Read more about the article Why It’s Important to Update Your Estate Plan – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

Why It’s Important to Update Your Estate Plan – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

When someone dies without having updated their estate plan for many years, the executors often face a difficult task of administering a disorganized and incomplete estate. At best, the executor needs additional time and resources to organize the estate. At worst, says a recent article titled “Estate plans require maintenance” from The Record-Courier, the decedent’s wishes and desired distributions are not followed.

Among several reasons for updating an estate plan are major life events, known as “trigger” events. These include marriage, birth, death, divorce or changed financial circumstances.

The same is true for the death of a beneficiary or changed personal relationships.

If the grantor becomes incapacitated, changes in the estate plan may become necessary if the person needs long-term care or will be receiving any kind of means-tested government benefits.

A revision of the estate plan is warranted if there is a change in one’s assets, from purchasing a new home or business, selling real property or the modification of a business venture. A growing estate may require a revised plan focused on minimizing estate tax liabilities. On the other hand, if the size of the estate has decreased significantly, an estate plan focused on tax planning may need to be revised or simplified.

Most businesses require a succession plan and the designation of a person to take control of the business upon the death of the grantor.

Finally, as assets within the estate change, the property list, often referred to as the “schedule,” should be updated. All newly acquired assets need to be titled properly, especially if the plan is for them to be owned by a trust.

Each state has different estate laws, so a move to a different state definitely requires an estate plan to be revised, as some elements of the estate plan may become invalid. For example, in some states two witnesses are required to execute a last will, while in others one witness is sufficient. If you move from a one-witness state to a two-witness state, the possibility exists for your last will to be deemed invalid.

Any changes to the estate plan desired by the grantors, such as changed distribution of assets on death or a wish to name a different person to inherit, requires a revision.

Changes in the law, especially those regarding estate taxes, also make it necessary to update an estate plan. The general recommendation is to review the estate plan every three to five years, regardless of whether any trigger events have occurred.

Establishing a comprehensive estate plan, which includes a last will, health and financial powers of attorney and any necessary trusts, and maintaining it is the best way to ensure your wishes will be carried out in case of incapacity and death.

Contact us to review your estate plan with one of our experienced estate planning attorneys.

Reference: The Record-Courier (Jan. 28, 2023) “Estate plans require maintenance”

 

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

What Happens If Couple Divorce and Own Business? – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

High-profile cases like the Bezos or the Gates should cause many people to consider how their business and marital assets are tied together. You need to have plans in place from the beginning. No one thinks their partnership will end. However, it’s necessary to have a plan or prenuptial agreement in place, just in case.

The Dallas Business Journal’s recent article entitled “Does your business need a prenup?” explains that there are three typical outcomes when married couples working as business partners decide to end their relationship:

  • One individual buys out the other partner’s shares and continues running the business;
  • The partners sell the business and divide the proceeds; or
  • The couple continues working as partners after the divorce.

Safeguards can be put in place on the first day of the relationship to protect your personal and business assets in the event of a divorce. A way to do this is through a prenuptial agreement, which states what will happen if a split happens. A pre-nup should:

  • Establish the value of the business as of the date of marriage or the date the agreement is signed;
  • Detail a course of action with the appreciation or depreciation of the business from the date of the marriage;
  • Say how business value will be measured; and
  • Specify the allocation of business interests to be awarded to each spouse in the event of a divorce.

In addition to a prenuptial agreement, any privately held company should have a shareholder agreement (or “operating agreement” for non-corporations). The shareholder agreement is one of the most important documents owners of a closely held business will ever sign.

It controls the transfer of ownership when certain events occur, like divorce and states the following:

  • Which party will buy out the other’s shares of the company if a buyout occurs; or
  • If either party has the right to sell, how the ownership interest will be valued and the terms and conditions concerning the acquisition.

Because there are some tax implications involved in a buyout, it’s best to bring in experienced estate planning attorney for this process. In addition, life events like divorce or changes in a business partnership are an appropriate time to update your will, estate plans and any necessary insurance policies.

Please contact our office to schedule a call with one of our attorneys.

Reference: Dallas Business Journal (Aug. 1, 2022) “Does your business need a prenup?”

 

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

What Happens to Stock Options when Someone Dies? – Annapolis and Towson Estate Planning

Once your business grows, so does the pressure to make good financial decisions in the short and long term. When you think about the future, estate and succession planning emerge as two major concerns. You are not just considering balance sheets, profits and losses, but your family and what will happen to them and your business when you are not around. This thinking leads to what seems like a great idea: transferring stock or LLC membership units to one or more of your adult children.

There are benefits, especially the ability to avoid a 40% estate tax and other benefits. However, there are also lots of ways this can go sideways, fast.

Executing due diligence and creating an exit plan to minimize taxes and successfully transfer the business takes planning and, even harder, removing emotions from the plan to make a good decision.

An outright transfer of stock or ownership units can expose you and your business to risk. Even if your children are Ivy-league MBA grads, with track records of great decision making and caring for you and your spouse, this transaction offers zero protection and all risk for you. What could go wrong?

  • An in-law (one you may not have even met yet) could try to place a claim on the business and move it away from the family.
  • Creditors could seize assets from the children, entirely likely if their future holds legal or financial problems—or if they have such problems now and have not shared them with you.
  • Assets could go into your children’s estates, which reintroduces exposure to estate taxes.

No family is immune from any of these situations, and if you ask your estate planning attorney, you will hear as many horror stories as you can tolerate.

Trusts are a solution. Thoughtfully crafted for your unique situation, a trust can help avoid exposure to some estate and other taxes, allocating effective ownership to your children, in a protected manner. Your ultimate goal: keeping ownership in the family and minimizing tax exposure.

A Beneficiary Defective Inheritance Trust (BDIT) may be appropriate for you. If you have already executed an outright transfer of the stock, it is not too late to fix things. The BDIT is a grantor trust serving to enable protection of stock and eliminate any “residue” in your children’s estates.

If you have not yet transferred stock to children, do not do it. The risk is very high. If you have already completed the transfer, speak with an experienced estate planning attorney about how to reverse the transfer and create a plan to protect the business and your family.

Bottom line: business interests are better protected when they are held not by individuals, but by trusts for the benefit of individuals. Your estate planning attorney can draft trusts to achieve goals, minimize estate taxes and, in some situations, even minimize state income taxes.

Reference: The Street (June 27, 2022) “Should I Transfer Company Stock to My Kids?”

 

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