| Attorneys At Law
Trusted Legal Counsel for Colorado Families and their Estate Planning needs
| Attorneys At Law
Trusted Legal Counsel for Colorado Families and their Estate Planning needs
Creating a plan for the eventual transfer of your assets to your family and loved ones is essential no matter what stage of life you are in. A carefully crafted estate plan will allow you to bestow a legacy to your family and will provide direction about what happens to your assets in the event of disability, incapacity, or death. A properly drafted plan can also provide you with the peace of mind that your intentions will be followed and that your family will be well taken care of in your absence. The Scriptures remind us that "A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children" (Proverbs 13:22a - NIV). Buell & Ezell can help you ensure that your wishes will be carried out for generations to come through the utilization of various legal tools, such as:
The creation of
your estate plan begins with learning about you, your family, and your
financial situation during the initial consultation. This process involves asking you some sensitive and
difficult questions regarding your goals of taking care of your family members
in your absence. Once your goals
are fully understood, Buell & Ezell will work with you to develop an estate
plan that achieves your objectives and protects, preserves, and passes on all
that you have worked so hard for.
All adults (18 or older) should
have an estate plan. One of the
most important things a person can do is provide clear direction to guide his
or her loved ones in the event of illness, incapacity, or death. After all, an estate plan is not really
for you, its for the ones you leave behind. Creating an estate plan is a selfless act of love that will
lessen your loved ones' burdens during one of the most challenging times of
their lives. Additionally, most
people find that peace of mind and satisfaction result from putting their
affairs in order.
It is often said that everyone
has an estate plan because when a person dies intestate (without a will) the
courts are required to follow mandatory statutory guidelines to determine the
disposition of the deceased person's estate. Which means that predetermined
guidelines would be followed to distribute your property, regardless of your
wishes. Additionally, if you have minor children and they are not survived by
their other living parent, the courts would have to select a guardian for them.
Do you want the State of Colorado's court system to determine where your
assets will go after your death?
Do you want a stranger from the court system deciding who will make
decisions regarding your medical care in the event that you are not able to
speak for yourself? If you are a
parent, do you want a judge to determine who will be the guardian for your
children, or would you rather choose the person who will take care of their
health, safety, and well being if you are not able to be there for them? An estate plan gives you the freedom to
make these critical decisions and prepares you and your family for the future. Deciding
to proactively create an estate plan allows you and not the court system to
make these all important decisions, and it will give you confidence that your
affairs will be properly administered according to your desires. Furthermore, having an estate plan
accomplishes several important goals, including:
Will - A document
that directs how property shall be distributed upon a deceased person's death.
A will is the foundational document for most estate plans. It is a legal instrument specifying how
a person's property and assets should be handled after death. A testator
(the person making the will) can give instructions on how the property should
be divided, who should receive what portions or specific items, and even who
will take care of any surviving minor children. A will can also establish a
trust or make gifts to charity. Without a will, the state determines how
property will be distributed, and may impose a substantial tax burden on the
estate. A carefully drafted will eases the transition for survivors by
transferring property efficiently and avoiding many financial and
administrative burdens. Despite these advantages, many estimates figure that at
least seventy percent (70%) of Americans do not have valid wills. Wills vary from extremely simple
single-page documents to elaborate volumes, depending on the estate size and
preferences of the person making the will. Wills describe the estate, the
people who will receive specific property, and may even provide special
instructions about care of minor children, gifts to charity, and the formation
of testamentary trusts.
Any person of sound mind eighteen (18) years of age or older may make a will.
A will usually appoints a personal representative (or "executor") to perform the specific wishes of the testator after he or she passes on. The personal representative need not be a relative, although testators typically choose a family member or close friend, as well as an alternate choice. The chosen representative should be advised of his or her responsibilities before the testator dies, in order to ensure that he or she is willing to undertake these duties. The personal representative consolidates and manages the testator's assets, collects any debts owed to the testator at death, sells property necessary to pay estate taxes or expenses, and files all necessary court and tax documents for the estate. The choice of a personal representative should include considerations of trustworthiness, personality, competence, integrity, willingness and ability to serve, business skills, and knowledge of the family.
Testators who have minor or dependent children may use a will to name a
guardian to care for their children if there is no surviving parent to do so.
If a will does not name a guardian, a court may appoint someone who is not
necessarily the person whom the testator would have chosen. Again, a testator
usually chooses a family member or friend to perform this function, and often
names an alternate. The guardian(s) should be informed that they have been
chosen and they should fully understand what may be required of them. The
choice of a guardian often affects other will provisions because the testator
may want to provide financial support to the guardian as they are rearing the
surviving children.
Trust- A written document providing
that property be held by one (the "trustee") for the benefit of another (the
"beneficiary"). A trust may be created during the grantor's lifetime or after
his or her death.
