Annuity

How Does My Annuity Fit Into My Estate Plan?

Selecting the right type of annuity for yourself is no small feat. Of course, you’ve put in the research and planned with your financial advisors. But you might still be wondering what happens to those annuity payments upon your death.

In addition to their benefits as a financial tool for your goals, annuities can have a positive impact on your beneficiaries after you’re gone — but only if you take smart estate planning steps to make sure your wealth ends up in the right hands.

Types of annuities

Your annuity type affects how things pan out after your death. In some cases, annuities end with the death of the annuitant. In other cases, the annuity payments continue to be distributed to a named beneficiary. If you haven’t already named your beneficiaries, you mustn’t wait any longer. Make sure to work with your estate planning attorney when naming your beneficiaries because you’ll want them to be coordinated with your will or trust.

Immediate vs deferred: You may have chosen an immediate annuity, which begins paying out as soon as your initial investment is made. This is a common choice for those nearing retirement or those looking to secure long-term income after a windfall like an inheritance or the sale of a business. However, many people opt for a deferred annuity and don’t begin receiving payments for some time. Deferred simply means that it begins paying out at some point after the initial investment.
Fixed-period or lifetime: A fixed-period annuity only lasts for a predetermined amount of time (such as 20 years). A lifetime annuity pays out during the annuitant’s life, and these are commonly purchased for the lives of both spouses.
Fixed-sum or variable: Within both immediate and deferred annuities, you’ve likely selected either a fixed-sum payment schedule or fluctuating payments depending on the performance of your investments in the market.

Why you need to name your beneficiaries explicitly

It’s easy to think that including your loved ones in your will or trust is enough to cover your annuities as well. But if you want your children, spouse, or other individuals to receive your annuities when you’re gone, you need to fill out paperwork (in consultation with your estate planning attorney) that names those people as beneficiaries. Otherwise, your annuity sums could end up going to people you don’t want to leave your legacy to.

Annuity death benefits

There are a few different ways you can build death benefits into your annuity plan so that your wealth is passed on to your beneficiaries once you’re gone.

Standard death benefit: The value of the annuity at the time of your death is passed to your beneficiary.
Return of premium death benefit: Either the current value or the amount of the initial premium (whichever is greater) is distributed to your beneficiary.
Stepped-up death benefit: The highest anniversary value is distributed to your beneficiary.

In each of these cases, your beneficiary can decide if they’d like to receive this payment as a lump sum or over some time. With so many options, it’s a good idea to discuss an annuity with your estate planning attorney before you sign up for one. Your financial advisor works with you to make sure the annuity fits your financial goals, and we can work with you to make sure it works with your estate planning goals. If you already have an annuity, it’s important to work with us as your estate planner to make sure it’s taken into account with the rest of your estate plan.

Annuity taxation

It’s rarely uplifting to consider how much of your annuity value will be lost to taxation before being handed over to your beneficiary, but taxes are a fact of life (and estate planning). Your annuity will either be taxed as part of your estate (as an estate tax if you have a large enough estate) or as a disbursement to your beneficiary upon your death (as an income tax). However, in most cases, your spouse can continue to receive annuity benefits or inherit your annuity with little to no tax burdens.

How your estate planning attorney can help

As with many estate planning and financial issues, choices you make about your annuity can make a big difference for your loved ones. You want to make sure you’re setting your beneficiaries up with the right kind of death benefits with as little loss to taxation as possible. Give us a call today! Call our office at 832.408.0505 or schedule your appointment right now so we can review your current annuities and explore ways to get more out of them for you and your family in the long run.

IRAs, Annuities, and Guardianship – Providing for Your Minor Children After You Die

IRAs, Annuities and Guardianship:

Providing for Your Minor Children after You Die

Deciding on a guardian for your minor children may very well be the most vexing decision you’ll make regarding your estate planning. Not only must you trust the appointed guardian to raise your children as you’d want them raised, but you also need that person to be financially responsible with your children’s inheritance. For example, if you have an IRA or an annuity that you wish to pass to your minor children, how can you ensure those funds will be used properly—especially if the person you trust most to raise your kids isn’t necessarily the best with finances?

This question is multifaceted, so let’s unravel one aspect at a time.

The Question of Guardianship

Here’s the good news: The person who raises your minor children and the person who handles their inheritance don’t have to be the same person. If necessary, you can appoint one guardian to serve each function, naming one as the guardian of the person and another as the guardian of the estate. In this arrangement, you entrust one person with your children’s assets and another with their care, while enabling each to interact with the other. This dual guardianship model gives many parents peace of mind—knowing they don’t necessarily have to risk their children’s inheritance while ensuring that they are raised according to the family’s values.

Although guardianship of the estate is an option, for many families the best strategy for financially providing for the children is to use a trust. In that case, a trustee fulfills the responsibility that would otherwise belong to the guardian of the estate. The trust assets can be released to the children or the caregiver incrementally according to age and needs. For example, the trustee could distribute money for the children’s needs until age 18 and then manage for the money until the child is a financially mature adult. Your trustee may also exercise discretion in investing and distributing the funds for the children’s support, education, etc., coordinating with their physical guardian to ensure the children’s needs are met until they come of age. This can ensure that the assets are there when they’re needed for your family.

