There is a widespread misconception that "estate planning" is of importance only to the wealthy. This is due, in part, to the emphasis of the financial service industry on planning for estate taxes, which only concern larger estate owners. This tutorial, above all, should help you recognize a number of other significant issues that deserve everyone's attention. Other tutorials explore the legal concepts and procedures, as well as the tools and methods of estate planning, probate, wills, and trusts.
What is Estate Planning?
Although one's "estate" is adequately defined as his or her "property," there is no precise definition of "estate planning." Your estate plan can be viewed as a series of steps to be taken, so that after you die, your property will be handled in a way that recognizes your values and wishes regarding your survivors and any charitable interests you might have. When folks start thinking about these things, some important lifetime concerns often come to mind, too, such as preparing for possible physical or mental disability. So those issues are frequently addressed as well when one plans his or her estate.
Where to Start? The prospect of estate planning can be intimidating because there is usually no single clear answer to that question - there can be so many inter-related human and financial factors to consider. Perhaps your thinking should focus on these two questions:
- First, if you died tomorrow, what would you want to happen?
- Secondly, what, most likely, actually would happen?
A good estate plan is designed to bring reality in line with your desires, to the greatest extent possible, given the practical problems and limitations you face. The steps in the plan might include candid family discussions, drafting a will and trust, changing the beneficiary designations on some accounts, buying life insurance, etc. As for "problems," experience shows that the most common ones are insufficient money to fund all of one's goals and survivors who do not act as hoped or expected.
Let?s now take a look at a simple will, which provides a good place to dig into our study.
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The Need For, Structure and Function of A Simple Will
Everyone should have a will. Even folks of modest means should at least have a simple will, for two reasons:
- To name an executor (sometimes also referred to as a "personal representative") to wrap up their affairs, and
- To specify, "who gets what," from their property to avoid family squabbles.
In the absence of a will, the state law of intestacy determines how the decedent's (the deceased person's) property is distributed. In many situations, the law dictates exactly what the decedent would have wanted anyway if he or she had taken time to write a will. But many times the law does just the opposite.
Too often one mistakenly thinks that one's heirs know what they are "supposed" to do, know what they're to get, or will act appropriately. Family squabbles regularly occur because siblings cannot agree on how to distribute mom's candlesticks, ashtrays, or microwave oven. When big-ticket items are involved, things can get bitter and ugly. A will should, therefore, be used, to either list a particular person to receive each item of property or to set out a procedure for making the distribution - e.g., alternating selections by the two children beginning with a coin flip.
Although some states include a "form" for a simple will, in their statute books, there is no particular format required. The design of the document is usually pretty straightforward, even if the language used by lawyers is a bit stilted. The text generally runs 2 - 5 pages. Keeping in mind that such a "simple" will might not be what you need at all, look over this description of a typical simple will structure just for reference purposes:
- A paragraph stating that the will-maker is of sound mind, and intends this document to be his or her "last will and testament."
- A paragraph naming the executor - there should be an alternate, too.
- Nomination of guardians for any minor children in the event both parents die prematurely. A guardian should be named for the person and for the property of each child. (These roles can be filled by the same person.) Note that whoever is nominated still must be approved, and appointed by the court.
- A provision that the executor first pays all the decedent's debts and taxes.
- Specific bequests - if any - to named individuals, e.g., "Daughter Sally gets my wedding ring; Daughter Jane gets my gold necklace."
- Disposition of the remainder (residue) of property, which consists of everything that remains after taxes, bills, and bequests.
Married people with children often write wills that are "mirror-images" of each other: "If I die first, everything goes to my spouse. If my spouse has already died, I give everything to my children, in equal shares, per stirpes." (Per stirpes is Latin for, "If a child dies before the parent, that child's children split the share.") Wills of this type are sometimes referred to as, "I love you wills."
The will can set out an alternating selection process, to be supervised by the executor. If no procedure is specified, it is the executor's job to conduct the property distribution as he or she sees fit - as long as it is completely fair to all beneficiaries. Too often, the executor is an adult child, who is also a beneficiary, and abuses the position by giving himself or herself preference in some way. This is strictly prohibited by law, but is the basis of many probate horror stories.
