In today’s digital age, in which seemingly anything that matters is stored virtually in the cloud, a physical safe deposit box comes across as a relic of the bricks-and-mortar past. However, don’t be too hasty to dismiss the importance of keeping certain valuables securely tucked away in your bank’s vault.
Take, for example, the sad and sordid tax case of Mary Ellen Cranmer Nice vs. United States of America, which would not have existed if an attentive financial advisor hadn’t noticed the large IRA distributions that were allegedly stolen right from under a matriarch’s nose.
Many people are taking this time at home during the COVID-19 crisis to update their estate plan. Here are six critical estate plan components you should focus on, in light of the current pandemic.
It is also important to realize that it isn’t merely ‘why’ you are updating your will, but ‘when’ you are updating that can make all the difference.
Generally, if you own property, have life insurance and/or have other assets which total over $150,000 (including life insurance and real property), you are a candidate for asset protection.
The number of global coronavirus cases surpassed 900,000 on Wednesday—with more than 200,000 known infections, and a death toll that has quadrupled over the last week just in the United States. The health implications alone are terrifying enough, not to mention the economic turmoil or the emotional toll of lockdown measures currently affecting three out of four Americans.
Whether you’re planning ahead for your own heirs or have been asked to serve as executor for someone else, it pays to understand what the role requires.
One essential component of your financial plan involves designating power of attorney to someone you trust, in case you are incapacitated or unable to complete a task on your own.
People are worried about the possibility of a sudden death due to COVID-19, and they want to get their legal affairs in order. Exacerbating the situation are the stories we read in the media about patients who are unable to communicate with loved ones, and hospitals that, because of the exigent circumstances, are creating their own do-not-resuscitate (DNR) rules—even if they conflict with the patient’s wishes.
Estate planning strategies such as family limited partnerships and gifts to charitable trusts are part of an estate planning professional’s toolbox to achieve client goals, such as minimizing taxes, effectuating philanthropic plans, teaching younger generations about a family business and passing on wealth.