Passing an Annuity to the Children

Annuities pay out regular income—which can make them convenient vehicles to cover ongoing expenses for minor children. If you have set up an annuity for yourself or a spouse, you can name the children as beneficiaries, or you can also name a trust for the benefit of your children. If you are still paying into the annuity at the time of death, your children may receive the balance, or you may give a trustee the option of rolling the balance into another annuity to be paid out to the children at a later maturity date. If you are already receiving annuity payments yourself, the children may simply continue receiving these payments for the remainder of the term. Depending on your annuity contract, payouts may also be made lump sum. Annuities are a very flexible financial product with many different options. If you have annuity now, or if you are considering purchasing one, bring it up with us as we work on your estate plan so we can make sure it meshes with your will or trust seamlessly.

Transferring an IRA to the Children

Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are also excellent vehicles to pass along wealth for minor children’s welfare—because, unlike most annuities, they have the ability to grow over time and can provide a lifetime of financial benefit to your children.

When you name the next generation as beneficiaries on an IRA, you effectively extend the IRA’s life expectancy. While the required minimum distribution payments to the children will be smaller than they would have been for you (since, according to the IRS’s rules, they have a longer life expectancy), the account balance can remain invested for growth over time. Your financial and tax advisor can evaluate your situation to help you decide which type of IRA (Roth or traditional) is the best option for your goals. And we can work with you to make sure that the IRA is fully protected against creditors, predators, and bad financial decision making with an IRA trust.

Planning for the welfare of minor children after your death is neither simple nor pleasant to consider, but it’s absolutely necessary for peace of mind. Determining the right person(s) to be the guardian of your children requires careful thought, but you don’t have to sacrifice your children’s inheritance for their proper care. With the right financial plan, you can manage both facets successfully. As always, we’re here to provide assistance and explain your options. Call or contact our offices for an appointment today.

Year End Estate Planning Tip #2 – Check Your Beneficiary Designations

With the end of the year fast approaching, now is the time to fine tune your estate plan before you get caught up in the chaos of the holiday season. One area of planning that many people overlook is their beneficiary designations.

Have You Checked Your Beneficiary Designations Lately?

Do you own any life insurance policies? If so, have you named both primary and secondary beneficiaries for your policies?

How about retirement accounts – are any of your assets held in an IRA, 401(k), 403(b) or annuity? Or how about a payable on death (“POD”) or a transfer on death (“TOD”) account? If so, have you named both primary and secondary beneficiaries for these assets?

What about your vehicle – do you have it registered with a TOD beneficiary? And your real estate – is it held under a TOD deed or beneficiary deed?

If you have gotten married or divorced, had any children or grandchildren, or any of the beneficiaries you have named have died or become incapacitated or seriously ill since you made beneficiary designations, it is time to review them all with your estate planning attorney.

Beneficiary Designations May Overrule Your Will or Trust Speaking of estate planning attorneys, has yours been given and reviewed all of your beneficiary designations?

It is critically important for your estate planning attorney to review your beneficiary designations as your life changes because your beneficiary designations may overrule or conflict with the plan you have established in your will or trust (unless your state law provides otherwise, but you should certainly not rely on this). Also, naming your trust as a primary or secondary beneficiary can be tricky and should only be done in consultation with your estate planning attorney.

What Should You Do?

Whenever you experience a major life change (such as marriage or divorce, or a birth or death in the family) or a major financial change (such as receiving an inheritance or retiring) or are asked to make a beneficiary designation, your beneficiary designations should be reviewed by your estate planning attorney and, if necessary, updated or adjusted to insure that they conform with your estate planning goals.

If you have gone through any family or monetary changes recently and you’re not sure if you need to update your beneficiary designations, then consult with your estate planning attorney to ensure that all of your bases are covered. Call or contact us for an appointment. Our experienced attorney will be happy to strategize with you.

Will Your Revocable Living Trust Avoid Probate? It Depends.

If you’ve set up a Revocable Living Trust, congratulations! You’re definitely on the right track. But… you’re only halfway there. Many believe because they took the time to create a Trust, their estate will automatically avoid probate. Unfortunately, this is a false sense of security.

The key to probate avoidance is proper asset ownership, including the full funding of your Revocable Living Trust.

What are Probate Assets?

What assets require probate?

Accounts and real estate titled in your sole, individual name [without a payable on death (POD) or transfer on death (TOD) designation]
Accounts and real estate you own as a tenant in common
Contract assets naming your estate as beneficiary

What Assets Avoid Probate?

What assets automatically avoid probate after you die and, therefore, do not need to be funded (or cannot be funded) into your trust?

Accounts and real estate owned as joint tenants with rights of survivorship
Accounts and real estate owned as tenants by the entirety
Life insurance
Retirement accounts, including IRAs, 401(k)s, and annuities
Life estate property
Payable on death (POD) and transfer on death (TOD) accounts and, in some states, transfer on death or beneficiary deeds

What’s the Next Step?

Ask a qualified estate planning attorney to confirm that your Revocable Living Trust is fully funded and that all assets are aligned with your estate planning. Proper asset ownership is key to probate avoidance.