The "pay all my debts and taxes" clause seems straightforward, but frequently leads to an unsuspected problem: Since many transfers of property at death take place completely outside the probate system (e.g., joint property; retirement accounts, life insurance, etc.), this clause sometimes results in one beneficiary being singled out for these expenses. The decedent's "debts and taxes" all must come out of the "hide" of the beneficiary (e.g. a child) who inherits probate property, while other property, which might pass outside of probate to another child, is free and clear. This is one of many scenarios that make it wise to at least consult an attorney about your will.
Contemplating our own mortality is not easy. People find, however, that preparing their estate plans provides great peace of mind?in the long run. In the short run, there are a few potentially unpleasant aspects of the process. Let?s deal with one such issue now.
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What Would Happen If You Died Tomorrow?
The answer to that big question is a composite of your responses to a range of smaller questions. Mull over the following questions, and if the answers or implications are not clear, or if they trouble you, make a note of it - a real note, not just a mental one. You will then have a list of issues on which to focus, and the simple act of writing things down is invaluable in clarifying the thought process. Many people, who have been uneasy for years thinking about this, find it improves their peace of mind just to make themselves spell out exactly what bothers them.
Look over this list. Of course, not all questions will be pertinent to everyone.
- Would there be mistrust, uncertainty, and bickering among your survivors in deciding how to handle your property and wrap up your affairs? Is there anybody who, if not prevented, might actually take your property or funds without authority?
- Do you have a will that reflects your current wishes? If so, is all your property actually subject to probate court and the terms of the will - or is it instead set up to pass another way at death - e.g., through a beneficiary designation form, as with a 401(k) account, or to a co-owner, as with a joint bank account?
- If you do have property subject to probate (e.g., furniture; a house, or an account in your name alone), but do not have a will, what does your state's law of intestacy say about who takes property after a person's death?
- What are the needs, abilities, and weaknesses of your survivors, especially your spouse and children, if any?
- Are your survivors responsible individuals, capable of managing and using an inheritance wisely if they receive it outright? Or will they need protection from their own youth, financial inexperience, or bad habits? What about the influence of others? Would your bequest to a child need protection from his or her spouse?
- If your current spouse is not the parent of your children, how - and when - would your estate be divided among them?
- What kinds of property do you own, e.g., real estate, mutual funds, a family business, etc.? Can your property get along without your active management, at least for a while? How much of it could easily and quickly be converted to cash, if necessary, at reasonably good prices?
- Is the net worth of all your property more than the amount at which the federal estate tax begins to bite, and tax planning is called for? ($675,000, in 2001; $1,000,000 in 2002).
- What are your responsibilities to your survivors? Would you be leaving young children and the surviving parent, for example, with sufficient assets to maintain the family's standard of living? Or, in contrast, do you have grown children, with good jobs, and a spouse with his or her own adequate retirement plan account?
- If your children are under age eighteen, have you found a suitable guardian for them in case their other parent also dies?
- Do you have a disabled child or family member who must be provided for separately, for life?
- If you have an IRA or retirement plan account, have you selected the appropriate beneficiary and distribution options?
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What Would You Want To Happen, If You Died Tomorrow?
If you have made a troubling realization or two after considering the above questions, the more immediate issue might be what you do not want to happen. The top priority is probably the potential situation you have identified, and how to correct it. Frequently, an easy solution will suggest itself, simply as a result of thinking through the problem. (If not, be smart and see an attorney experienced in estate planning. He or she has most likely dealt with many situations much like yours.)
Some peoples' values, wishes and survivors' needs, however, really are very simple. So, too, should be their estate plans - perhaps just a two page will saying, for example, "Everything to my three children, in equal shares." Other people have various contingencies to plan for. Some form of charitable contribution - during life or at death - might be part of their plans. There might be a need for life insurance. Many want to keep one or more "strings attached" to payments made to their chosen beneficiaries. These "strings" come in infinite varieties, but almost always, keeping strings attached requires a trust. (Trusts are examined in detail in other tutorials.)