A trust is a legal device whereby a trustee (an individual such as a spouse
or an institution, such as a bank or a law firm) manages property as a
fiduciary for one or more beneficiaries.
The trustee holds "legal title" to the property and the beneficiaries
hold "equitable title" to the property and are entitled to payments from the
trust income and sometimes from the trust corpus as well. Some essential terms
are:
Trusts are estate planning tools that can replace or supplement wills as
well as help manage property during life. A trust manages the distribution of a
person's property by transferring its benefits and obligations to different
people. There are many reasons to create a trust, making this property
distribution technique a popular choice for many people when creating an estate
plan.
The basics of trust creation are fairly simple. To create a trust, the grantor transfers legal ownership to a person or institution (the "trustee") to manage that property for the benefit of another person (the "beneficiary"). The trustee often receives compensation for his or her management role. As stated above, trusts create a fiduciary relationship running from the trustee to the beneficiary, meaning that the trustee must act solely in the best interests of the beneficiary when dealing with the trust property. If a trustee does not live up to this duty, then the trustee is legally accountable to the beneficiary for any damage to his or her interests. The grantor may act as the trustee himself or herself, and retain ownership instead of transferring the property, but he or she still must act in a fiduciary capacity. A grantor may also name himself or herself as one of the beneficiaries of the trust. In any trust arrangement, however, the trust cannot become effective until the grantor transfers the property to the trustee.
Trusts fall into two broad categories, "testamentary trusts" and "living
trusts." A testamentary trust transfers property into the trust only after the
death of the grantor. Because a trust allows the grantor to specify conditions
for receipt of benefits, as well as to spread payment of benefits over a period
of time instead of making a single gift, many people prefer to include a trust
in their wills to reinforce their preferences and goals after death. The
testamentary trust is not automatically created at death but is commonly
specified in a will and so as a will provision, the trust property must go
through probate prior to commencement of the trust.
Example: A parent specifies in her will that
upon her death her assets should be transferred to a trustee. The trustee
manages the assets for the benefit of her children until they reach an age when
the parent believes they will be ready to control the assets on their own.
A living trust, also sometimes called an "inter vivos" trust, starts during
the life of the grantor, but may be designed to continue after his or her
death. This type of trust may help avoid probate if all assets subject to
probate are transferred into the trust prior to death. A living trust may be "revocable"
or "irrevocable." The grantor of a revocable living trust can change or revoke
the terms of the trust any time after the trust commences. The grantor of an
irrevocable trust, on the other hand, permanently relinquishes the right to
make changes after the trust is created.
A revocable living trust is an estate planning tool that deeds property to heirs (similar to a will), but permits the grantor to retain complete control over the property during his or her lifetime. The grantor may buy, sell, make gifts, amend or even revoke the trust at any time. This means that the grantor can take back the funds placed into the trust or change the trust terms at a later date if desired. Thus, the grantor is able to reap the benefits of the trust arrangement while maintaining the ability and flexibility to change the trust document at any time prior to death. Upon the grantor's death, the property passes to the beneficiaries, avoiding the delay and expense of probate. In the right situation, a Revocable Living Trust can be the key instrument which achieves your estate planning goals. In other areas of the country such as California and Florida, the Revocable Living Trust is widely used to avoid probate due to arduous and costly probate procedures in those jurisdictions. In Colorado, however, the probate process is fairly efficient, relatively inexpensive, and mostly confidential. Companies that promote or "sell" Living Trusts in Colorado are responsible for much of the misinformation regarding these trusts. For example, it is a common misconception that a living trust provides better tax advantages than a will. However, both wills and living trusts can be utilized in estate tax planning, accomplishing identical tax savings. Revocable Trusts are generally used for the following purposes: asset management, avoidance of the costs and delays associated with probate, avoidance of ancillary probate if real property is owned in more than one state, and to provide grantor(s) with a flexible estate planning tool which can be valid in other jurisdictions if moving from state to state is anticipated.
An irrevocable living trust is an estate planning trust, wherein the grantor does not retain control of assets or property. An irrevocable living trust may also be used to avoid probate. Because the grantor must permanently depart with the ownership and control of the property being transferred, such a device has limited appeal. However, irrevocable trusts are useful in life insurance planning as discussed below, particularly for larger estates.
It is extremely important to properly
fund a Revocable Living Trust in order to avoid the probate process. It is estimated that over eighty five percent (85%) of
trusts in the United States are unfunded, which means that clients pay for the
benefits of a trust without actually benefitting from the arrangement. Buell & Ezell will assist clients with the funding process in an effort to transfer
title of property into the trust.
Find out more on how a Probate Attorney can help you today!