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       Timins & Durante, LLP 
 

 


                         PRESENT 
 



      Estate Planning in a Nutshell: 
    Living Documents, Effective Estate Transfers, 
           and How to Properly Use Trusts 
                                   
                                   
        Seminar held on September 24, 2009 




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                            Page 1 of 14 
BIOGRAPHY OF SPEAKER


                                  
                                                        Daniel A. Timins 
                                                     Timins & Durante, LLP 
                                                 800 Central Park Avenue, Suite 207 
                                                     Scarsdale, New York 10583 
                                                       Phone: (914) 819‐0663 
                                                        Fax: (914) 372‐1491 
                                                      www.tdlawoffices.com 
                                  
 
 
Daniel Timins is a Founding Partner of Timins & Durante, LLP, where he practices estate planning,
taxation, and elder law. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Washington University, he
received his Certified Financial Planner      designation and worked at the financial firms of Merrill
Lynch, American Express Financial Advisors and Alliance Bernstein Investments. Daniel received his
Juris Doctorate from Pace Law School and during his schooling worked as a legal intern at the Law
Offices of Eugenia Vecchio and Associates in Harrison, New York, and the Pace Investors’ Rights
Project.

Between 2006 and 2009 Daniel was a member of the New York City Bar Association's Trusts, Estates
and Surrogate's Committee, where he helped to draft proposed state legislation for Insurable Interests of
Life Insurance Trusts, New York Insurance Law Section 3205, and participated in submitting proposed
legislation for the Revocatory Effects of Divorce, EPTL 5-1.4. He is a currently Co-Chair of the
Westchester County Bar Association’s Continuing Legal Education Committee and Co-Chair of the
Westchester Women’s Bar Association’s Taxation Committee. He is also currently a member of the
Nominating Committee for the Board of the Pace Law School Alumni Association, a Board Member of
the Westchester Women’s Bar Association Foundation, and a former Co-Chair of the Westchester
County Bar Association’s Membership and Member Benefits Committee. In 2009 Daniel was named as
a recipient of the “40 Under 40 Rising Stars Award” by the Business Council of Westchester.

Daniel is currently a member of the Justice Brandeis Westchester Law Society, the Financial Planning
Association’s Greater Hudson Valley chapter, and a former member of the Westchester County Bar and
New York State Bar Associations’ Estate Planning and Real Property Committees. Daniel is licensed to
practice law in the state of New York.




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The Estate Planning Process




   INTRODUCTION          DATA GATHERING           STRATEGY SESSION        EXECUTION CEREMONY
   Discuss general        Review financial        Discuss options that        Execute all legal 
  estate planning;         statements and            are available;          documents; update 
   review client’s        property; further         review drafts of       beneficiary designation 
  desires, priorities    discuss the client’s       documents and         forms and deeds; discuss 
    and concerns               desires            explain significance         future contact




                                                                                                       



THE THREE CORNERSTONES OF AN ESTATE PLAN


                               LEGAL DOCUMENTS
                                    “Living Documents”
                                         Wills & Trusts
                                   Deeds to Real Estate



ACCOUNTS & BENEFICIARY                                          GIFTING DURING LIFE
  DESIGNATION FORMS
                                                                 Giving Outright or in Trust
Joint & Individual Accounts
                                                                       529 Plans & UTMAs
   Life Insurance Policies
                                                              Health & Education Expenses
      Retirement Plans

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“LIVING” DOCUMENTS

Estate Planning begins with preparing for issues that may arise during your life. This is because a
person never knows when they will need help with his or her daily legal requirements. Who will make
health decisions for a person with advanced stages of dementia? If a family member is physically
disabled? Who will have the discretion to make financial transactions for them? A comprehensive estate
plan begins with the following documents; if these documents do not exist a family member (or worse,
the state) will have to commence a Guardianship Proceeding on behalf of the affected individual,
which can be expensive, time-consuming and intrusive on the individual’s privacy.

A Power of Attorney [“POA”] is a form that
allows you, as the principal, to name an
agent of your choice to assist you with
financial affairs. Despite the title, an agent
does not need to be an actual lawyer. A POA
can be extremely helpful during times you are
not available to deal with your own finances,
either due to health, not being available to do
so yourself, or even if you are not interested
in maintaining your own financial affairs.
Your POA can either be durable, meaning
your agent has control immediately, limited,
meaning effective for a limited amount of
time, or springing, meaning it is effective
only after some stated event (such as being
disabled). You can revoke a POA at any time,
provided you are mentally competent to do
so. Because, hypothetically, your agent can
abscond with your funds, your agent should
be someone you place great Trust in, such as
a spouse or trusted child with adequate personal finances and some degree of financial accumen.

A Health Care Proxy is a document that allows a named agent to make health care decisions for you
when you are unable to do so yourself. An example is when a person is having a surgery and will be
undergoing general anesthesia and the attending surgeon would like to do unexpected additional work,
or when a person is no longer mentally fit to choose how to take care of themselves. Health care proxies
only apply when a person is unable to make decisions for themselves, and is revocable at any time. If a
person will be having surgery a hospital will require a person to sign that hospital’s standard health care
proxy; however, once the hospital stay is completed the proxy ceases to be effective.

A Living Will provides instructions to your health care agent as to whether or not you would like to
remain alive if you are dependent on hydration, feeding or respiratory mechanisms and in a “brain dead”
state. Additionally, it will provide instructions as to whether you want “maximum pain and relief” in the
form of painkillers even if the necessary dosage may inadvertently cease cardiac functions. Living wills
effectively “pull the plug,” but ONLY if the attending physician believes the principal will not recover
cognitive brain functions.

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An Advanced Guardianship Directive is a document that names a guardian for minor children when
their parents remain alive but are unable to continue caring for those children. A person can name both a
guardian of custodianship and guardian of finances. It should be noted that these are mere preferences:
The state is always primarily concerned with what is in the “best interests of the child,” so some AGDs
may only encompass a desire as opposed to anything that can be legally enforced. Additionally, one
parent cannot divest the minor’s other parent of custodial rights (only a court can do that). However
particularly where parents are divorced and one spouse becomes unable to take care of his or her child, it
may be possible to name an individual other than the remaining parent as guardian of finances.

