What To Do If You Don’t Want To Be Kept On Ice Indefinitely

Business Attorney Woodland Hills IceFran the funeral home director called the other day. Our office had been providing ongoing legal services related to her business structure. She knew that, in addition to other services our law firm provides, one of the areas we specialize in was “dealing with the dead”.

Her problem was a unique one to most, but perhaps not something that uncommon in her industry. Her question-I have a family “feuding” over what to do with their recently deceased husband/son’s body-and she was now in the middle.

A couple of months before John had died, and while he was very ill, his wife had contacted the funeral home to pre-arrange for services and cremation. When John died his body was delivered to the funeral home to proceed with those arrangements. Shortly after the body arrived, Fran was contacted by John’s nephew who explained that due to religious reasons the body should not be cremated or disposed of in the pre-arranged manner. The wife did not agree. In the meantime, Fran had a body “on ice” at her business for who knows how long

The question: Who had the right to control the disposition of John’s remains?

John did not have did not have a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care which would have allowed him to designate who he wanted to be responsible for the disposition of his remains. Because he did not have that document, the person who had the right to control the disposition of his remains is determined by California law.

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Published in: on October 25, 2016 at 1:29 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Caring for your Companion and The Importance of Protecting Your Pet

(*Interview with Attorney KC Marie Knox starts at 9min:50sec)

Estate Planning Attorney KC Marie Knox was invited to “Love That Dog Hollywood” to speak about the importance of protecting your pet and planning in the event of a tragedy.

Our law firm has always been ahead of the curve in terms of coming up with different aspects of your estate that you should be protecting and planning for if you were to become disabled or pass on. (more…)

Published in: on November 13, 2015 at 9:59 am  Leave a Comment  
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Elder Law and Medicaid Planning: Everything You Need to Know

Estate Planning Attorney Los AngelesAttorney KC Marie Knox of Law Firm Anker, Hymes & Schreiber, LLP will be teaching a 2-day Practical Course hosted by the National Business Institute (NBI) on the subject of Elder Law and Medicaid Planning. KC Marie Knox is a Los Angeles Estate Planning Attorney who has been practicing law for over 10 years.

Don’t miss this opportunity!

  • 2 full days of elder care planning tips and trust drafting knowledge

  • Detailed procedures for pursuing a Medicaid case from start to finish

  • Leave fully prepared to represent elderly clients

(more…)

Published in: on July 22, 2015 at 11:21 am  Leave a Comment  
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IRA Beneficiary Designation: How to Turn a Modest Inheritance Into Millions for Your Family

How would you like to turn your modest tax-deferred account into millions for your family? Depending on whom you name as beneficiary, you can keep this money growing tax-deferred for not only your and your spouse’s lifetimes, but also for your children’s or grandchildren’s lifetimes. That can turn even a modest inheritance into millions.

1) Don’t I have to use this money for my retirement?

When you reach a certain age, usually 70 1/2, Uncle Sam says you must start taking your money out. (This is called your required beginning date.) But if you don’t use all this money before you die, naming the right beneficiary can keep it growing tax-deferred for decades.

2) How much will I have to take out?

Calculating the amount you must withdraw each year (your required minimum distribution) is much easier now than it used to be. Each year, you divide the year-end value of your account by a life expectancy divisor from the Uniform Lifetime Table (provided by the IRS). The result is the minimum you must withdraw for that year. You can always take out more.

For example, the divisor at age 70 is 27.4. If your year-end account balance is $100,000, you divide $100,000 by 27.4, making your first required minimum distribution $3,650. Each year the divisor is smaller, but it never goes to zero. Even at age 115 and older, the divisor is 1.9. “To recalculate or not to recalculate” is no longer an issue. Everyone now gets the benefit of recalculating their life expectancy.

3) Doesn’t my beneficiary affect my distribution?

Not any longer. Now, almost everyone uses the same chart to calculate distributions, even if you have no beneficiary. After you die, distributions are based on your beneficiary’s life expectancy (or the rest of your life expectancy if you die without one.) Naming the right beneficiary is still critical to getting the most tax-deferred growth. That’s much easier to do now, because you are no longer locked into the beneficiary you name when you take your first distribution.

Additional questions regarding IRA beneficiary designation will be posted in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, if you have any questions please contact our Estate Planning Attorney in Woodland Hills, CA today.
Published in: on November 18, 2011 at 11:21 pm  Comments (1)  
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7 Benefits of a Life Insurance Trust

  1. Provides immediate cash to pay estate taxes and other expenses after death.

  2. Reduces estate taxes by removing insurance from your estate.

  3. Inexpensive way to pay estate taxes.

  4. Proceeds avoid probate and are free from income and estate taxes.

  5. Gives you maximum control over insurance policy and how proceeds are used.

  6. Can provide income to spouse without insurance proceeds being included in spouse’s estate.

  7. Prevents court from controlling insurance proceeds if beneficiary is incapacitated.

For more information about Life Insurance Trusts, you can contact our Estate Planning Attorney in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles today.

