As a parent, you’ve likely spent years building up your savings and assets, hoping to leave a legacy for your children. However, one concern many parents have is ensuring that the inheritance they pass on stays with their child and doesn’t end up benefiting a spouse. Whether out of love for your children or worrying about future divorces, it’s natural to consider inheritance planning strategies to safeguard your hard-earned assets. If you are concerned about your child’s relationship, you will want to learn how to leave an inheritance to your child but not their spouse.
A trust is one of the most common and effective ways to ensure that your child is the sole benefactor of their inheritance. By setting up a trust, you control how and when your assets are distributed. A trust can be created now while you’re still alive or can take effect upon your passing.
You can name the trust as the beneficiary of your retirement accounts, life insurance, or other assets. The trustee, a person you designate, will follow your instructions regarding when and how the money or property is given to your child.
While prenuptial agreements used to carry a certain stigma, that is no longer the case. These agreements have become more common, especially among younger generations. A prenuptial agreement is signed before marriage and details how a couple’s financial matters will be handled in case of a divorce.
If your child is open to the idea, they can use a prenuptial agreement to protect their future inheritance. This legal document can specify which assets belong to your child, preventing a spouse from making any claims.
If your child is already married, safeguarding their inheritance is still an option. A postnuptial agreement works similarly to a prenuptial agreement but is signed after the wedding. This document can outline which assets, including future inheritances, will remain separate in the event of a divorce.
Discussing a postnuptial agreement might feel tricky, as it requires open communication between your child and their spouse. However, it can be essential for ensuring that your child’s financial future remains protected.
While legal strategies like trusts, prenuptial agreements and postnuptial agreements are essential to inheritance planning, financial tools also play a role. Working with a trusted estate planning professional who provides the legal competence and the knowledge to examine your complete financial background can help you evaluate the best way to structure your assets and accounts to minimize potential risks. They can guide you on which accounts to designate for inheritance and which might be more vulnerable to claims in a divorce.
If you’re ready to protect your child’s financial future, an estate planning attorney will show you how to leave an inheritance to your child, but not their spouse. If you would like to learn more about inheritance planning, please visit our previous posts.
When estate planning dovetails with divorce, existing plans need to be redesigned. How much depends on the nature of the divorce, as explained by a recent article from Accounting Today, “Estate planning for divorcing couples.” Spousal rights, beneficiary designations, child custody and property distribution all need to be examined, as well as the distribution of property in the estate plan. Addressing your estate planning during a divorce is critical.
If this is your situation, you’ll need a team of professionals who can work well together. Your estate planning attorney, accountant and divorce attorney will need to be in frequent contact, as so many of these areas overlap. You’ll want to ensure that your separation agreement and estate plan complement each other. Anticipating potential challenges and obstacles in advance is crucial.
Here are a few aspects to consider:
If your estate planning attorney worked with you and the person you are divorcing, they will want to be clear about who they represent for the new estate plan. If it’s an amenable divorce, the estate planning attorney may recommend a respected colleague to help the other spouse.
The same scenario must be considered for the accountant. Did they interface with one spouse more than the other? If a joint return was filed in the past, which spouse would they work with during the divorce and afterward? An accountant’s involvement in an estate plan during the divorce process may be critical to ensuring that there are no discrepancies in the financials.
Beneficiary designations need to be revisited since, in most cases, spouses name each other as beneficiaries. Updating the beneficiary designation will avoid further complications in distributing the assets if something occurs to one of the spouses while the divorce is in process. Beneficiaries only change when the owner of the account actively makes the change. Your soon-to-be-ex may inherit everything if you don’t change the account beneficiary.
Estate planning involves guardianship for minor children, and divorce typically addresses child custody, support and inheritance. If one of the parents dies, who would get custody of the children? How will they be supported? Life insurance may be part of the separation agreement, where the ex-spouse will still be the beneficiary, so funds may be used to support the minor children.