A Disposition of Remains is a document that states a person’s instructions for administering to his or
her remains. Many people have added this preference to their Wills, but since a Will is not admitted to
Probate until several weeks after death (at a minimum) these instructions are ineffective for practical
purposes. Without a DORA a loved one, already bereaved and facing a multitude of important post-
mortem decisions that must be made in rapid succession, may feel pressured to handle your remains as
they see fit. Instructions in a DORA include information on purchased burial plots, and can be anywhere
from very simple (“I desire to have a traditional Catholic funeral and burial”) to highly detailed (“I
would like my remains to be cremated, and have my ashes scattered into the East River on a warm
spring day in front of a marching band playing “The Sound of Music”).


WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE LIVING DOCUMENTS

Some people, particularly those who do not have close friends or relatives, or people who choose to
avoid addressing the very serious issues mentioned above are particularly vulnerable when they have a
problem that a Living Document would address.

Guardianship Proceedings are legal proceedings that take place in the county Surrogate’s Court, and
are conducted to handle legal matters for people who cannot do so themselves: Minor children in need
of a guardian of custodianship or finances typically must go before the court. Seriously disabled adults
whom a physician declares incapable of handling his or her health or financial affairs are also the focus
of these proceedings. In the case of disabled adults the Court will tailor a specific guardianship
applicable to the diminished skills of that adult. A former physician suffering from dementia who may
still be able to make his own rational health care decisions may only have a guardian appointed for his
financial affairs. The opposite may be true of a former accountant or financial planner.

Guardianship Proceedings can be gut-wrenching events to watch! Not only does the proposed
guardian have to take care of the disabled adult (which is difficult enough), but the proposed Guardian
AND the disabled individual actually have to plead their case to a judge in person, file papers, pay
legal fees, AND in the interim the adult’s funds cannot be used for these costs AND his or her health
care decisions are somewhat in limbo AND the Court may or may not choose the guardian whom the
adult would have wanted. Guardianship Proceedings can be avoided by having the proper Living
Documents, since these documents address the exact affairs these proceedings intend to deal with.




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GIFT & ESTATE TAXES and EFFECTIVE TRANSFERS

FEDERAL ESTATE AND GIFT TAXATION
                                                           The “Unified” Credit
        Annual 
    Exclusion Gifts:                      “Annual Exclusion Gifts” have no impact on a person’s
    $13,000 in 2009 
                                          lifetime “Gift Tax Exemption” or post-mortem “Estate
                                          Tax Exemption”
                                          • A person can gift Annual Exclusion Gifts to any and
                                               every US citizen every year
        Estate Tax 
        Exemption                         “Gifts” are given during life; any transfer of an amount
    $3,500,000 in 2009                    over the annual exclusion decreases a person’s Gift Tax
                                          Exemption
                                          • When this amount is depleted Federal Gift Taxes are
                Gift Tax                     assessed on future gifts
               Exemption 
               $1,000,000                 “Bequests” are given after life and decrease a person’s
                                          Estate Tax Exemption
                 in 2009
                                          • Any use of the Gift Tax Exemption during life
                                             decreases the amount that can be given free of Estate
                                             Taxes after life

NEW YORK STATE ESTATE TAXES

     MYTH: The Federal Estate Tax affects millions of Americans.
     FACT: The Federal Estate Tax currently affects only about 1% of Americans. However, if left
     unchanged, the New York Estate Tax will affect a much larger percentage of households!

                                               Fortunately, there are no New York state gift taxes.
                                               Hypothetically, a citizen of New York can gift an
              Federal Estate                   unlimited amount of property without assessing state gift
              Tax Exemption                    taxes.
               = $3,500,000                    New York currently begins assessing a state estate tax
                                               starting at $1,000,000; the approximate rate of taxation is
                                               ~9.9% on every dollar over this amount. Additionally,
                  New York                     since the passage of EGTRRA, these taxes are now merely
                  Estate Tax                   a deduction against federal estate taxes (whereas they used
                  Exemption =                  to be a credit).
                  $1,000,000
                                               Think about that for a moment: If a person in Westchester
                                               County owns a home and a life insurance policy, has a
                                               modest retirement plan, and a modest amount of personal
                                               property (such as a car and some jewelry) his or her estate
                                               MAY BE TAXABLE!!!

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TRANSFERRING PROPERTY AFTER LIFE

                                                                There are several ways that property is
                                                                transferred after life. Many people believe
                                                                having only a Will is enough to accomplish
                                                                one’s testamentary desires. However, for
                                                                many people a Will only transfers a very
                                                                small portion of their property.

                                                                Effective estate plans include the proper
                                                                planning of (1) assets that pass by
                                                                Operation of Law, (2) individually-owned
                                                                assets that pass by a Will through
                                                                Testamentary Transfers, and (3) avoiding
                                                                relying on Statutory Transfers.

                                                                Operation of Law is the preferred method of
                                                                transferring property (because distributions
                                                                are private, inexpensive and fast), but
                                                                ONLY if proper thought and preparation has
                                                                been made to handle these assets.

“OPERATION OF LAW”               The “Beneficiary Designation Form”

Assets which are transferred by operation of law are automatically transferred to the Beneficiary by
merely giving a death certificate to the administering institution (a bank where a joint account is held,
life insurance company for a life insurance policy, or a financial institution for an IRA). The operative
transferring document is the Beneficiary Designation Form or a Deed to real estate, NOT a Will. In the
case of joint property (financial or real estate) instructions in a Will are ineffective; the surviving joint
owner only needs to produce a death certificate to client the property.
       RULE: Assets that are transferred by operation of law are NOT affected by ANY language in
       a Will (except revocation of Totten Trusts); the joint owner of the property or the Beneficiary
       Designation Form are the sole means of transferring the asset unless there is a judgment
       awarded by a court or an agreement among all of the estate Beneficiaries.




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JOINTLY OWNED PROPERTY               Avoid Using It Too Much!!!

Joint property between spouses is considered to be contributed equally by each spouse regardless of
who actually provided the funds.

Joint property between non-spouses is considered to be given entirely by both parties.

       EXAMPLE: Martin and Charlie, father and son, have a joint bank account worth $100,000.
       Because they are not spouses it doesn’t matter who actually funded the account: Unless they can
       prove otherwise through thorough documentation, the IRS assumes that if Martin dies first he
       contributed all $100,000. If Charlie dies before his father the IRS assumes Charlie contributed
       the entire amount. Then, because the funds are transferred in full to the survivor, when the
       survivor passes away the same money can be taxed again! In other words, the IRS has the
       opportunity to assess estate taxes on the same funds twice over this non-spousal joint property!


