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when mom refuses to get an Estate Plan

Take Advantage of Tax Laws Now

The pundits are saying that the if Democrats win the White House and possibly Congress, expect changes to income, gift generation skipping transfer and estate taxes. This recent article from Forbes says that you should take advantage of tax laws now.

Since 2000, the estate and gift tax exemption has taken a leap from $675,000 and a top marginal rate of 55% to an exemption of $11.58 million and a top marginal rate of 40%. However, it’s not permanent. If Congress does nothing, the tax laws go back in 2026 to a $5.6 million exemption and a top marginal rate of 55%. The expectation is that if Biden wins in November, and if Congress enacts the changes published in his tax plan, the exemption will fall to $3.5 million, and the top marginal rate will jump to 70%.

The current exemption and tax rate may be as good as it gets.

If you make a taxable gift today, you can effectively make the current tax laws permanent for you and your family. The gift will be reported in the year it is made, and the tax laws that are in effect when the gift is made will permanently applicable. Even if the tax laws change in the future, which is always a possibility, there have been proposed regulations published by the IRS that say the new tax laws will not be imposed on taxable gifts made in prior years.

Let’s say you make an outright taxable gift today of $11.58 million, or $23.16 million for a married couple. That gift amount, and any income and appreciation from the date of the gift to the date of death will not be taxed later in your estate. The higher $11.58 million exemption from the Generation Skipping Transfer Tax (GSTT) can also be applied to these gifts.

Of course, you’ll need to have enough assets to make a gift and still be financially secure. Don’t give a gift, if it means you won’t be able to support your spouse and family. To take advantage of the current tax laws now, you’ll need to make a gift that exceeds the reversionary exemption of $3.5 million. One way to do this is to have each spouse make a gift of the exemption amount to a Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT), a trust for the benefit of the other spouse for that spouse’s lifetime.

Be mindful that such a trust may draw attention from the IRS, because when two people make gifts to trusts for each other, which leaves each of them in the same economic position, the gifts are ignored and the assets in the trusts are included in their estate. The courts have ruled, however, that if the trusts are different from each other, based on the provisions in the trusts, state laws and even the timing of the creation and funding of the trusts may be acceptable.

These types of trusts need to be properly administered and aligned with the overall estate plan. Who will inherit the assets, and under what terms?

A word of caution: these are complex trusts and take time to create. Time may be running out. Take advantage of the tax laws now and speak with a skilled estate planning attorney. To learn more about the effects of tax law on estate planning, please view our previous posts here.

Reference: Forbes (July 17, 2020) “Use It Or Lose It: Locking In the $11.58 Million Unified Credit”

 

when mom refuses to get an Estate Plan

Planning For Incapacity Is Important

Planning for incapacity is important, just as important as planning for death. One is certain, the other is extremely likely. Therefore, it makes sense to prepare in advance, advises the article “Planning ahead for incapacity helps you and family” from The Press-Enterprise.

Let’s start by defining capacity. Each state has its own language but for the most part, incapacity means that a person is incapable of making decisions or performing certain acts. A concerned adult child is usually the one trying to have a senior parent declared incapacitated.

A person who has a mental or physical disorder may still be capable of entering into a contract, getting married, making medical decisions, executing wills or trusts, or performing other actions. However, before a person is declared incapacitated by medical professionals or a court, having a plan in place makes a world of difference for the family or trusted person who will be caring for them. Certain legal documents are needed.

Power of Attorney. This is the primary document needed when planning for incapacity. There are several kinds, and an estate planning attorney will know which one will be best for your situation. A “springing” power of attorney becomes effective, only when a person is deemed incapacitated and continues throughout their incapacity. A POA can be general, broadly authorizing a named person to act on different matters, like finances, determining where you will live, entering into contracts, caring for pets, etc. A POA can also be drafted with limited and specific powers, like to sell a car within a certain timeframe.

The POA can be activated before you become incapacitated. Let’s say that you are diagnosed with early-stage dementia. You may still have legal capacity but might wish a trusted family member to help handle matters. For elderly people who feel more comfortable having someone else handle their finances or the sale of their home, a POA can be created to allow a trusted individual to act on their behalf for these specific tasks.