Couples in the process of divorcing may not create new trusts until the divorce proceedings have been finalized. However, suppose trusts were established as part of estate planning before the divorce. In that case, they may be considered marital or separate property, depending on the source of the assets in the trust. This is a conversation to have with your estate planning attorney.
Addressing your estate planning during a divorce is critical. With the guidance of an experienced estate planning attorney, accountant and divorce attorney, it is possible to move through the tumult and begin the next chapter with some peace of mind. If you would like to learn more about planning during or after a divorce, please visit our previous posts.
American family law has traditionally focused on the nuclear family. However, Forbes reports that only 18% of American adults now fit this model. There are many new types of families today, such as blended families, single-parent households and LGBTQ+ families. Dated legal definitions of family could be a hurdle in your estate planning. Diverse family structures have unique estate planning challenges. However, it’s a hurdle you can overcome with knowledge and legal guidance.
Most legal protections and rights cater to the assumption that a family is a married couple with blood children. This alone creates obstacles for many families, even those that look traditional. Many heterosexual couples have children but haven’t yet married. This can deprive them of various rights and may exclude partners from inheritance.
Blended families with stepchildren also frequently struggle with inheritance. If the parents fail to lay out the rights of the children, it can go to a lengthy probate process. Likewise, the children of single parents face a uniquely uncertain future should their parents die unexpectedly. Another diverse family type that frequently struggles with family law is LGBTQ+ families. The rights of same-sex couples vary widely by state, which makes estate planning especially important for them.
These diverse families and more can find themselves underserved by laws that don’t have them in mind. However, that doesn’t mean that their wishes must go un-respected. There are many estate planning tools available that can help people clarify and execute their wishes once they’re gone.
Advanced estate planning techniques can give anyone greater control of their estate. Everyone with a significant estate or minor children should have an estate plan. However, diverse families need to use these tools to safeguard their wishes.
Wills: A well-drafted will is Step One. It makes it far easier to ensure that your assets go to your inheritors as you wish.
Trusts: Trusts offer greater control over asset distribution while avoiding will-related pitfalls. Living trusts can be adjusted during one’s lifetime, while irrevocable trusts protect assets but are permanent.
Powers of attorney: Financial and healthcare powers of attorney let a trusted person decide if the primary individual is incapacitated.
Testamentary guardianship: Single-parent, blended families and same-sex couples should appoint guardians for minor children in their wills.
Beneficiary Designations: Designate the beneficiaries for life insurance, retirement and investment accounts. This ensures that the executor of your will transfers assets according to your wishes.
The evolving definition of family challenges conventional estate planning. Unmarried couples, blended families and other non-traditional arrangements often need tailored estate plans. However, untangling estate law on your own isn’t easy.
Diverse family structures have unique estate planning challenges. Schedule a consultation with an estate planning attorney, who will address local laws and your unique family structure, to craft a comprehensive estate plan. If you would like to learn more about planning for blended families, please visit our previous posts.
Navigating the complexities of estate planning after a mid- to late-life divorce, or “gray divorce,” requires meticulous attention to detail and proactive measures, according to Kiplinger’s article, Don’t Forget to Update Beneficiaries After a Gray Divorce. Updating beneficiaries after a gray divorce is critical to estate planning. This article explores essential considerations for those undergoing a gray divorce, emphasizing the importance of reevaluating estate plans to reflect current intentions and relationships.
While family law attorneys primarily focus on asset division during divorce proceedings, it’s imperative to consider the fate of these assets post-divorce, particularly concerning beneficiaries. Updating beneficiaries on investment accounts, retirement funds and life insurance policies is paramount. Failure to do so could result in unintended consequences, potentially leaving assets to a former spouse.
Many states have statutes that automatically revoke a former spouse as a beneficiary post-divorce. However, these laws vary, and some exceptions exist, notably under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) plans. Understanding the nuances of state laws and ERISA regulations is vital to ensure compliance and avoid costly mistakes.
