Estate planning can be critical to help ensure that your assets, values and wishes are protected and carried out after you pass away. This process involves making important decisions about the distribution of your assets, who will manage your affairs, and how your legacy will be preserved. From devising a thorough plan to considering the tax implications and adapting it to changing circumstances, there are several considerations to remember.
Defining Your Goals and Wishes
One of the primary steps in estate planning is to outline your intentions and objectives. What do you want your wealth to achieve? Who should inherit your assets? Whether you focus on providing for your family, contributing to charitable causes, or both, defining your goals will serve as the foundation for your estate plan.
Essential Documents and Designations
Wills and trusts are important estate planning documents. A will documents your wishes for distributing assets and can encompass important instructions like designating guardians for minor children. On the other hand, trusts can offer a more flexible and controlled approach to managing and allocating your assets, which can be advantageous if you have a complex financial portfolio or multiple properties.
Designating individuals to manage your medical and financial affairs in the event of incapacitation is another crucial aspect of estate planning. Establishing powers of attorney empowers trusted individuals to make decisions on your behalf can help ensure your wishes are upheld even if you can’t communicate them.
Tax Considerations
Minimizing the tax impact on your beneficiaries is a common concern in estate planning. Some individuals may prefer to reduce the tax burden on their heirs, while others might believe beneficiaries should handle any taxes since they are benefitting from an inheritance. Estate planning strategies could help optimize your financial legacy while considering potential tax liabilities.
Changes and Challenges
It’s important to remember estate planning isn’t a one-and-done task. As your life unfolds, your estate plan should evolve too. Significant events such as marriages, births, deaths and changes in financial circumstances necessitate updates to your plan. Furthermore, the ever-changing legal landscape and market conditions may demand periodic reviews to make sure your plan and goals are still aligned.
The Pitfalls of Delaying Estate Planning
Delaying estate planning could lead to problems. Procrastination increases the risk of leaving your loved ones with disputes, confusion, and even legal battles. For example, Prince died and did not leave behind documented wishes for his more than $150 million estate, leading to a six-year legal battle among his heirs. And while very few have assets as extensive as Prince, failing to document your final wishes could inadvertently jeopardize the smooth transition of your assets and create legal battles and rifts among family and friends.
Seeking Professional Expertise
Each individual’s circumstances are unique, requiring tailored solutions, and the expertise of a qualified estate planning attorney could be invaluable to help ensure a lasting legacy and an estate plan that reflects your intentions, preserves your assets for your intended heirs, and reduces the likelihood of future conflicts.
But an estate plan is just one component of your retirement plan. At Retirement Planners of America, we believe a retirement plan should also include an investment strategy designed to help protect your assets from a volatile stock market, a plan for when and how to claim your Social Security benefits, a Medicare plan, a strategy to minimize your income tax and maximize your income, and more.
An estate plan can be beneficial in a number of ways, and building one that meets your needs involves careful thought and ongoing reviews to help ensure your wishes for your estate and your legacy will be carried out.
Want to learn more about building a multi-faceted retirement plan that includes a strategy to create your lasting legacy and estate plan? Please reach out to talk with one of our retirement planners to learn more.
Important Disclosures: Retirement Planners of America does not employ professional estate planners or services that may replace those of an estate planning attorney. Information provided is general in nature and should not replace the professional advice of an estate planning attorney.