A POA is a powerful document. A POA gives another person control of your life. Yes, your named agent has a fiduciary duty to put your interests first and could be sued for mismanagement or abuse. However, the goal of a POA is to protect your interests, not put them at risk. Choosing a person to be your POA must be done with care. You should also be sure to name an alternate POA. A POA expires on your death, so the person will not be involved in any decisions regarding your estate, burial or funeral arrangements. That is the role of the executor, named in your will.

Advance health care directive, or living will, provides your instructions about medical care. This document is one that most people would rather not think about. However, it is very important if your wishes are to be followed. It explains what kind of medical care you do or do not want, in the event of dementia, a stroke, coma or brain injury. It gets into the details: do you want resuscitation, mechanical ventilation or feeding tubes to keep you alive? It can also be used for post-death wishes concerning autopsies, organ donation, cremation or burial.

The dramatic events of 2020 have taught us all that we don’t know what is coming in the near future. Planning for incapacity in advance is a kindness to yourself and your family. More posts about incapacity and end of life decisions can be reached here.

Reference: The Press-Enterprise (July 19, 2020) “Planning ahead for incapacity helps you and family”

 

when mom refuses to get an Estate Plan

Planning An Estate After A Divorce

Planning an estate after a divorce involves adopting a different type of arithmetic. Without a spouse to anchor an estate plan, the executors, trustees, guardians or agents under a power of attorney and health care proxies will have to be chosen from a more diverse pool of those that are connected to you.

Wealth Advisor’s recent article entitled “How to Revise Your Estate Plan After Divorce” explains that beneficiary forms tied to an IRA, 401(k), 403(b) and life insurance will need to be updated to show the dissolution of the marriage.

There are usually estate planning terms that are included in agreements created during the separation and divorce. These may call for the removal of both spouses from each other’s estate planning documents and retirement accounts. For example, in New York, bequests to an ex-spouse in a will prepared during the marriage are voided after the divorce. Even though the old will is still valid, a new will has the benefit of realigning the estate assets with the intended recipients.

However, any trust created while married is treated differently. Revocable trusts can be revoked, and the assets held by those trusts can be part of the divorce. Irrevocable trusts involving marital property are less likely to be dissolved, and after the death of the grantor, distributions may be made to an ex-spouse as directed by the trust.

A big task in the post-divorce estate planning process is changing beneficiaries. Ask for a change of beneficiary forms for all retirement accounts. Without a stipulation in the divorce decree ending their interest, an ex-spouse still listed as beneficiary of an IRA or life insurance policy may still receive the proceeds at your death.

Divorce makes children assume responsibility at an earlier age. Adult children in their 20s or early 30s typically assume the place of the ex-spouse as fiduciaries and health care proxies, as well as agents under powers of attorney, executors and trustees.

If the divorcing parents have minor children, they must choose a guardian in their wills to care for the children, in the event that both parents pass away.

Ask an experienced estate planning attorney to help you with the issues that are involved in planning an estate after a divorce. There are other important times in your life when you should review your planning.  To learn more, please read our previous posts.

Reference: Wealth Advisor (July 7, 2020) “How to Revise Your Estate Plan After Divorce”

 

when mom refuses to get an Estate Plan

Asset Protection In Estate Planning

You can make asset protection part of your estate planning.  Forbes’ recent article entitled “Three Estate Planning Techniques That Protect Your Assets From Creditors” explains that the key to knowing if your assets might be susceptible to attachment in litigation is the fraudulent conveyance laws. These laws make a transfer void, if there’s explicit or constructive fraud during the transfer. Explicit fraud is when you know that it is likely an existing creditor will try to attach your assets. Constructive fraud is when you transfer an asset, without receiving reasonably equivalent consideration. Since these laws void the transfer, a future creditor can attach your assets.

Getting reasonably equivalent consideration for a transfer of assets will eliminate the transfer being treated as constructive fraud. Reasonably equivalent consideration includes:

  • Funding a protective trust at death to provide for your spouse or children
  • Asset transfer in return for interest in an LLC or LLP; or
  • A transfer that exchanges for an annuity (or other interest) that protects the principal from claims of creditors.

Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) can be an asset protection entity, because when assets are transferred into the LLC, your creditors have limited rights to get their hands on them. Like a corporation, your interest in the LLC can be attached. However, you can place restrictions on the sale or transfer of interests that can decrease its value and define the term by which sale proceeds must be paid out. An LLC must be treated as a business for the courts to treat them as a business. Thus, if you use the LLC as if it were your personal property, courts will disregard the LLC and treat it as personal property.