RETIREMENT PLANS

Because retirement plans, such as 401(k)s and IRAs, grow tax deferred income taxes will be owed on
distributions, either during the life of the account Owner or after life based on the lives of the
Beneficiaries in the form of required minimum distributions [“RMDs”]. The amount that must be
distributed is determined by a standard factor set out in IRS life expectancy tables. The younger the
designated beneficiary, the lower the required minimum distribution

      Retirement Plans Requirement Minimum Distribution Rules for Non-Spousal Beneficiaries

                                  RMDs: Death BEFORE RBD RMDs: Death AFTER RBD
If NO Designated First Year of • All QP & IRA money must be • RMDs over Owner’s
Beneficiary       Distributions    distributed by 12/31 of year of    remaining life expectancy
                                     th
                                   5 anniversary of Owner’s           w/out recalculation
(on Beneficiary   Subsequent       death – this is an income tax      RMD is calculated by
Designation form) Years            nightmare!                         reducing Owner’s life
                                                                      expectancy by “1”
If a Legitimate   First Year of • RMDs made over bene’s life       • RMDs may be made over
“Individual”      Distributions    expectancy from the Single         the longer of:
Designated Bene                    Life Expectancy Table IF the       (1) the Owner’s
IS Named                           bene commences distributions       remaining life
                                   by 12/31 of the year after the     expectancy, or
(on Beneficiary                    year of Owner’s death              (2) the bene’s remaining
Designation form)                • RMD for designated bene            life expectancy
                                   uses bene’s life expectancy
                                   for his age on his birthday in
                                   the year following the year of
                                   the Owner’s death
                  Subsequent     • RMD calculated by reducing      RMD calculated over bene’s
                  Years            bene’s life expectancy by “1” life expectancy from the
                                   from the IRS tables             Single Life Expectancy Table
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PRACTITIONER’S NOTE – Always Name Your Spouse as Primary Beneficiary
It is almost always preferable to name a spouse as Primary Beneficiary of a retirement plan, even if
estate tax issues are involved. Spouses receive preferential RMD treatment – unlike other beneficiaries,
spouses do not have to take immediate RMDs unless they too are 70 ½. The spouse can either “roll
over” the plan to his or her own IRA, create an “inherited” IRA, or Disclaim the funds and transfer them
to the Contingent Beneficiaries. If the contingent beneficiaries are children it is preferrable to name a
See-Through Trust as the contingent beneficiary, and name the children as beneficiaries of the Trust.
The children will receive the benefits of holding funds in Trust, such as creditor protection, while
simultaneously maintaining a favorable RMD based on their longer life expectancies.

  Suggestions for Naming Children as Primary or Contingent Beneficiaries to a Retirement Plan
1. Split up IRA accounts so each child is a contingent beneficiary of his or her own account for RMD
   purposes (this can be done instead of using See-Through Trusts, or can be done after life)
2. Younger beneficiaries are able to “stretch” RMDs for longer periods of time due to their increased
   life expectancy, allowing for a longer period of tax deferral.
3. If a child needs the funds now and the retirement plan does not have a Trust as the beneficiary RMD
   rules won’t matter – they need the money now, so they will take it.
4. If the Owner’s estate shall be subject to income in respect of a Decedent consider (1) converting the
   plan to a Roth IRA to minimize future income taxes, and (2) having desired charitable legacies paid
   for out of the retirement plan.
5. Name a “See-Through Trust” as the beneficiary of the plan.

   RULE: Even if the non-spousal “inherited” IRA is a Roth IRA the beneficiary MUST begin
   taking RMDs, even if they are under 70 1/2.


LIFE INSURANCE
Naming the correct Beneficiary on
a life insurance policy is very
important, particularly when there
has been a divorce. Unlike transfers
to ex-spouses by a Will (which are
invalidated by divorce) insurance
pass to the named individual in the
Beneficiary     designation     form
(because it transfers by “operation
of law”). If you are concerned that a
child may get divorced it is best to
have the policy pay to a Trust with
that child named Trust Beneficiary.




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TESTAMENTARY ASSETS

Testamentary Assets are those that pass by a Last Will
and Testament. These include all assets that don’t
transfer by Operation of Law or Statutory Transfers.
Unlike Operation of Law transfers, there is no need to
complete Beneficiary designation forms: Any asset that is
a Testamentary Asset is automatically considered part of
your “Probate Estate,” and will be transferred by the
terms of your Will.

           Testamentary assets include:

        Real Estate                      Individually 
        (if not owned 
        by a trust and                  owned bank and 
                                            brokerage 
          not jointly                      accounts & 
            owned)                                                       Remember that Testamentary Assets are
                                        personal property
                          Business                                       transferred by a Will. If you have a valid
                          Interests                                      Will you die Testate and you are the
                          (sometimes)                                    Testator. If there is no Will these assets
                                                                         become “Statutory Transfers” under the
                                                                         laws of Intestacy (see below). If there is a
                                                                         valid Will it is submitted to Probate in the
                                                                         Surrogate’s Court, which then oversees the
                                                                         Probate process. Probate is public, meaning
                                                                         that anyone can view another person’s Will
                                                                         once it is admitted to Probate. For that
                                                                         reason (and many others) most estate
                                                                         planners recommend creating and funding
                      Probate                                            Trusts during lifetime.
Testamentary Assets may or may not constitute a large amount of a person’s estate. For a person who
jointly owns a house, holds a large amount of funds in jointly-owned bank and brokerage accounts, and
has a decent amount of money in retirement plans, Testamentary Assets may constitute a very small
percentage of the gross estate.

PROBATE (WILLS) v. TRUST ADMINISTRATION

Contrary to public opinion, Probate isn’t a “bad thing.” However, Probate can be (1) expensive and
time-consuming. (2) Probate is a completely public affair – you can review everyone’s Will that has
been admitted to Probate by the Surrogate’s Court. (3) Probate also requires a substantial amount of
paperwork to be submitted to the courts, and while court fees are quite reasonable, (4) the legal fees to
prepare these documents can be substantial. (5) Probate requires court supervision and oversight.
Even under ideal circumstances, (6) distributions of testamentary assets can take many months.




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Trust Administration is (1) a completely private affair, thus disowned heirs have limited knowledge of
estate distributions. (2) No court paperwork is required, and (3) the court will not interfere unless
there are formal legal proceedings. (4) Legal fees are substantially less than under Probate.
                      TRUSTS – A SOLUTION FOR LIFE AND THEREAFTER

PARTIES TO A TRUST
There are three (3) parties to every Trust: the Creator (also known as the Grantor or Settlor), the
Trustee (and often Co-Trustees or Successor Trustees) and Beneficiaries (and often Contingent
Beneficiaries if there could be any remaining Trust assets after the death of the Primary Beneficiaries).


