwelling Units

Bridging the gap between in-home care and other offsite care facilities, the accessory dwelling unit can be a viable option for those with property that will accommodate an extra unit. Also referred to as “granny flats,” these smaller dwellings provide privacy and autonomy for an aging parent, while also providing proximity of family and caregivers.

Depending on the layout of your property, units may be built over garages or adjacent to the family home. Costs vary by location, property and needs. However, in the long-run it may be less expensive than full-time nursing home care.

Before deciding to place family members in a nursing home, do your research. There are plenty of alternatives out there that may be more affordable and socially-preferable to nursing home life.

Resources:

ElderLawAnswers. “Alternatives to Nursing Home Care” (Accessed November 28, 2019) https://www.elderlawanswers.com/elder-law-guides/7/alternatives-to-nursing-home-care

National Adult Day Services Association. “Comparing Long Term Care Services” (Accessed November 28, 2019) https://www.nadsa.org/

Caring on Demand. “7 Alternatives to Nursing Homes” Accessed November 28, 2019) https://www.caringondemand.com/blog/alternatives-nursing-homes

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys

Can You Explain the Concept of Step-Up Basis? – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

If you inherit assets—especially real property—you need to understand the step-up in basis rules. These rules can save you a lot of money on capital gains and depreciation recapture taxes.

Motley Fool’s recent article on this subject asks “What is a Step-Up in Basis?” The article explains that step-up in basis has significant implications for inherited property. When an asset is inherited because the original owner has passed away, in many cases, it’s worth more than when it was first purchased. To avoid a huge capital gains tax bill when the inherited property is sold, the cost basis of the asset is modified to its value at the time of its owner’s death. This is called a step-up in basis. Note that this only applies to property transferred after death. If a property was gifted or transferred before the original owner dies, the original cost basis would transfer to the recipient.

This is a gigantic tax benefit for estate planning, regardless of whether you go ahead and sell the inherited asset immediately or hold on to it for a time. While a step-up in basis can let heirs avoid capital gains taxes, it doesn’t allow heirs to avoid estate taxes that apply to big inheritances.

The estate tax this year is imposed on property in excess of $11.4 million per individual and $22.8 million per married couple. Therefore, if you and your spouse leave a $25 million estate to your heirs, $2.2 million of this will still be taxable, even though your heirs’ cost basis in assets they inherited will be stepped up for capital gains tax purposes.

There are many strategies that a qualified estate planning attorney can advise you on to avoid estate taxes, but step-up in basis doesn’t exclude the value of inherited property from a taxable estate all by itself.

There are two significant ramifications of stepped-up cost basis regarding inherited real estate assets. First, like with other assets, you don’t have to pay capital gains on any appreciation that occurred before you inherited the property. Selling an investment property after years of holding it, can mean a massive capital gains tax bill. Therefore, a stepped-up cost basis can be a very valuable benefit. A step-up in basis can also give you a larger depreciation tax benefit. The cost basis of residential real estate can be depreciated (deducted) over 27½ years: a higher number divided by 27½ years is a greater annual depreciation deduction than a smaller number would produce.

Estate transfers are pretty complicated, so work with a qualified estate planning attorney.

Reference: Motley Fool (November 21, 2019) “What is a Step-Up in Basis?”

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys

What Happens to Estate Tax Benefits After 2025? – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

You may recall that the 2017 Republican tax reform legislation roughly doubled the estate and gift tax exemption.

This means starting in 2019, people are permitted to pass on, tax-free, $11.4 million from their estate and gifts they give before their death. Couples can pass on twice that amount, or $22.8 million.

These higher levels expire in 2026, but those who make large gifts while the exemption is higher and die after it goes back down, won’t see the estate tax benefit eroded, the IRS announced recently via new regulations.

“As a result, individuals planning to make large gifts between 2018 and 2025 can do so, without concern that they will lose the tax benefit of the higher exclusion level once it decreases after 2025,” the agency said in a press release.

Yahoo Finance’s recent article, “IRS Says Millionaires Can Keep Estate Tax Benefits After 2025,” says that the exemption increase was a big priority for Republicans in the 2017 tax overhaul.

This exemption decreased the number of individuals who’d be subject to the 40% estate tax by about two-thirds.

The exemption was $5.5 million prior to the law change.

However, Democrats are looking to reverse those changes, if they sweep the House, Senate and White House in the 2020 national elections.

Nearly every Democratic presidential candidate would like to see the estate tax apply to a greater number of wealthy families.

Senator Bernie Sanders has called for the estate tax, to begin when fortunes are worth at least $3.5 million. He has also proposed rates as high as 77%.

Reference: Yahoo Finance (November 22, 2019) “IRS Says Millionaires Can Keep Estate Tax Benefits After 2025”

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys

Simple Mistakes to Avoid in Estate Planning – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

There’s so much information available today, good and bad, that it is not always easy to know which is which. Just as we should not perform surgery on ourselves, we are asking for problems if we try to manage our estate planning without professional help. That’s the good advice from the article “Examining three common mistakes of estate planning” from The News-Enterprise.

For one thing, the roles of power of attorney agent and executor are often confused. The power of attorney agent acts in accordance with a document that is used when a person is living. The power of attorney appointment is made by you for someone to act on your behalf, when you cannot do so. The power of attorney expires upon your death.

The executor is a person who you name to handle matters for your estate after your death, as instructed in your last will and testament. The executor is nominated by you but is not in effect, until that person is appointed through a court order. Therefore, the executor cannot act on your behalf, until you have died and a court has reviewed your will and appointed them to handle your estate.

Too many people opt for the easy way out, when it comes to estate planning. We hear that someone wants a “simple will.” This is planning based on a document, rather than planning for someone’s goals. Every estate plan needs to be prepared with the consideration of a person’s health, family relationships, and finances.

Many problems that arise in the probate process could have been prevented, had good estate planning been done.

Another mistake is not addressing change. This can lead to big problems while you are living and after you die. If you are healthy, that’s great—but you may not always enjoy good health. Your health and the health of your loved ones may change.

Family dynamics also change over time. If you only plan for your current circumstances, without planning for change, then you may need to make many updates to your will.

The other thing that will occur, is that your estate plan may fail. Be realistic, and work with your estate planning attorney to plan for the many changes that life brings. Plan for incapacity and for long-term care. Make sure that your documents include secondary beneficiaries, disability provisions, and successor fiduciaries.

Create an estate plan that works with today’s circumstances, but also anticipates what the future may bring.

Reference: The News-Enterprise (Nov. 18, 2019) “Examining three common mistakes of estate planning”

Sims & Campbell, LLC – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning Attorneys