Annuities are created when you exchange assets for the right to get payment over time. Unlike annuities sold by insurance companies, these annuities are private. These annuities are similar to insurance company annuities, in that they have some income tax consequences, but protect the principal against attachment.

You can also ask an experienced estate planning attorney about trusts that use annuities, which are called split interest trusts. There is a trust where you (the Grantor) give assets but keep the right to receive payments, which can be a fixed amount annually with a Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (or GRAT.)

Another trust allows you to get a variable amount, based on the value of the assets in the trust each year. This is a Grantor Retained Uni-Trust or GRUT. If the assets are vacant land or other tangible property, or being gifted to someone who’s not your sibling, parent, child, or other descendant, you can keep the income from the assets by using a Grantor Retained Income Trust (or GRIT).

Along with a trust where you make a gift to an individual, you can protect the trust assets and get a charitable deduction, if you make a gift to charity through trusts. There are two types of trust for this purpose: a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) lets you keep an annuity or a variable payment annually, with the remainder of the trust assets going to charity at the end of the term; and a Charitable Lead Trust (CLT) where you give a fixed of variable annuity to charity for a term and the remainder either back to you or to others.

To get the most from your asset protection, work with an experienced estate planning attorney. To learn more about asset protection and other ways to secure your planning, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Forbes (June 25, 2020) “Three Estate Planning Techniques That Protect Your Assets From Creditors”

 

when mom refuses to get an Estate Plan

Inherited IRAs Require Care

For those who inherit IRAs, the intersection of taxes, estate law and financial planning can be a tricky place. There are many choices, maybe too many, and making the wrong choice can be costly, according to the recent article “6 inherited IRA rules all beneficiaries must know” from Bankrate. This is why inherited IRAs require care.

There are two categories of beneficiaries. Surviving spouses, minor children, chronically ill or disabled individuals, or someone who is not less than 10 years younger than the original owner are subject to one set of rules. Everyone else has another set of rules.

You’ll need to know if the original owner had taken any RMDs—required minimum distributions—before they passed.

Did you want to minimize taxes, or is it more important for you to maximize cash distribution?

These are just a few of the issues to be addressed. Already complicated, inherited IRAs got even more complicated because of the SECURE Act, which changed some longstanding practices. Some experts tell beneficiaries not to do anything, until they meet with an estate planning attorney. The worst thing someone could do is make a wrong step and lose half of the IRA to taxes.

Here are the six rules for the careful handling of inherited IRAs:

1–Spouses have the most flexibility. The surviving spouse may treat the IRA as her own, naming herself as the owner. She can also roll it over into another account, such as another IRA or a qualified employer plan (including 403(b) plans). She could also treat herself as the beneficiary of the plan. However, each choice leads to further choices and decisions. She might let the IRA grow in the account until she reaches age 72, the new age for RMDs. Or she can roll the IRA into an IRA of her own, which lets her then name her own beneficiary.

2—When do you want to take the money? If you fall into the category of surviving spouses, minor children, chronically ill or disabled individuals, or someone who is not less than ten years younger than the original owner, then you can take the distributions over your own life expectancy. That’s the “stretch” option. Otherwise, you need to take distributions from the account over ten years, according to the SECURE Act. Depending on the size of the IRA, that could be a nasty tax bill. You can take as little or as much as you want, but by year ten after the owner’s death, the account must be empty.

3—Know about year of death required distributions. If the owner of the IRA did not take his RMD in the year of his death, beneficiaries are required to do so. If a parent dies in early January, for example, it’s not likely he took his RMD. The IRS doesn’t care if you didn’t know—you’ll be liable for a penalty of 50% of the amount that wasn’t taken out. If someone dies close to the end of the year, it’s possible that heirs might not know about the accounts until after the deadline has passed. If the deceased was not yet 70½, there is no-year-of-death distribution.

4—Get all the breaks you can—tax breaks. For estates subject to the estate tax, IRA beneficiaries will get an income-tax deduction for estate taxes paid on the account. The taxable income earned but not received by the deceased is called “income in respect of a decedent.” When someone takes a distribution from an IRA, it’s treated as taxable income. However, the decedent’s estate is paying a federal estate tax, so beneficiaries get an income-tax deduction for estate taxes paid on the inherited IRA. For a $1 million income in an inherited IRA, there could be a $350,000 deduction offset against that.