In some divorces, waivers might be used in decrees to address survivorship benefits related to retirement plans. The effectiveness of these waivers relies on adherence to plan documents and detailed planning. Consulting with a knowledgeable estate planning attorney and incorporating specific language in property settlement agreements can mitigate risks and ensure comprehensive protection of assets.
Key Takeaways:
Proactive Approach: Do not wait until after your divorce is finalized to update your beneficiaries. Proactively review and revise beneficiary designations on all relevant accounts.
Understanding State Laws: Familiarize yourself with your state’s automatic revocation laws and how they affect beneficiary designations. Ensure that these laws align with your post-divorce intentions.
Consulting with Professionals: Consult with an experienced estate planning attorney to navigate the complexities of beneficiary updates and ensure compliance with state laws and ERISA regulations.
Detailed Planning: Use specific language in property settlement agreements to address survivorship benefits associated with retirement plans and other assets. Attention to detail is essential to avoid potential conflicts and ensure that your wishes are upheld.
In conclusion, updating beneficiaries after a gray divorce is critical to estate planning. By taking proactive measures, understanding relevant laws and seeking professional guidance, you can protect your assets and secure the financial future of your loved ones. Ready to embark on your post-divorce estate planning journey? Schedule a consultation today and gain peace of mind knowing that your assets are in trusted hands. If you would like to learn more about divorce and reevaluating your estate planning, please visit our previous posts.
Divorce is a life-altering event that significantly impacts various aspects of life, including your estate plan. Clients either going through a divorce or have recently finalized one often feel uncertain about how the divorce will affect their estate. This article shares crucial aspects of revising your estate plan after a divorce, ensuring that your assets and loved ones are protected according to your current wishes.
When you get divorced, updating your estate plan is imperative, as your ex-spouse may still be entitled to certain benefits. Your estate, which includes all assets owned, might still be accessible to your ex-spouse unless changes are made. Revising your estate plan ensures that your assets are distributed according to your updated preferences. Updating your will is essential after a divorce. Your ex-spouse may still be named as the executor or beneficiary. By revising your will, you can ensure that your estate is administered by someone you trust and that your assets are distributed according to your latest intentions.
Revoking your power of attorney is a critical step post-divorce. Your ex-spouse may be able to make financial and care decisions on your behalf. It’s advisable to appoint someone you trust to handle these matters, ensuring that your affairs are managed according to your current preferences.
Beneficiary designations are often overlooked during estate planning after divorce. It’s crucial to revise these as your ex-spouse might still be listed as a beneficiary on life insurance policies, retirement accounts and other financial instruments. Updating these designations is a simple yet essential step in ensuring that your estate is distributed according to your current wishes. Your ex-spouse is likely named as a trustee or beneficiary if you have a living trust. Post-divorce, you need to revise this document to reflect your current wishes. This might include appointing a new trustee or changing the beneficiaries.
If you have minor children, your estate plan probably includes guardianship designations. Post-divorce, reassess these choices. You might want to name someone other than your ex-spouse as the guardian, ensuring that your children’s care aligns with your current wishes.
State law and the terms of your divorce decree can impact your estate plan. Understanding these implications and ensuring that your estate plan complies with legal requirements is important. An experienced estate planning attorney can provide valuable insights and guidance.
Don’t wait until the divorce is finalized. Start updating your estate plan as soon as the divorce is pending. This proactive approach ensures that your interests are protected throughout the divorce process.
Divorce significantly affects your estate plan, and it’s crucial to take timely action to revise it. Remember, updating your estate plan post-divorce is not just a legal necessity; ensuring that your assets and loved ones are protected according to your current wishes is crucial. Don’t hesitate to seek professional assistance to navigate this complex process. If you would like to read more about estate planning post divorce, please visit our previous posts.