                           Creator / Grantor / Settlor
                           > Creates the Trust
                           > Determines Terms of the Trust
                           > Funds the Trust



                  Trustee                                               Beneficiaries
   > Manages the trust property                             > Entitled to the property under
   > Follows the Terms of the Trust                         the terms of the Trust
   > Entitled to a Commission

A person can serve as all three parties at the same time – they can create a Trust, name themselves a
Trustee during his or her life, and also be the sole Beneficiary during that time. The largest benefits of
this arrangement are that (1) if the Creator becomes disabled a Successor Trustee can continue to use
Trust funds for the Creator’s benefit without requiring court approval, and (2) upon the Creator’s death
the Successor Beneficiaries can receive the remaining estate without the need of going through Probate
and the associated publicity and expenses of this process.

       EXAMPLE: Phil and Ruth create Revocable Trusts during their lifetimes and retitle all of their
       assets to either “The Phil Revocable Trust” as Owner or “The Ruth Revocable Trust” as Owner.
       They name each other as Co-Trustees and initial Beneficiaries of each other’s Trust. During this
       entire period either spouse can revoke his or her own Trust (perhaps there is a falling-out with a
       contingent Beneficiary, and they want to disinherit him).

       When Phil has a stroke and is in the hospital recovering Ruth is able to use funds from his or her
       Trust for his medical expenses and other affairs. When Ruth pre-deceases Phil he can (if he is
       capable) continue administering both his and her Trust for his benefit or have a Successor
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Trustee administer the Trust (again, for his own benefit). When the second spouse passes away
       the Trust can be distributed to the contingent Beneficiaries (here Phil and Ruth’s children)
       without having to go through Probate.

BENEFITS OF TRUSTS
Whereas a Creator cannot gain protection               Additional Benefits of “Stand-Alone” Trusts
from his own creditors by placing funds in
a Trust, all Trusts, whether they are Stand-                          Decreased Estate 
Alone or Testamentary Trusts, allow for                             Administration costs 
Creditor Protection for Beneficiaries; just                          (Avoids Probate & 
make sure to choose an appropriate Trustee                        decreases attorney fees)
and include the power for them to name a
                                                                                              Continuity 
disinterested Co-Trustee.                                                                     of control 
                                                    Avoids the 
                                                                                                  over 
Potential Creditors of Your Beneficiaries            publicity 
                                                                                               property; 
                                                    associated 
• The Internal Revenue Service and State               with 
                                                                                                 faster 
   Tax authorities                                                                           distributions 
                                                     Probate
• Standard Lenders: Mortgage Company,                                                          of estate 
                                                                                                 funds
   Credit Cards, etc.
• Claimants of Lawsuits against the                                   Minimizing or 
   Beneficiary                                                      completely avoiding 
• Spouses and Minor Children                                          high Executor 
                                                                       Commissions


AVOIDING ANCILLARY PROBATE
Some people have to go through Probate in more than one state! A valid Will drafted for a New York
domiciliary may cover a person’s financial and personal property as well as real estate in New York, but
will NOT affectively transfer real estate in another state, such as Florida. Probate or Intestacy
proceedings have to take place in this second state for the real estate located there. This process is
known as Ancillary Probate, since the only piece of property being transferred by this second Probate is
the Real Estate. Ancillary Probate leads to a second-round of court filing fees, attorney fees, Beneficiary
involvement, etc. By having this second piece of real estate outside of New York owned by a Trust you
can AVOID Ancillary Probate (much like having your Trust own your New York real estate avoids
having to have it pass through Probate in New York). The Deed to this property outside of New York
should have the Trust named as its Owner to make this strategy affective.

MAKING A TRUST “EFFECTIVE”
RULE: An unfunded Trust is INEFFECTIVE!!! The most important aspect of having a Trust become
effective is both that (1) the Trust document is drafted, and (2) the Trust is named as the Owner of the
property, which effectively “funds” the Trust, either in the form of a Deed for real estate or as the
named Owner of a bank or brokerage account. Once these steps have been taken the Trust becomes the
Owner of the property, and the Trustee now administers the property under the terms of the Trust.



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PRACTITIONER’S NOTE: How to Name a Trust as Owner of Accounts and Real Estate
The title of a bank or brokerage account is no longer owned by Sam Smith, but is instead titled as The
Revocable Trust of Sam Smith. If Sam is the Trustee and the Trust names him as Beneficiary Sam can
use Trust funds however he desires. The Deed to your house or vacation home in Florida is no longer in
the name of Cindy Jones, but is instead owned by The Revocable Trust of Cindy Jones. Again, based
on the terms of the Trust, Cindy can live in the house as long as she wants, sell it, rent it out, etc., AND
the Florida vacation home now avoids Ancillary Probate because it is transferred by a New York Trust.
Make sure to fund your Trust! An estate plan that includes a Trust but has no property that is
explicitly owned by the Trust is an ineffective shell; all of the property the Creator thought was owned
by the Trust (and should have been distributed under Trust Administration) will be transferred via Will,
Operation of Law or the laws of Intestacy.

ESTATE TAX CONSIDERATIONS & “CREDIT SHELTER TRUSTS”
A Credit Shelter Trust [“CST”] holds aside a pre-determined amount of money in Trust at the death of
the Testator or Creator that qualifies up to the federal or state estate tax exemption. The surviving spouse
continues to spend his or her own funds and can invade the CST if needed. In the interim the funds in
the CST grow. Upon the death of the surviving spouse all of the funds in the CST, including investment
gains, pass to the contingent Beneficiaries (typically children or younger family members) estate tax
free. Most people with older estate planning documents have the federal estate tax exemption as the
defining amount of their CST. As already discussed, New York domiciliaries may want this amount to
be defined as the New York estate tax exemption. Also, since stating dollar amounts may lead to future
estate tax inefficiencies (due to ever-changing estate tax exemption amounts) using a Formula Provision
(“I leave the then-applicable state estate tax exemption in a credit shelter trust”) will allow for the
optimum amount of desired funds to be transferred in a CST free of estate tax.