5—Beneficiary forms matter. An entire estate plan can be undone by a missing beneficiary form, or one that is not filled out correctly or is ambiguous. If there is no designated beneficiary form and the account goes to the estate, the beneficiary will need to take the distribution from the IRA in five years. Forms that aren’t updated, are missing, or don’t clearly identify the individuals create all kinds of expensive headaches.

6—Improperly drafted trusts are trouble. If they are done wrong, a trust can limit beneficiary options in a big way. If the provisions in the trust are not properly drafted, some custodians won’t be able to see through the trust to determine the qualified beneficiaries. Any ability to maximize the time to take money out of an IRA could be lost. An experienced estate planning attorney who knows the rules about inherited IRAs and trusts is a must.

Reference: Bankrate (July 17, 2020) “6 inherited IRA rules all beneficiaries must know”

 

when mom refuses to get an Estate Plan

Do You Need a Medigap Policy?

Do You need a Medigap policy? Medigap supplemental policies are sold by private insurance companies and either fully or partially cover cost-sharing aspects of Medicare Part A (hospital coverage) and Part B (outpatient care). However, one thing that feeds into the premium cost is how the insurer “rates” its Medigap policies, explains  CNBC’s recent article entitled “A ‘Medigap’ policy picks up some costs that Medicare won’t. Here are tips for choosing one.”

In fact, some insurers will provide discounts for two Medigap policies in the same household. Therefore, you would want to understand a carrier’s premium rating system, its claims history and the caliber of its customer service department. Don’t buy a policy just based on the cost.

About 62.3 million people, most of whom are 65 or older, are enrolled in Medicare. About a third of beneficiaries opt to get their Part A (hospital coverage) and Part B (outpatient care) benefits through an Advantage Plan (Part C). Those plans offer out-of-pocket limits and frequently will have dental and vision coverage or other benefits. They also typically provide Part D prescription drug coverage. The rest use original Medicare — Parts A and B — and, typically, add a standalone Part D prescription plan. In that scenario, unless you have some other type of coverage (i.e., employer-sponsored insurance or you get extra coverage from Medicaid), the option for lowering your out-of-pocket costs is a Medigap policy.

When you initially enroll in Part B, you have six months to buy a Medigap policy without an insurance company reviewing your health history and deciding whether to insure you. After this period ends, depending on the specifics of your situation and the state in which you reside, you may have to go through underwriting.

The reasons to buy a Medigap policy are different for each individual. A big difference in premiums can come from how they are “rated.” If you know this, it may help you to appreciate what may happen to your premium in the future. There are some insurers’ Medigap policies that are “community-rated.” This means everyone who buys a particular policy pays the same rate, no matter what their age. Other plans are based on “attained age.” That means the rate you receive at purchase, is based upon your age and will go up as you get older. A few others use “issue age,” where the rate will stay the same as you age, but it’s based on your age at the time you purchase the policy.

Your premiums also may jump from year to year due to other factors, like inflation and insurer increases.

Remember to see if there’s a household discount. Many insurers have this, and it can save 3% to 14%.

If you would like to learn more about obtaining other policies, like life insurance, please read some of our previous posts.

Reference: CNBC (June 15, 2020) “A ‘Medigap’ policy picks up some costs that Medicare won’t. Here are tips for choosing one”

 

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Legislation to Prevent Medicare Mistakes

More older workers are remaining in the workplace. In 2016, about 60% of 65-year-olds were receiving Social Security benefits, compared to 92% in 2002. Consumer advocates expect that change to result in a growing number of older people making expensive mistakes, when they enroll in basic Medicare, says the article “Bipartisan bill to prevent costly Medicare mistakes advances in the house” from CNBC.com. The hope is that the bill will make Medicare a little easier to understand. The legislation to prevent costly Medicare mistakes cleared a House committee as part of a group of bipartisan health-care bills. Next up would be a vote by the full chamber.

There’s a companion bill in the Senate, but it’s stuck in the Finance Committee. The House bill, known as the BENES Act, has several goals. One is to eliminate delays between the time that someone signs up and the time that they are covered by Medicare. Another is to offer more outreach and information about Medicare to people, as they get closer to being eligible at 65.