Marital trusts help protect blended families from complicated family dynamics. Understanding marital trusts is crucial for couples looking to secure their financial future and provide for the surviving spouse tax-efficiently. This article is a guide to marital trusts, how they work and their advantages and disadvantages. With the potential to safeguard assets and ensure that they reach the intended beneficiaries, marital trusts can be an effective part of a comprehensive estate plan, particularly for those in a second marriage or a blended family.
What Is a Marital Trust?
A marital trust is a type of irrevocable trust and is crafted to benefit the surviving spouse. It allows for the managed distribution of assets, potentially safeguarding against financial imprudence or external influences.
Consider that while many couples are just fine with everything going to the surviving spouse directly and outright after one spouse dies, in some cases, there may be concerns related to the surviving spouse not being able to manage the money effectively. What would happen to the money if the surviving spouse is not good with money or is vulnerable to financial predators? Perhaps giving the entire estate outright to the spouse would run the risk that all of the money would be spent irresponsibly. A marital trust allows for both tax benefits and protections for the couple’s estate to prevent these issues from happening.
How Do Marital Trusts Work?
There are three parties involved in setting up, maintaining and ultimately passing along the trust, including a grantor, who is the person who establishes the trust; the trustee, who’s the person or organization that manages the trust and its assets; and the beneficiary. That person will eventually receive the assets in the trust once the grantor dies. The surviving spouse must be the sole beneficiary of a marital trust. Once the surviving spouse dies, the assets in the trust typically pass to surviving children. A marital trust also involves the principal, which are assets initially put into the trust.
How Do Marital Trusts Assist Blended Families?
For blended families, using a marital trust is becoming more popular as a means to help protect assets to a surviving spouse, and the inheritance of children from previous marriages. If one or both spouses in a second marriage have children from a prior marriage, both spouses typically want to ensure that their kids get an inheritance at some point in the future. While most married couples prioritize their spouse as the primary beneficiary, after the surviving spouse passes away, if the couple’s estate plan gives everything directly to the surviving spouse, that arrangement would run the risk that the children from a prior marriage of the deceased spouse would be cut off from receiving an inheritance.
While couples want to assume that a surviving spouse will protect the rights of children from their spouse’s previous marriage, without legal safeguards, the estate of the surviving spouse can be changed to cut out individuals named as beneficiaries after their spouse’s death. Having a marital trust for the surviving spouse ensures that this change can’t happen.
What Are Other Situations in Which a Couple Should Consider Using a Marital Trust?
Additional situations in which a couple might consider using a marital trust include wanting to prevent undue influence of an outside person or party over the surviving spouse. This usually is a concern for older couples when the surviving spouse is in declining health or may have early onset of dementia, and there’s a concern they may be vulnerable to being taken advantage of financially. Another motivation for a marital trust includes a spouse who has an addiction that prevents them from making sound financial choices.
Did Actor Tony Curtis Disinherit His Children Due to Undue Influence?
In 2010, when Actor Tony Curtis died, his five children were left out of their father’s inheritance in a last-minute decision shortly before his death, notes MoneyWise article, “Hollywood legend Tony Curtis cut his kids out of his will and $60 million fortune when he died. Here’s how to avoid leaving behind messy inheritance disputes.” While Curtis did have a will, he decided to leave the majority of his assets to his fifth wife, Jill, and intentionally disinherit his children. The change to his estate plan came only a few months before his death, which raised suspicions within the family. Some of the Curtis children opened estate disputes in the years following his death to challenge the disinheritance, causing additional pain and separation within their family. If Curtis were subject to the undue influence of his fifth wife, Jill, as some of the Curtis children claimed, then a trust could have protected them from being disinherited.
What Are the Benefits of Having a Marital Trust?
Marital trusts are significant in estate planning for high-net-worth individuals, serving as a tool to minimize the estate tax burden by taking advantage of estate tax exemptions. A married couple can significantly reduce or eliminate estate taxes by utilizing a marital trust.
The surviving spouse can receive income and financial stability from the trust.
Assets are kept in the family, and the inheritance intended for children from previous marriages is protected.