Published in: on October 28, 2011 at 10:07 pm  Comments (5)  
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Estate Planning Attorney KC Marie Knox of Anker Reed HSC to be Adjunct Law Professor

Attorney KC Marie Knox

Los Angeles Attorney KC Marie Knox

Los Angeles Estate Planning Attorney KC Marie Knox of Anker, Reed, Hymes, Schreiber and Cohen, A Law Corporation (Anker Reed HSC) has accepted an offer to be Adjunct Law Professor at Abraham Lincoln University School of Law.

Esteemed attorney KC Marie Knox will be teaching Wills, Trusts and Estates starting this winter quarter.

About Abraham Lincoln University School of Law:

Abraham Lincoln University (ALU) provides law education via online legal programs for those desiring to take the complete program online, but ALU does not stop there in giving students what they need. ALU offers an interactive education for students so that they know where to go to get their questions answered and to discuss classroom topics.

In-classroom interaction occurs on weekday nights and weekend morning classes. Students and faculty communicate through Live Chat Rooms, even during lecture time, allowing a free-flowing discourse. Lectures are recorded and are made available online for students who missed lectures.

Students also can set up their own Live Chat Rooms serving as small study groups. While traditional law schools and law programs in California have not fully embraced the potential for online student study groups, Abraham Lincoln University School of Law has been a pioneer in creating new ways for students to engage and study through our innovative online legal programs. Abraham Lincoln University School of Law will always strive to be at the cutting edge.

Follow the link to learn more about KC Marie Knox, Estate Planning Attorney in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, Ca.

Published in: on October 7, 2011 at 7:13 pm  Comments (1)  
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When Should I Set Up an Insurance Trust? : Understanding Life Insurance Trusts

This is part 4 of the blog series discussing life insurance trusts and estate taxes.

14. When should I set up an insurance trust?

You can set up one any time, but because the trust is irrevocable, many people wait until they are in their 50s or 60s. By then, family relationships have usually settled – and you know whom you want to include as a beneficiary.

15. Are there any restrictions on transferring my existing policies to an insurance trust?

Yes. If you die within three years of the date of the transfer, it will be considered invalid by the IRS and the insurance will be included in your taxable estate. There may also be a gift tax. Be sure to discuss this with your trust attorney.

16. Can I make any changes to the trust?

An insurance trust is irrevocable, so you can’t make changes after it has been set up. Read your trust document carefully, and be sure it’s exactly what you want before you sign.

Just don’t wait too long – you could become uninsurable. And remember, if you transfer existing policies to the trust, you must live three years after the transfer for it to be valid.

17.  Should I seek professional assistance?

Yes. If you think an irrevocable insurance trust would be of value to you and your family, talk with an insurance professional, estate planning attorney, corporate trustee, or CPA who has experience with these trusts.

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Published in: on August 30, 2011 at 4:18 pm  Comments (1)  
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Who Can be Beneficiaries of the Trust? : Understanding Life Insurance Trusts

This is part 3 of the blog series discussing life insurance trusts and estate taxes.

10. Who can be beneficiaries of the trust?

You can name any person or organization you wish. Most people name their spouse, children and/or grandchildren.

11. How does an insurance trust give me control?

With an insurance trust, your trust owns the policy. The trustee you select must follow the instructions you put in your trust. And with your insurance trust as beneficiary of the policies, you will even have more control over the proceeds.

For example, your trust could allow the trustee to use the proceeds to make a loan to or purchase assets from your estate or revocable living trust, providing cash to pay expenses. You could provide your spouse with lifetime income and keep the proceeds out of both of your estates. You could keep the money in the trust for years and have the trustee make distributions as needed to trust beneficiaries, which can include your children and grandchildren. Proceeds that stay in the trust can be protected from courts, creditors (even ex-spouses) and irresponsible spending.

By contrast, if your spouse or children are beneficiaries of the policy, you will have no control over how the money is spent. If your spouse is beneficiary and you die first, all of the proceeds will be in your spouse’s taxable estate; that could create a tax problem. Also, your spouse (not you) will decide who will inherit any remaining money after he or she dies.

12. Are there other benefits to naming the trust as beneficiary of an insurance policy?

Yes. If you name an individual as beneficiary of a policy and that person is incapacitated when you die, the court will probably take control of the money. Most insurance companies will not knowingly pay to an incompetent person, and will usually insist on court supervision. But if your trust is beneficiary of the policy, the trustee can use the proceeds to provide for your loved one without court interference.