About 62.4 million Americans—most of whom are 65 or older—are enrolled in Medicare. Most people do end up tapping their Social Security benefits before that time, and they are automatically enrolled, but today many more people are delaying their benefits beyond that age. As a result, the expectation is that many more people are going to make expensive mistakes, when they do go to enroll in basic Medicare. That includes Part A, for hospital coverage and Part B, for outpatient care and medical equipment. There are no late-enrollment penalties for Part A but coming late to Part B can lead to a world of trouble.

The penalty for enrolling late to Part B is 10% of the standard premium for each 12-month period that the person should have been enrolled but wasn’t and worse, it can increase each year as the premium adjusts. Sixty-five-year-olds who fit into the exception category—that is, they have group health insurance at work—are allowed to delay enrolling. However, once they leave that group, they face deadlines.

Last year, as many as 764,000 people paid the Part B late-enrollment penalty, which on average pushed their premiums up by 28%. Based on the 2020 standard Part B premium, that would mean an additional $40 per month (although some pay more or less than the standard).

There is also a serious coverage delay for those who sign up during the general enrollment period (that’s January 1 to March 31), if they missed their initial signup window, which means they aren’t covered until July 1. You could sign up on January 2 and not have health coverage until July!

The legislation also requires that the Health and Human Services Secretary submit a report on how to most effectively align the early year general enrollment period for Parts A and B with the annual fall open enrollment period, which is for enrollment for different parts of Medicare: Part C Advantage Plans and Part D prescription drug plans.

Reference: CNBC.com (July 16, 2020) “Bipartisan bill to prevent costly Medicare mistakes advances in the house”

 

when mom refuses to get an Estate Plan

What Happens When a Will Is Challenged?

What happens when a will is challenged? A last will and testament is a legally binding contract that determines who will get a person’s assets. However, according to the article “Can you prevent someone from challenging your will?” in the Augusta Free Press, it is possible for someone to bring a legal challenge.

Most will contests are centered around five key reasons:

  • The deceased had a more recent will.
  • The will was not signed voluntarily.
  • The deceased was incapacitated, when she signed the will.
  • The will was not signed in front of the right number of witnesses.
  • The will was signed under some kind of duress or mental impairment.

What is the best way to lessen the chances of someone challenging your will? Take certain steps when the will is created, including:

Be sure your will is created by an estate planning attorney. Just writing your wishes on a piece of paper and signing and dating the paper is not the way to go. Certain qualifications must be met, which they vary by state. In some states, one witness is enough for a will to be properly executed. In others, there must be two and they can’t be beneficiaries.

The will must state the names of the intended beneficiaries. If you want someone specific to be excluded, you’ll have to state their name and that you want them to be excluded. A will should also name a guardian, if your children are minors.  It should also contain the name of an alternate executor, in case the primary executor predeceases you or cannot serve.

What about video wills? First, make a proper paper will. If you feel the need to be creative, make a video. In many states, a video will is not considered to be valid. A video can also become confusing, especially if what you say in the paper will is not exactly the same as what’s in the video. Discrepancies can lead to will contests.

Don’t count on those free templates. Downloading a form from a website seems like a simple solution, but some of the templates online are not up to date. They also might not reflect the laws in your state. If you own property, or your estate is complex, a downloaded form could create confusion and lead to family battles.

Tell your executor where your will is kept. If no one can find your will, people you may have wanted to exclude from your estate will have a better chance of succeeding in a will challenge. You should also tell your executor about any trusts, insurance policies and any assets that are not listed in the will.

Don’t expect that everything will go as you planned. Prepare for things to go sideways, to protect your loved ones. It is costly, time-consuming and stressful to bring an estate challenge, but the same is true on the receiving end. If you want your beneficiaries to receive the assets you intend for them, a good estate planning attorney is the right way to go.

To learn more about wills and how they can be contested, take a look at our previous posts about Probate.

Reference: Augusta Free Press (July 12, 2020) “Can you prevent someone from challenging your will?”

 

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Neglecting to Fund a Trust

Neglecting to fund a trust is a surprisingly common mistake, and one that can undo the best estate and tax plans. Many people put it on the back burner, then forget about it, says the article “Don’t Overlook Your Trust Funding” from Forbes.

Done properly, trust funding helps avoid probate, provides for you and your family in the event of incapacity and helps save on estate taxes.