Estate Tax Exemptions with a Marital Trust
One of the most significant benefits of a marital trust is its impact on estate taxes. A marital trust effectively doubles the estate tax exemption for a married couple, ensuring that a more significant portion of their wealth can be transferred tax-free. In the context of the federal estate tax, this can result in substantial tax savings and financial security for the surviving spouse and any other designated beneficiaries.
The Unlimited Marital Deduction in Action
The unlimited marital deduction is a cornerstone of marital trust planning. It allows the first spouse to pass assets to the surviving spouse without incurring estate taxes at the time of the first spouse’s death. This deduction is a critical aspect of marital trusts, ensuring that the income to the surviving spouse provides the necessary financial support without an immediate tax burden.
Are There Disadvantages of Using a Marital Trust?
While a marital trust offers many benefits, it’s essential to consider any limitations or drawbacks, such as loss of flexibility once established.
Once established, an irrevocable trust cannot be easily altered or terminated.
Estate tax exemption is limited based on the federal estate tax threshold.
Marital trusts, like other types of trusts, require that assets be moved into the trust, a process that can be lengthy or overlooked.
Establishing a Marital Trust with an Experienced Estate Planning Attorney
Setting up a marital trust is a complicated form of estate planning that involves several steps, including choosing a trustee to manage the trust assets, determining the terms under which the trust assets will be managed and distributed and ensuring that the couple’s property is held in trust. When couples have complex family situations, including blended families or a spouse with vulnerabilities, a marital trust provides for the financial well-being of the surviving spouse. It also ensures that assets are preserved for future generations.
An experienced estate planning attorney can help a couple assess if a marital trust is the right instrument to help protect their blended family as a part of a comprehensive estate plan. If you would like to learn more about planning for blended families, please visit our previous posts.
Be cautious using portability in a second marriage estate plan. Despite its advantages, portability isn’t always the solution, even as it’s been used to take the pressure off couples to focus on using as much estate and gift tax exclusion as possible after the first spouse’s death. According to a recent article from Wealth Management,“Portability and Second Marriages,” portability might be a mistake.
The couple and their estate planning attorney need to consider whether leaving the executor with the discretion to use portability is appropriate, and if it is, who the executor should be and how the estate tax burden should be allocated.
The problem with portability in nonstandard families is this: it allows the surviving spouse to use the DSUE (Deceased Spouse’s Unused Exemption) amount personally, instead of requiring it be used for the beneficiaries of the first spouse to die. It’s almost like leaving assets outright to the surviving spouse. In the case of a testate decedent, Treasury regulations provide that only the executor may make the portability elections. The executor should probably not be also a beneficiary and should not be responsible for making the portability election.
Let’s say the estate isn’t large enough to require an estate tax return filing. If the executor is a child from a prior marriage, they may not choose to incur the expense of filing an estate tax return solely to make the portability election for the second spouse. Instead of having the family involved in a disagreement over the need for a return or determining who will pay for its preparation, a better option is to have the estate plan direct whether an estate tax return should be filed to elect portability and if this is done, establish who is responsible for the cost of the preparation and filing.
In complex families with children from a prior marriage, a Qualified Terminable Interest Property (QTIP) trust is used for the surviving spouse, with the trust assets eventually passing to the client’s descendants. However, if the QTIP trust is combined with portability, the estate plan may not operate as intended.
Here’s an example. Ted marries Alba several years after his first wife, Janine dies. Ted has three children from his marriage to Janine. He bequeaths most of his estate to a QTIP trust for Alba and the remainder to his children, naming Alba his executor. At Ted’s death, Alba elects QTIP treatment for the trust and portability. She then makes gifts of her assets to her family using Ted’s DSUE amount. Alba dies with an estate equal to her basic exclusion amount, which she also leaves to her family. The QTIP trust pays estate tax, and Ted’s children receive no benefit from Ted’s exclusion amount.