A trust document can be drafted to set forth a personalized combination of specific instructions, with or without discretionary judgments allowed to your trustee, so that money is given to whom you want, when, and for the purposes you specify. This cannot be done with a will alone. A practical example of this point is the use of a trust by parents, in case they both die prematurely, to avoid the immediate distribution of assets to their kids, upon turning eighteen.
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Choosing The Right Executor and Trustee
Choosing a personal representative may be the most important estate planning decision of all to maximize the likelihood that your wishes are followed.
Personal representative is a generic term, referring to an executor or a trustee, who is named in a trust to carry out its terms.
An administrator is also a personal representative, and is court-appointed to perform the executor's duties, when a decedent has no will. Unfortunately, the person appointed might be a family member whom the decedent would not have wanted. Alternatively, the court might find it appropriate to choose a neutral third party - usually a lawyer - to serve as administrator. In the latter case, the estate is responsible for paying the administrator an hourly fee for all services performed.
Any of these personal representative roles can be filled by an institution, such as a bank, as well as by an individual. Obviously, however, whoever serves should be capable of doing the job, and this is a matter that often deserves much more thought than it is given. In many cases, relations among the surviving family are harmonious, there is little to be done, and everything works smoothly - no matter who is running the show.
When disputes arise or there is bickering, however, family diplomacy might be called for. Remember that some of us are better at this than others. Occasionally, on the other hand, someone must be ready, willing - and authorized - to "lay down the law," and get things done. The selection of this person (or institution) should not be left to chance; he or she should be named by the decedent in a will or trust.
Your personal representative, in most cases, is going to have - by necessity -extensive, if not total, access to your property. Very bluntly, a trustee, executor, or administrator is in a position to rob you (or your heirs) blind, or to ruin your plan through inaction, if somebody else acts improperly. Indeed, misconduct is probably the most common factor in estate and probate horror stories.
Of course, objections or complaints can be filed in court. But these can be difficult moves, and they are made after the damage is at least partially done. There is no close court supervision to prevent the misconduct. Therefore, you should not move forward with any plan, unless you feel comfortable with the person or institution you have chosen.
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A Final Note--Do You Need An Attorney to Help You?
It is certainly best to engage an attorney to help articulate and implement your plans, including the drafting of appropriate documents. In almost all cases, it is a good idea to at least consult with a lawyer at some point, even if only to review the plan and documents you might have prepared for yourself.
Most people do not know exactly how to put into legal effect the general desires that seem so very clear and uncomplicated in their own minds. Often, when laymen draft legal documents, they employ language that might, indeed, be clear to them, but ambiguous to others. Unfortunately, people tend to ignore (or be unaware of) limitations in their knowledge, and make financial and estate planning decisions in spite of it. Experience shows that many bitter moments occur in the probate courtroom, between members of the same family, engaged in a battle that could have been avoided with a little help.
This is not to say that all "do-it-yourselfers" are doomed to failure, especially if their situations are truly uncomplicated. Often, however, they fail to consider better options, tax pitfalls, related issues, etc. This, as opposed to total disaster, is the more likely danger to the "do-it-yourselfer," and the consequences vary from barely significant to very much so.
Will and trust preparation software can, in many but by no means all situations, produce quite adequate results. This type of software, however, often does not fully deal with particular details, contingencies and very specific issues that might be important to a given family. If your circumstances have any kind of "twist" to them - and most people's do - there is no good substitute for individualized, professional guidance. Some folks use these programs just to learn what these documents look like, and "get something on paper" before consulting a lawyer. This is an excellent idea, and these software products also offer quite a few educational tips and help screens.
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Conclusion
Keep in mind that estate planning should not occur in a vacuum. It should be seen as but one step in the process of comprehensive financial planning. This should include risk management and insurance of several types, as well as investment and retirement planning. As with any lifetime planning, merely having an estate plan is not enough to ensure it will work. Indeed, it is likely to fail if your financial and other personal affairs are not properly arranged at the time of your death.
Copyright (c) 2002, Precision Information, LLC. All Rights Reserved
This material is being provided for informational purposes only. Neither New York Life nor its agents provide legal, tax or accounting advice. Please contact your own advisors for legal, tax and accounting advice.
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