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


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NAMING TRUSTEES
Care must be given to the exact powers that fiduciaries can control: Giving complete discretion may lead
to tax problems and lack of creditor protection.
                                             Due to the wide range of powers available to Trustees
    Spouses of          Children of          special attention must be given to determining these power
       the                  the              to maintain Beneficiary creditor protections afforded to
    Beneficiary         Beneficiary          Trust asets. Since the Grantor will typically name himself
                                             as Trustee of his Revocable Trust and has no creditor
                Beholden                     protection the focus should be on naming an appropriate
                Trustees                     Successor Trustee. In order to avoid creditors from having
                                             a valid, enforceable claim against a Beneficiary one should
                                             be careful to avoid people considered “Beholden Trustees”
   Employees of       Siblings who are       to the Beneficiary. Allowing a Trustee to name either a
       the            Trustees of each       Successor Trustee or a Disinterested Co-Trustee (I.e. a
    Beneficiary         other’s Trust        person or institution with no interest in the Trust other than
                                             Trustee commissions) should avoid this consequence.




                                    ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
                                         Timins & Durante, LLP
                                       Estate Planning in a Nutshell
                                               Page 14 of 14 

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Estate Planning Presentation

  • 1.     Timins & Durante, LLP      PRESENT    Estate Planning in a Nutshell:  Living Documents, Effective Estate Transfers,  and How to Properly Use Trusts      Seminar held on September 24, 2009  ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Timins & Durante, LLP Estate Planning in a Nutshell Page 1 of 14 
  • 2. BIOGRAPHY OF SPEAKER   Daniel A. Timins  Timins & Durante, LLP  800 Central Park Avenue, Suite 207  Scarsdale, New York 10583  Phone: (914) 819‐0663  Fax: (914) 372‐1491  www.tdlawoffices.com          Daniel Timins is a Founding Partner of Timins & Durante, LLP, where he practices estate planning, taxation, and elder law. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Washington University, he received his Certified Financial Planner designation and worked at the financial firms of Merrill Lynch, American Express Financial Advisors and Alliance Bernstein Investments. Daniel received his Juris Doctorate from Pace Law School and during his schooling worked as a legal intern at the Law Offices of Eugenia Vecchio and Associates in Harrison, New York, and the Pace Investors’ Rights Project. Between 2006 and 2009 Daniel was a member of the New York City Bar Association's Trusts, Estates and Surrogate's Committee, where he helped to draft proposed state legislation for Insurable Interests of Life Insurance Trusts, New York Insurance Law Section 3205, and participated in submitting proposed legislation for the Revocatory Effects of Divorce, EPTL 5-1.4. He is a currently Co-Chair of the Westchester County Bar Association’s Continuing Legal Education Committee and Co-Chair of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association’s Taxation Committee. He is also currently a member of the Nominating Committee for the Board of the Pace Law School Alumni Association, a Board Member of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association Foundation, and a former Co-Chair of the Westchester County Bar Association’s Membership and Member Benefits Committee. In 2009 Daniel was named as a recipient of the “40 Under 40 Rising Stars Award” by the Business Council of Westchester. Daniel is currently a member of the Justice Brandeis Westchester Law Society, the Financial Planning Association’s Greater Hudson Valley chapter, and a former member of the Westchester County Bar and New York State Bar Associations’ Estate Planning and Real Property Committees. Daniel is licensed to practice law in the state of New York. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Timins & Durante, LLP Estate Planning in a Nutshell Page 2 of 14 
  • 3. The Estate Planning Process INTRODUCTION DATA GATHERING STRATEGY SESSION EXECUTION CEREMONY Discuss general  Review financial  Discuss options that  Execute all legal  estate planning;  statements and  are available;  documents; update  review client’s  property; further  review drafts of  beneficiary designation  desires, priorities  discuss the client’s  documents and  forms and deeds; discuss  and concerns desires explain significance future contact   THE THREE CORNERSTONES OF AN ESTATE PLAN LEGAL DOCUMENTS “Living Documents” Wills & Trusts Deeds to Real Estate ACCOUNTS & BENEFICIARY  GIFTING DURING LIFE DESIGNATION FORMS Giving Outright or in Trust Joint & Individual Accounts 529 Plans & UTMAs Life Insurance Policies Health & Education Expenses Retirement Plans ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Timins & Durante, LLP Estate Planning in a Nutshell Page 3 of 14 
  • 4. “LIVING” DOCUMENTS Estate Planning begins with preparing for issues that may arise during your life. This is because a person never knows when they will need help with his or her daily legal requirements. Who will make health decisions for a person with advanced stages of dementia? If a family member is physically disabled? Who will have the discretion to make financial transactions for them? A comprehensive estate plan begins with the following documents; if these documents do not exist a family member (or worse, the state) will have to commence a Guardianship Proceeding on behalf of the affected individual, which can be expensive, time-consuming and intrusive on the individual’s privacy. A Power of Attorney [“POA”] is a form that allows you, as the principal, to name an agent of your choice to assist you with financial affairs. Despite the title, an agent does not need to be an actual lawyer. A POA can be extremely helpful during times you are not available to deal with your own finances, either due to health, not being available to do so yourself, or even if you are not interested in maintaining your own financial affairs. Your POA can either be durable, meaning your agent has control immediately, limited, meaning effective for a limited amount of time, or springing, meaning it is effective only after some stated event (such as being disabled). You can revoke a POA at any time, provided you are mentally competent to do so. Because, hypothetically, your agent can abscond with your funds, your agent should be someone you place great Trust in, such as a spouse or trusted child with adequate personal finances and some degree of financial accumen. A Health Care Proxy is a document that allows a named agent to make health care decisions for you when you are unable to do so yourself. An example is when a person is having a surgery and will be undergoing general anesthesia and the attending surgeon would like to do unexpected additional work, or when a person is no longer mentally fit to choose how to take care of themselves. Health care proxies only apply when a person is unable to make decisions for themselves, and is revocable at any time. If a person will be having surgery a hospital will require a person to sign that hospital’s standard health care proxy; however, once the hospital stay is completed the proxy ceases to be effective. A Living Will provides instructions to your health care agent as to whether or not you would like to remain alive if you are dependent on hydration, feeding or respiratory mechanisms and in a “brain dead” state. Additionally, it will provide instructions as to whether you want “maximum pain and relief” in the form of painkillers even if the necessary dosage may inadvertently cease cardiac functions. Living wills effectively “pull the plug,” but ONLY if the attending physician believes the principal will not recover cognitive brain functions. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Timins & Durante, LLP Estate Planning in a Nutshell Page 4 of 14 