Creating a revocable trust gives you control. With a revocable trust, you can make changes to the trust while you are living, including funding. Think of a trust like an empty box—you can put assets in it now, or after you pass. If you transfer assets to the trust now, however, your executor won’t have to do it when you die.

Note that if you don’t put assets in the trust while you are living, those assets will go through the probate process. While the executor will have the authority to transfer assets, they’ll have to get court approval. That takes time and costs money. It is best to do it while you are living.

A trust helps if you become incapacitated. You may be managing the trust while you are living, but what happens if you die or become too sick to manage your own affairs? If the trust is funded and a successor trustee has been named, the successor trustee will be able to manage your assets and take care of you and your family. If the successor trustee has control of an empty, unfunded trust, a conservatorship may need to be appointed by the court to oversee assets.

There’s a tax benefit to trusts. For married people, trusts are often created that contain provisions for estate tax savings that defer estate taxes until the death of the second spouse. Income is provided to the surviving spouse and access to the principal during their lifetime. The children are usually the ultimate beneficiaries. However, the trust won’t work if it’s empty.

Depending on where you live, a trust may benefit you with regard to state estate taxes. Putting money in the trust takes it out of your taxable estate. You’ll need to work with an estate planning attorney to ensure that the assets are properly structured. For instance, if your assets are owned jointly with your spouse, they will not pass into a trust at your death and won’t be outside of your taxable estate.

Move the right assets to the right trust. It’s very important that any assets you transfer to the trust are aligned with your estate plan. Taxable brokerage accounts, bank accounts and real estate are usually transferred into a trust. Some tangible assets may be transferred into the trust, as well as any stocks from a family business or interests in a limited liability company. Your estate planning attorney, financial advisor and insurance broker should be consulted to avoid making expensive mistakes.

You’ve worked hard to accumulate assets and protecting them with a trust is a good idea. Just don’t neglect the final step of funding the trust.

Reference: Forbes (July 13, 2020) “Don’t Overlook Your Trust Funding”

 

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Do You Need a DNR in Your Estate Plan?

The rise of COVID 19 has caused many people to consider estate planning, and that is a good thing. When the discussion arrives at end of life decisions, the subject of a DNR comes up. Do you need a DNR in your estate plan? Forbes’s article entitled “Should “Do Not Resuscitate” Be Part Of Your Estate Plan?” explains the difference between a health care proxy and a DNR.

A health care proxy is a legal document that lets you name an agent to make health care decisions for you. It is used if you’re unable to make those decisions for yourself. When you were again able to communicate, you’d go back to making your decisions for yourself. The ability to create a health care proxy is governed by your state’s laws. Every state’s laws are different.

Ask an experienced estate planning attorney about a DNR and how to comply with your state’s law in creating these directives. He or she will know about health care institutions and whether they will give authority to the documents you created. If they won’t, your named agent would have to go to court to enforce them.

You can also supplement your state’s directives with additional guidance.

Some states’ directives require a set series of instructions for your agent in your estate plan regarding your DNR. For instance, it may include questions as to whether you want life sustaining treatment and medically administered nutrition and hydration. Other states contain language that is broader. They allow the agent more latitude to decide end-of-life decisions. This language usually includes the intention that you want to be taken off life support, if you have a terminal illness or injury and your death is imminent.

A DNR is a medical order informing health care workers that they are not to revive you. It is a document that you put in place with your physician. Some states have also adopted MOLST forms (Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment) to address other situations, like intubation, ventilation and dialysis. These documents require a thorough discussion between the patient and the health care provider. They are typically part of end of life care, when a person has an advanced stage terminal illness.

If you’re relatively healthy, you want to be treated – and resuscitated – if you have a heart attack. There may be a time when you need a DNR, but most likely it’s not now. If and when that time comes, you’ll need to have a talk with your doctor and estate planning attorney about a DNR, and whether you should include it in your estate plan.

However, you should speak with your estate planning attorney about your health care proxy, especially if you don’t have one. Whether it’s during the coronavirus pandemic or not, a health care proxy is a critical part of a complete estate plan. To learn more about other important documents to include in your planning, such as a Power of Attorney or Guardianship, please read our previous posts.

Reference: Forbes (May 28, 2020) “Should “Do Not Resuscitate” Be Part Of Your Estate Plan?”

 

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.
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