Even if Alba didn’t make gifts to her family, assuming her estate was large enough to absorb most of her applicable exclusion amount (including the DSUE), the QTIP trust would have to contribute to pay the estate taxes attributed to it unless the estate plan waives reimbursement. Thus, the QTIP trust could bear most or all of the estate tax at the death of the second spouse, while the second spouse’s personal assets are sheltered in part by the deceased spouse’s DSUE amount.
In cases like this, the prudent course of action may be to use traditional credit shelter/marital deduction planning. If there’s a DSUE amount available, the estate plan could direct whether it will be used and how the tax burden on the QTIP trust is handled.
Be cautious using portability in a second marriage estate plan. An experienced estate planning attorney will look at the family’s situation holistically and evaluate which strategies are most appropriate to distribute the property per the parent’s wishes to minimize taxes and ensure that the estate plan achieves its goals. If you would like to read more about estate planning for second marriages, please visit our previous posts.
Protecting assets in a second marriage can be a challenge. Parents in second marriages may want to leave assets to their children and try to make sure that their stepchildren don’t inherit. However, if stepchildren inherit, it can create resentment leading to legal disputes that can cost the estate significantly in delay and attorney fees.
AOL’s recent article, “How to Protect Assets From Stepchildren,” says that taking specific estate planning steps will let you effectively protect your assets from stepchildren.
If a stepchild inherits some of your assets, your children may feel cheated out of their rightful inheritance. Therefore, they may contest any awards to stepchildren to protect their interests.
Your children will be recognized as heirs to your estate even without a will naming them as beneficiaries. Stepchildren don’t have the same rights.
In most cases, they won’t inherit from a deceased stepparent’s estate unless specifically listed as beneficiaries in the will. However, stepchildren still may receive assets from your estate if your spouse dies after you and leaves assets to their children. Preventing stepchildren from ever getting assets from your estate can be done. However, it requires definite action to exclude them as beneficiaries.
If your spouse from a second or later marriage dies first, you usually don’t have to do anything to prevent stepchildren from receiving assets you control.
Even after an intestate death that happens without a valid will, stepchildren typically aren’t recognized as having any right to assets in the estate. However, some states grant stepchildren some rights of inheritance. Ask an experienced estate planning attorney about this.
In addition, a will can name specific people, including stepchildren, and exclude them from receiving benefits from the estate.
Using a trust, you can ALSO prevent stepchildren from getting assets from your estate after you die.
This can help avoid conflicts and potential litigation from children upset because stepchildren received assets from the estate.
Protecting assets in a second marriage can be a challenge. Remember that if you fail to act, stepchildren can still benefit even at the expense of your children if, for example, you die before your spouse, who then names their children as beneficiaries of the estate. If you would like to learn more about remarriage protection, please visit our previous posts.
Blended families have estate planning challenges differing from traditional families, explains a recent article from The Record Courier, “Estate Planning for Blended Families.” A blended family is one where one or both partners have children from a prior marriage. The details vary, but the concern is the same: the possibility for the children to be disinherited if after one spouse dies, the surviving spouse reduces or eliminates any provisions made for the deceased spouse’s children. Protecting inheritances in a blended family becomes a major priority.
A well-drafted estate plan, created by an experienced estate planning attorney, can address this issue to ensure that the deceased spouse’s children are protected and provided for after the death of their parent.
When creating the estate plan, consider what would happen if the surviving spouse remarried. This frames the drafting process in an optimal way for the children. Provisions should be made to protect them and a number of strategies may be used.
A simple last will and testament or even a revocable trust with no provisions typically won’t be enough to address the complex needs of a blended family. When the first spouse dies, the surviving spouse remains free to change the terms of their will, which could place the children of the deceased spouse at a disadvantage.
Designating an independent fiduciary can help ensure that the children of the deceased spouse have sufficient assets. The independent fiduciary can protect the children’s interests with no risk of self-dealing. An oversight by an independent fiduciary also minimizes the chances of conflict between children and stepparents.