  • 5. An Advanced Guardianship Directive is a document that names a guardian for minor children when their parents remain alive but are unable to continue caring for those children. A person can name both a guardian of custodianship and guardian of finances. It should be noted that these are mere preferences: The state is always primarily concerned with what is in the “best interests of the child,” so some AGDs may only encompass a desire as opposed to anything that can be legally enforced. Additionally, one parent cannot divest the minor’s other parent of custodial rights (only a court can do that). However particularly where parents are divorced and one spouse becomes unable to take care of his or her child, it may be possible to name an individual other than the remaining parent as guardian of finances. A Disposition of Remains is a document that states a person’s instructions for administering to his or her remains. Many people have added this preference to their Wills, but since a Will is not admitted to Probate until several weeks after death (at a minimum) these instructions are ineffective for practical purposes. Without a DORA a loved one, already bereaved and facing a multitude of important post- mortem decisions that must be made in rapid succession, may feel pressured to handle your remains as they see fit. Instructions in a DORA include information on purchased burial plots, and can be anywhere from very simple (“I desire to have a traditional Catholic funeral and burial”) to highly detailed (“I would like my remains to be cremated, and have my ashes scattered into the East River on a warm spring day in front of a marching band playing “The Sound of Music”). WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE LIVING DOCUMENTS Some people, particularly those who do not have close friends or relatives, or people who choose to avoid addressing the very serious issues mentioned above are particularly vulnerable when they have a problem that a Living Document would address. Guardianship Proceedings are legal proceedings that take place in the county Surrogate’s Court, and are conducted to handle legal matters for people who cannot do so themselves: Minor children in need of a guardian of custodianship or finances typically must go before the court. Seriously disabled adults whom a physician declares incapable of handling his or her health or financial affairs are also the focus of these proceedings. In the case of disabled adults the Court will tailor a specific guardianship applicable to the diminished skills of that adult. A former physician suffering from dementia who may still be able to make his own rational health care decisions may only have a guardian appointed for his financial affairs. The opposite may be true of a former accountant or financial planner. Guardianship Proceedings can be gut-wrenching events to watch! Not only does the proposed guardian have to take care of the disabled adult (which is difficult enough), but the proposed Guardian AND the disabled individual actually have to plead their case to a judge in person, file papers, pay legal fees, AND in the interim the adult’s funds cannot be used for these costs AND his or her health care decisions are somewhat in limbo AND the Court may or may not choose the guardian whom the adult would have wanted. Guardianship Proceedings can be avoided by having the proper Living Documents, since these documents address the exact affairs these proceedings intend to deal with. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Timins & Durante, LLP Estate Planning in a Nutshell Page 5 of 14 
  • 6. GIFT & ESTATE TAXES and EFFECTIVE TRANSFERS FEDERAL ESTATE AND GIFT TAXATION The “Unified” Credit Annual  Exclusion Gifts:  “Annual Exclusion Gifts” have no impact on a person’s $13,000 in 2009  lifetime “Gift Tax Exemption” or post-mortem “Estate Tax Exemption” • A person can gift Annual Exclusion Gifts to any and every US citizen every year Estate Tax  Exemption  “Gifts” are given during life; any transfer of an amount $3,500,000 in 2009 over the annual exclusion decreases a person’s Gift Tax Exemption • When this amount is depleted Federal Gift Taxes are Gift Tax  assessed on future gifts Exemption  $1,000,000     “Bequests” are given after life and decrease a person’s Estate Tax Exemption in 2009 • Any use of the Gift Tax Exemption during life decreases the amount that can be given free of Estate Taxes after life NEW YORK STATE ESTATE TAXES MYTH: The Federal Estate Tax affects millions of Americans. FACT: The Federal Estate Tax currently affects only about 1% of Americans. However, if left unchanged, the New York Estate Tax will affect a much larger percentage of households! Fortunately, there are no New York state gift taxes. Hypothetically, a citizen of New York can gift an Federal Estate  unlimited amount of property without assessing state gift Tax Exemption  taxes. = $3,500,000 New York currently begins assessing a state estate tax starting at $1,000,000; the approximate rate of taxation is ~9.9% on every dollar over this amount. Additionally, New York  since the passage of EGTRRA, these taxes are now merely Estate Tax  a deduction against federal estate taxes (whereas they used Exemption =  to be a credit). $1,000,000 Think about that for a moment: If a person in Westchester County owns a home and a life insurance policy, has a modest retirement plan, and a modest amount of personal property (such as a car and some jewelry) his or her estate MAY BE TAXABLE!!! ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Timins & Durante, LLP Estate Planning in a Nutshell Page 6 of 14 
  • 7. TRANSFERRING PROPERTY AFTER LIFE There are several ways that property is transferred after life. Many people believe having only a Will is enough to accomplish one’s testamentary desires. However, for many people a Will only transfers a very small portion of their property. Effective estate plans include the proper planning of (1) assets that pass by Operation of Law, (2) individually-owned assets that pass by a Will through Testamentary Transfers, and (3) avoiding relying on Statutory Transfers. Operation of Law is the preferred method of transferring property (because distributions are private, inexpensive and fast), but ONLY if proper thought and preparation has been made to handle these assets. “OPERATION OF LAW” The “Beneficiary Designation Form” Assets which are transferred by operation of law are automatically transferred to the Beneficiary by merely giving a death certificate to the administering institution (a bank where a joint account is held, life insurance company for a life insurance policy, or a financial institution for an IRA). The operative transferring document is the Beneficiary Designation Form or a Deed to real estate, NOT a Will. In the case of joint property (financial or real estate) instructions in a Will are ineffective; the surviving joint owner only needs to produce a death certificate to client the property. RULE: Assets that are transferred by operation of law are NOT affected by ANY language in a Will (except revocation of Totten Trusts); the joint owner of the property or the Beneficiary Designation Form are the sole means of transferring the asset unless there is a judgment awarded by a court or an agreement among all of the estate Beneficiaries. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Timins & Durante, LLP Estate Planning in a Nutshell Page 7 of 14 
