Read more about the article What are Pros and Cons of a Marital Trust? – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

What are Pros and Cons of a Marital Trust? – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

Forbes’ recent article, “Guide To Marital Trusts,” explains multiple advantages to using a marital trust.

The main benefits are the following:

  • You can double your estate tax exemption amount to $24.12 million
  • Provide income and financial stability to the surviving spouse
  • Keep assets within the family
  • Protect assets from creditors and potential new spouses; and
  • Provide financial stability to the remaining beneficiaries once the surviving spouse dies.

However, there are also downsides to using a marital trust. Those downsides include:

  • Are irrevocable, so once they’re established, it’s extremely hard to dissolve or change them
  • Only offer up to $24.12 million in estate tax exemption; and
  • Require transferring assets into the trust, which can be a lengthy process.

A marital trust will lay out the grantor (you), the trustee (who will manage the trust) and the beneficiaries.

A marital trust is a beneficial estate planning tool that will take care of your surviving spouse after you’ve passed away.

By using this strategic tool, you can essentially double the amount of your estate that won’t be taxed at a federal level.

You can also ensure that your wealth stays within your family by transferring assets into a marital trust.

Questions? Contact us to speak with one of our experienced estate planning attorneys.

Reference: Forbes (June 30, 2022) “Guide To Marital Trusts”

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

Read more about the article What Is a QTIP Trust? – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

What Is a QTIP Trust? – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

A Qualified Terminable Interest Property Trust, or QTIP, is a trust allowing the person who makes the trust (the grantor) to provide for a surviving spouse while maintaining control of how the trust’s assets are distributed once the surviving spouse passes, as explained in the article “QTIP Trusts” from Investopedia.

QTIPs are irrevocable trusts, commonly used by people who have children from prior marriages. The QTIP allows the grantor to take care of their spouse and ensure assets in the trust are eventually passed to beneficiaries of their own choosing. Beneficiaries could be the grantor’s offspring from a prior marriage, grandchildren, other family members or friends.

In addition to providing the surviving spouse with income, the QTIP also limits applicable estate and gift taxes. The property within the QTIP trust provides income to the surviving spouse and qualifies as a marital deduction, meaning the value of the trust is not taxable after the death of the first spouse. Rather, the property in the QTIP trust will be included in the estate of the surviving spouse and subject to estate taxes depending on the value of their own assets and the estate tax exemption in effect at the time of death.

The QTIP can also assert control over how assets are handled when the surviving spouse dies, as the spouse never assumes the power of appointment over the principal. This is especially important when there is more than one marriage and children from more than one family. This prevents those assets from being transferred to the living spouse’s new spouse if they should re-marry.

A minimum of one trustee must be appointed to manage the trust, although there may be multiple trustees named. The trustee is responsible for controlling the trust and has full authority over assets under management. The surviving spouse, a financial institution, an estate planning attorney or other family member or friend may serve as a trustee.

The surviving spouse named in a QTIP trust usually receives income from the trust based on the trust’s income, similar to stock dividends. Payments may only be made from the principal if the grantor allows it when the trust was created, so it must be created to suit the couple’s needs.

Payments are made to the spouse as long as they live. Upon their death, the payments end, and they are not transferable to another person. The assets in the trust then become the property of the listed beneficiaries.

The marital trust is similar to the QTIP, but there is a difference in how the assets are controlled. A QTIP allows the grantor to dictate how assets within the trust are distributed and requires at least annual distributions. A marital trust allows the surviving spouse to dictate how assets are distributed, regular distributions are not required, and new beneficiaries can be added. The marital trust is more flexible and, accordingly, more common in first marriages and not in blended families.

Your estate planning attorney will explain further how else these two trusts are different and which one is best for your situation. There are other ways to create trusts to control how assets are distributed, how taxes are minimized and to set conditions on benefits. Each person’s situation is different, and there are trusts and strategies to meet almost every need imaginable.

Contact us to determine which trust is best for your family and situation with one of our experienced estate planning attorneys.

Reference: Investopedia (Aug. 14, 2022) “QTIP Trusts”

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

What Is a Marital Trust? – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

Marital trusts have multiple benefits for beneficiaries, including asset allocation and tax benefits.  They are worth looking at in your estate plan.

Forbes’ recent article entitled “Guide To Marital Trusts” says that a marital trust is an irrevocable trust that allows you to transfer a deceased spouse’s assets to the surviving spouse without paying any taxes. The trust also protects assets from creditors and future spouses that the surviving spouse may encounter.

When the surviving spouse dies, the assets in the trust are not included as part of their estate. That will keep the taxes on their estate lower.

There are three parties involved in setting up, maintaining and ultimately passing along the trust, including a grantor, who is the person who establishes the trust; the trustee, who is the person or organization that manages the trust and its assets; and the beneficiary. That is the person who will eventually receive the assets in the trust, once the grantor dies.

A marital trust also involves the principal, which are assets initially put into the trust.

A marital trust doubles the couple’s estate tax exemption limit, especially when almost all assets are owned by one spouse. Estate tax refers to the federal tax that must be paid on someone’s estate after they die. The estate tax limit is how much of an estate will be tax-free. In 2022, the estate tax limit is $12.06 million, which means utilizing a marital trust would essentially double that amount to $24.12 million. Therefore, about $24 million of a couple’s net worth would be shielded from estate taxes by taking advantage of a marital trust.

A marital trust is also beneficial because it can provide income to the surviving spouse, tax-free.

Only a surviving spouse can be a beneficiary of a marital trust. When the surviving spouse dies, the trust will then be passed on to whomever the first spouse’s will or trust governs.

If keeping wealth within your family after you die is important, then a marital trust is an estate planning tool that will make certain that individuals outside of your family do not have access to the wealth. You can put a variety of assets into a marital trust, including property, retirement accounts and investment accounts.

A marital trust is one legal tool to consider using when planning for a blended family.

Reference: Forbes (June 30, 2022) “Guide To Marital Trusts”

 

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