Consider Putting Gifts to Grandchildren in a Trust
Gifting assets to your grandchildren isn't just a nice thing to do; it can reduce the size of your estate and the ta...
Read moreThere are some serious drawbacks to many options for giving gifts to grandchildren. Either there are no tax or estate planning advantages, or you have no control of the funds (or lose control after a certain point), or the money could affect a grandchild's eligibility for financial aid. An option that overcomes many of these problems involves transferring money into a trust established to benefit a grandchild. With the help of an attorney, you can draft a trust that reflects your express wishes about when the income and principal will be available to the grandchild, and even how the funds will be spent.
Transferring funds into such a trust offers the following benefits:
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(1) You can reduce the size of your estate by transferring up to $15,000 (in 2021) into each trust you create for each grandchild. No gift taxes will be due in connection with the transfers;
(2) Although the trust owns the assets, you control them as trustee and can decide what type of investments to make;
(3) Income earned by the trust from amounts that you've deposited will not be taxed to you; the trust pays the taxes;
(4) Amounts deposited in trust, and the income earned from those funds, will be used for the benefit of your grandchildren; and
(5) You can provide that the trust terminate at any age you specify.
In order to qualify for these benefits, however, certain restrictions apply. These trusts are complex legal documents and should not be set up without the help of an experienced attorney. As a result, the chief downside of such trusts is the cost of establishing and maintaining them, which you should discuss with an attorney before going ahead with a trust.
Finally, you must be totally comfortable with this gift-planning strategy and the amount of money available to you in your estate. In short, you should only make gifts if you feel certain that the amount of funds remaining in your name and the amount of income they will produce will be adequate for your needs.
Gifting assets to your grandchildren isn't just a nice thing to do; it can reduce the size of your estate and the ta...
Read moreThe Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA) and the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA)?are sometimes called the ?granddaddies?...
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Read moreIn addition to nursing home care, Medicaid may cover home care and some care in an assisted living facility. Coverage in your state may depend on waivers of federal rules.
READ MORETo be eligible for Medicaid long-term care, recipients must have limited incomes and no more than $2,000 (in most states). Special rules apply for the home and other assets.
READ MORESpouses of Medicaid nursing home residents have special protections to keep them from becoming impoverished.
READ MOREIn addition to nursing home care, Medicaid may cover home care and some care in an assisted living facility. Coverage in your state may depend on waivers of federal rules.
READ MORETo be eligible for Medicaid long-term care, recipients must have limited incomes and no more than $2,000 (in most states). Special rules apply for the home and other assets.
READ MORESpouses of Medicaid nursing home residents have special protections to keep them from becoming impoverished.
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READ MOREIf steps aren't taken to protect the Medicaid recipient's house from the state’s attempts to recover benefits paid, the house may need to be sold.
READ MOREThere are ways to handle excess income or assets and still qualify for Medicaid long-term care, and programs that deliver care at home rather than in a nursing home.
READ MORECareful planning for potentially devastating long-term care costs can help protect your estate, whether for your spouse or for your children.
READ MOREIf steps aren't taken to protect the Medicaid recipient's house from the state’s attempts to recover benefits paid, the house may need to be sold.
READ MOREThere are ways to handle excess income or assets and still qualify for Medicaid long-term care, and programs that deliver care at home rather than in a nursing home.
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READ MOREMost states have laws on the books making adult children responsible if their parents can't afford to take care of themselves.
READ MOREApplying for Medicaid is a highly technical and complex process, and bad advice can actually make it more difficult to qualify for benefits.
READ MOREMedicare's coverage of nursing home care is quite limited. For those who can afford it and who can qualify for coverage, long-term care insurance is the best alternative to Medicaid.
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READ MOREDistinguish the key concepts in estate planning, including the will, the trust, probate, the power of attorney, and how to avoid estate taxes.
READ MORELearn about grandparents’ visitation rights and how to avoid tax and public benefit issues when making gifts to grandchildren.
READ MOREUnderstand when and how a court appoints a guardian or conservator for an adult who becomes incapacitated, and how to avoid guardianship.
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