  • 8. JOINTLY OWNED PROPERTY Avoid Using It Too Much!!! Joint property between spouses is considered to be contributed equally by each spouse regardless of who actually provided the funds. Joint property between non-spouses is considered to be given entirely by both parties. EXAMPLE: Martin and Charlie, father and son, have a joint bank account worth $100,000. Because they are not spouses it doesn’t matter who actually funded the account: Unless they can prove otherwise through thorough documentation, the IRS assumes that if Martin dies first he contributed all $100,000. If Charlie dies before his father the IRS assumes Charlie contributed the entire amount. Then, because the funds are transferred in full to the survivor, when the survivor passes away the same money can be taxed again! In other words, the IRS has the opportunity to assess estate taxes on the same funds twice over this non-spousal joint property! RETIREMENT PLANS Because retirement plans, such as 401(k)s and IRAs, grow tax deferred income taxes will be owed on distributions, either during the life of the account Owner or after life based on the lives of the Beneficiaries in the form of required minimum distributions [“RMDs”]. The amount that must be distributed is determined by a standard factor set out in IRS life expectancy tables. The younger the designated beneficiary, the lower the required minimum distribution Retirement Plans Requirement Minimum Distribution Rules for Non-Spousal Beneficiaries RMDs: Death BEFORE RBD RMDs: Death AFTER RBD If NO Designated First Year of • All QP & IRA money must be • RMDs over Owner’s Beneficiary Distributions distributed by 12/31 of year of remaining life expectancy th 5 anniversary of Owner’s w/out recalculation (on Beneficiary Subsequent death – this is an income tax RMD is calculated by Designation form) Years nightmare! reducing Owner’s life expectancy by “1” If a Legitimate First Year of • RMDs made over bene’s life • RMDs may be made over “Individual” Distributions expectancy from the Single the longer of: Designated Bene Life Expectancy Table IF the (1) the Owner’s IS Named bene commences distributions remaining life by 12/31 of the year after the expectancy, or (on Beneficiary year of Owner’s death (2) the bene’s remaining Designation form) • RMD for designated bene life expectancy uses bene’s life expectancy for his age on his birthday in the year following the year of the Owner’s death Subsequent • RMD calculated by reducing RMD calculated over bene’s Years bene’s life expectancy by “1” life expectancy from the from the IRS tables Single Life Expectancy Table ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Timins & Durante, LLP Estate Planning in a Nutshell Page 8 of 14 
  • 9. PRACTITIONER’S NOTE – Always Name Your Spouse as Primary Beneficiary It is almost always preferable to name a spouse as Primary Beneficiary of a retirement plan, even if estate tax issues are involved. Spouses receive preferential RMD treatment – unlike other beneficiaries, spouses do not have to take immediate RMDs unless they too are 70 ½. The spouse can either “roll over” the plan to his or her own IRA, create an “inherited” IRA, or Disclaim the funds and transfer them to the Contingent Beneficiaries. If the contingent beneficiaries are children it is preferrable to name a See-Through Trust as the contingent beneficiary, and name the children as beneficiaries of the Trust. The children will receive the benefits of holding funds in Trust, such as creditor protection, while simultaneously maintaining a favorable RMD based on their longer life expectancies. Suggestions for Naming Children as Primary or Contingent Beneficiaries to a Retirement Plan 1. Split up IRA accounts so each child is a contingent beneficiary of his or her own account for RMD purposes (this can be done instead of using See-Through Trusts, or can be done after life) 2. Younger beneficiaries are able to “stretch” RMDs for longer periods of time due to their increased life expectancy, allowing for a longer period of tax deferral. 3. If a child needs the funds now and the retirement plan does not have a Trust as the beneficiary RMD rules won’t matter – they need the money now, so they will take it. 4. If the Owner’s estate shall be subject to income in respect of a Decedent consider (1) converting the plan to a Roth IRA to minimize future income taxes, and (2) having desired charitable legacies paid for out of the retirement plan. 5. Name a “See-Through Trust” as the beneficiary of the plan. RULE: Even if the non-spousal “inherited” IRA is a Roth IRA the beneficiary MUST begin taking RMDs, even if they are under 70 1/2. LIFE INSURANCE Naming the correct Beneficiary on a life insurance policy is very important, particularly when there has been a divorce. Unlike transfers to ex-spouses by a Will (which are invalidated by divorce) insurance pass to the named individual in the Beneficiary designation form (because it transfers by “operation of law”). If you are concerned that a child may get divorced it is best to have the policy pay to a Trust with that child named Trust Beneficiary. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Timins & Durante, LLP Estate Planning in a Nutshell Page 9 of 14 
  • 10. TESTAMENTARY ASSETS Testamentary Assets are those that pass by a Last Will and Testament. These include all assets that don’t transfer by Operation of Law or Statutory Transfers. Unlike Operation of Law transfers, there is no need to complete Beneficiary designation forms: Any asset that is a Testamentary Asset is automatically considered part of your “Probate Estate,” and will be transferred by the terms of your Will. Testamentary assets include: Real Estate  Individually  (if not owned  by a trust and  owned bank and  brokerage  not jointly  accounts &  owned) Remember that Testamentary Assets are personal property Business  transferred by a Will. If you have a valid Interests  Will you die Testate and you are the (sometimes) Testator. If there is no Will these assets become “Statutory Transfers” under the laws of Intestacy (see below). If there is a valid Will it is submitted to Probate in the Surrogate’s Court, which then oversees the Probate process. Probate is public, meaning that anyone can view another person’s Will once it is admitted to Probate. For that reason (and many others) most estate planners recommend creating and funding Probate Trusts during lifetime. Testamentary Assets may or may not constitute a large amount of a person’s estate. For a person who jointly owns a house, holds a large amount of funds in jointly-owned bank and brokerage accounts, and has a decent amount of money in retirement plans, Testamentary Assets may constitute a very small percentage of the gross estate. PROBATE (WILLS) v. TRUST ADMINISTRATION Contrary to public opinion, Probate isn’t a “bad thing.” However, Probate can be (1) expensive and time-consuming. (2) Probate is a completely public affair – you can review everyone’s Will that has been admitted to Probate by the Surrogate’s Court. (3) Probate also requires a substantial amount of paperwork to be submitted to the courts, and while court fees are quite reasonable, (4) the legal fees to prepare these documents can be substantial. (5) Probate requires court supervision and oversight. Even under ideal circumstances, (6) distributions of testamentary assets can take many months. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Timins & Durante, LLP Estate Planning in a Nutshell Page 10 of 14 