A properly designed estate plan protects the children of both parents, regardless of which spouse dies first. One commonly-used strategy is to create a trust leaving the assets to the surviving spouse during the spouse’s lifetime but then passes the remaining assets to the children of the deceased spouse.
Another option is to divide the estate upon the death of the first spouse, with half the estate protected for the children of the deceased spouse. The surviving spouse has access to those assets for certain needs. However, limitations may be put into place. This is applicable if the two partners bring assets of equal size to the marriage.
In some cases, the strategy to ensure that children receive the assets intended for them upon their parent’s death is to leave them to the children outside of the trust, passing them directly by naming the children as designated beneficiaries on select accounts and/or life insurance policies.
If the children are minors, creating a separate trust may be an optimal means of protecting inheritances in a blended family.
A premarital or post-nuptial agreement is also used to clarify the rights and responsibilities of each spouse during the marriage and can also be used to specify the children’s living situation and expenses and require assets to be used to maintain their standard of living.
With mindful and comprehensive estate planning, couples can leave a financial legacy for all of their children, while still providing for surviving spouses. If you would like to learn more about blended families, please visit our previous posts.
Even the most amicable divorce requires a review and update of your estate planning, as explained in a recent article from yahoo! finance, “I’m Divorcing. Will That Impact My Estate Planning?” This includes your will, power of attorney and other documents. Not getting this part of divorce right can have long-term repercussions, even after your death.
Last will and testament. If you don’t have a will, you should get this started. Why? If anything unexpected occurs, like dying while your divorce is in process, the people you want to receive your worldly goods will actually receive them, and the people you don’t want to receive your property won’t. If you do have a will and an estate plan and if your will leaves all of your property to your soon-to-be ex-spouse, then you may want to change it. Just a suggestion.
State laws handle assets in a will differently. Therefore, talk with your estate planning attorney and be sure your will is updated to reflect your new status, even before your divorce is finalized.
Trusts. The first change is to remove your someday-to-be ex-spouse as a trustee, if this is how you set up the trust. If you don’t have a trust and have children or others you would want to inherit assets, now might be the time to create a trust.
A Domestic Asset Protection Trust (DAPT) could be used to transfer assets to a trustee on behalf of minor children. The assets would not be considered marital property, so your spouse would not be entitled to them. However, a DAPT is an irrevocable trust, so once it’s created and funded, you would not be able to access these assets.
Review insurance policies. You’ll want to remove your spouse from insurance policies, especially life insurance. If you have young children with your spouse and you are sharing custody, you may want to keep your ex as a beneficiary, especially if that was ordered by the court. If you received your health insurance through your spouse’s plan, you’ll need to look into getting your own coverage after the divorce.
Power of Attorney. If your spouse is listed as your financial power of attorney and your healthcare power of attorney, there are steps you’ll need to take to make this change. First, you have to notify the person in writing to tell them a change is being made. This is especially urgent if you are reducing or eliminating their authority over your financial and legal affairs. You may only change or revoke a power of attorney in writing. Most states have specific language required to do this, and a local estate planning attorney can help do this properly.
You also have to notify all interested parties. This includes anyone who might regularly work with your power of attorney, or who should know this change is being made.
Divide Retirement Accounts. How these assets are divided depends on what kind of accounts they are and when the earnings were received. The court must issue a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) before defined contribution plans can be split. The judge must sign this document, which allows plan administrators to enforce it. This applies to 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans and any plans governed under ERISA (Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974).
Divorce is stressful enough, and it may feel overwhelming to add estate planning into the mix. However, divorce really requires a complete review of your estate planning. Doing so will prevent many future problems and unwanted surprises. If you would like to learn more about the effects of divorce on your planning, please visit our previous posts.
Information in our blogs is very general in nature and should not be acted upon without first consulting with an attorney. Please feel free to contact Texas Trust Law to schedule a complimentary consultation.