  • 11. Trust Administration is (1) a completely private affair, thus disowned heirs have limited knowledge of estate distributions. (2) No court paperwork is required, and (3) the court will not interfere unless there are formal legal proceedings. (4) Legal fees are substantially less than under Probate. TRUSTS – A SOLUTION FOR LIFE AND THEREAFTER PARTIES TO A TRUST There are three (3) parties to every Trust: the Creator (also known as the Grantor or Settlor), the Trustee (and often Co-Trustees or Successor Trustees) and Beneficiaries (and often Contingent Beneficiaries if there could be any remaining Trust assets after the death of the Primary Beneficiaries). Creator / Grantor / Settlor > Creates the Trust > Determines Terms of the Trust > Funds the Trust Trustee Beneficiaries > Manages the trust property > Entitled to the property under > Follows the Terms of the Trust the terms of the Trust > Entitled to a Commission A person can serve as all three parties at the same time – they can create a Trust, name themselves a Trustee during his or her life, and also be the sole Beneficiary during that time. The largest benefits of this arrangement are that (1) if the Creator becomes disabled a Successor Trustee can continue to use Trust funds for the Creator’s benefit without requiring court approval, and (2) upon the Creator’s death the Successor Beneficiaries can receive the remaining estate without the need of going through Probate and the associated publicity and expenses of this process. EXAMPLE: Phil and Ruth create Revocable Trusts during their lifetimes and retitle all of their assets to either “The Phil Revocable Trust” as Owner or “The Ruth Revocable Trust” as Owner. They name each other as Co-Trustees and initial Beneficiaries of each other’s Trust. During this entire period either spouse can revoke his or her own Trust (perhaps there is a falling-out with a contingent Beneficiary, and they want to disinherit him). When Phil has a stroke and is in the hospital recovering Ruth is able to use funds from his or her Trust for his medical expenses and other affairs. When Ruth pre-deceases Phil he can (if he is capable) continue administering both his and her Trust for his benefit or have a Successor ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Timins & Durante, LLP Estate Planning in a Nutshell Page 11 of 14 
  • 12. Trustee administer the Trust (again, for his own benefit). When the second spouse passes away the Trust can be distributed to the contingent Beneficiaries (here Phil and Ruth’s children) without having to go through Probate. BENEFITS OF TRUSTS Whereas a Creator cannot gain protection Additional Benefits of “Stand-Alone” Trusts from his own creditors by placing funds in a Trust, all Trusts, whether they are Stand- Decreased Estate  Alone or Testamentary Trusts, allow for Administration costs  Creditor Protection for Beneficiaries; just (Avoids Probate &  make sure to choose an appropriate Trustee decreases attorney fees) and include the power for them to name a Continuity  disinterested Co-Trustee. of control  Avoids the  over  Potential Creditors of Your Beneficiaries publicity  property;  associated  • The Internal Revenue Service and State with  faster  Tax authorities distributions  Probate • Standard Lenders: Mortgage Company, of estate  funds Credit Cards, etc. • Claimants of Lawsuits against the Minimizing or  Beneficiary completely avoiding  • Spouses and Minor Children high Executor  Commissions AVOIDING ANCILLARY PROBATE Some people have to go through Probate in more than one state! A valid Will drafted for a New York domiciliary may cover a person’s financial and personal property as well as real estate in New York, but will NOT affectively transfer real estate in another state, such as Florida. Probate or Intestacy proceedings have to take place in this second state for the real estate located there. This process is known as Ancillary Probate, since the only piece of property being transferred by this second Probate is the Real Estate. Ancillary Probate leads to a second-round of court filing fees, attorney fees, Beneficiary involvement, etc. By having this second piece of real estate outside of New York owned by a Trust you can AVOID Ancillary Probate (much like having your Trust own your New York real estate avoids having to have it pass through Probate in New York). The Deed to this property outside of New York should have the Trust named as its Owner to make this strategy affective. MAKING A TRUST “EFFECTIVE” RULE: An unfunded Trust is INEFFECTIVE!!! The most important aspect of having a Trust become effective is both that (1) the Trust document is drafted, and (2) the Trust is named as the Owner of the property, which effectively “funds” the Trust, either in the form of a Deed for real estate or as the named Owner of a bank or brokerage account. Once these steps have been taken the Trust becomes the Owner of the property, and the Trustee now administers the property under the terms of the Trust. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Timins & Durante, LLP Estate Planning in a Nutshell Page 12 of 14 
  • 13. PRACTITIONER’S NOTE: How to Name a Trust as Owner of Accounts and Real Estate The title of a bank or brokerage account is no longer owned by Sam Smith, but is instead titled as The Revocable Trust of Sam Smith. If Sam is the Trustee and the Trust names him as Beneficiary Sam can use Trust funds however he desires. The Deed to your house or vacation home in Florida is no longer in the name of Cindy Jones, but is instead owned by The Revocable Trust of Cindy Jones. Again, based on the terms of the Trust, Cindy can live in the house as long as she wants, sell it, rent it out, etc., AND the Florida vacation home now avoids Ancillary Probate because it is transferred by a New York Trust. Make sure to fund your Trust! An estate plan that includes a Trust but has no property that is explicitly owned by the Trust is an ineffective shell; all of the property the Creator thought was owned by the Trust (and should have been distributed under Trust Administration) will be transferred via Will, Operation of Law or the laws of Intestacy. ESTATE TAX CONSIDERATIONS & “CREDIT SHELTER TRUSTS” A Credit Shelter Trust [“CST”] holds aside a pre-determined amount of money in Trust at the death of the Testator or Creator that qualifies up to the federal or state estate tax exemption. The surviving spouse continues to spend his or her own funds and can invade the CST if needed. In the interim the funds in the CST grow. Upon the death of the surviving spouse all of the funds in the CST, including investment gains, pass to the contingent Beneficiaries (typically children or younger family members) estate tax free. Most people with older estate planning documents have the federal estate tax exemption as the defining amount of their CST. As already discussed, New York domiciliaries may want this amount to be defined as the New York estate tax exemption. Also, since stating dollar amounts may lead to future estate tax inefficiencies (due to ever-changing estate tax exemption amounts) using a Formula Provision (“I leave the then-applicable state estate tax exemption in a credit shelter trust”) will allow for the optimum amount of desired funds to be transferred in a CST free of estate tax.                     ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Timins & Durante, LLP Estate Planning in a Nutshell Page 13 of 14 
  • 14. NAMING TRUSTEES Care must be given to the exact powers that fiduciaries can control: Giving complete discretion may lead to tax problems and lack of creditor protection. Due to the wide range of powers available to Trustees Spouses of  Children of  special attention must be given to determining these power the  the  to maintain Beneficiary creditor protections afforded to Beneficiary Beneficiary Trust asets. Since the Grantor will typically name himself as Trustee of his Revocable Trust and has no creditor Beholden  protection the focus should be on naming an appropriate Trustees Successor Trustee. In order to avoid creditors from having a valid, enforceable claim against a Beneficiary one should be careful to avoid people considered “Beholden Trustees” Employees of  Siblings who are  to the Beneficiary. Allowing a Trustee to name either a the  Trustees of each  Successor Trustee or a Disinterested Co-Trustee (I.e. a Beneficiary other’s Trust person or institution with no interest in the Trust other than Trustee commissions) should avoid this consequence. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING Timins & Durante, LLP Estate Planning in a Nutshell Page 14 of 14