13. Where does the trustee get the money to purchase a new insurance policy?

From you, but in a special way. If you transfer money directly to the trustee, there could be a gift tax. But you can make annual tax-free gifts of up to $12,000 ($24,000 if your spouse joins you) to each beneficiary of your trust. (Amounts may increase periodically for inflation.) If you give more than this, the excess is applied to your federal gift/estate tax exemption.

Instead of making a gift directly to a beneficiary, you give it to the trustee. The trustee then notifies each one that a gift has been received on his/her behalf and, unless he/she elects to receive the gift now, the trustee will invest the funds – by paying the premium on the insurance policy. Each beneficiary must understand the consequences of taking the gift now; for example, it may reduce the trustee’s ability to pay premiums.

For additional questions on life insurance trusts and estate taxes, please contact our Trust Lawyer in Los Angeles today.

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Published in: on August 25, 2011 at 9:59 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Understanding Life Insurance Trusts: Can I be my own trustee?

This is part 2 of the blog series discussing life insurance trusts and estate taxes. 

6. What if my estate is larger than this?

 I) If the trust buys the insurance, it will not be included in your estate. So the proceeds, which are not subject to probate or income taxes, will also be free from estate taxes.

II) Insurance proceeds are available right after you die. So your assets will not have to be liquidated to pay estate taxes.

III) Life insurance can be an inexpensive way to pay estate taxes and other expenses. So you can leave more to your loved ones.

7. How does an irrevocable insurance trust work?

An insurance trust has three components. The grantor is the person creating the trust – that’s you. The trustee you select manages the trust. And the trust beneficiaries you name will receive the trust assets after you die.

The trustee purchases an insurance policy, with you as the insured, and the trust as owner and (usually) beneficiary. When the insurance benefit is paid after your death, the trustee will collect the funds, make them available to pay estate taxes and/or other expenses (including debts, legal fees, probate costs, and income taxes that may be due on IRAs and other retirement benefits), and then distribute them to the trust beneficiaries as you have instructed.

8. Can I be my own trustee?

Not if you want the tax advantages we’ve explained. Some people name their spouse and/or adult children as trustee(s), but often they don’t have enough time or experience. Many people choose a corporate trustee (bank or trust company) because they are experienced with these trusts. A corporate trustee will make sure the trust is properly administered and the insurance premiums promptly paid.

9. Why not just name someone else as owner of my insurance policy?

If someone else, like your spouse or adult child, owns a policy on your life and dies first, the cash/termination value will be in his/her taxable estate. That doesn’t help much.

But, more importantly, if someone else owns the policy, you lose control. This person could change the beneficiary, take the cash value, or even cancel the policy, leaving you with no insurance. You may trust this person now, but you could have problems later on. The policy could even be garnished to help satisfy the other person’s creditors. An insurance trust is safer – it lets you reduce estate taxes and keep control.

For additional questions on life insurance trusts and estate taxes, please contact our Estate Planning Lawyer in Woodland Hills, Ca today.

Published in: on August 9, 2011 at 11:40 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Understanding Life Insurance Trusts: How to Reduce or Eliminate Your Estate Tax Cost

This blog series will go through questions that are often asked by our clients when discussing life insurance trusts and estate taxes.

1. What does a life insurance trust do?

An irrevocable life insurance trust lets you reduce or even eliminate estate taxes, so more of your estate can go to your loved ones. It also gives you more control over your insurance policies and the money that is paid from them.

2. What are estate taxes?

Estate taxes are different from, and in addition to, probate expenses and final income taxes (which must be paid on any income you receive in the year you die). Some states also have their own death/inheritance taxes.
Federal estate taxes are expensive – the rate is 46% in 2006, 45% in 2007 and 2008 – and they must be paid in cash, usually within nine months after you die. Since few estates have this kind of cash, assets often have to be liquidated. But estate taxes can be substantially reduced or even eliminated – if you plan ahead.

3. Who has to pay estate taxes?

Your estate will have to pay estate taxes if its net value when you die is more than the “exempt” amount set by Congress at that time. Here is the current schedule:

Year of Death………..Estate Tax “Exemption”

2006, 2007 & 2008………..$2 million

2009………..$3.5 million

2010………..N/A (repealed)

2011 and thereafter………..$1 million

4. What makes up my net estate?

To determine your current net estate, add your assets then subtract your debts. Many people are surprised that insurance policies in which they have any “incidents of ownership” are included in their taxable estates. This includes policies you can borrow against, assign or cancel, or for which you can revoke an assignment, or can name or change the beneficiary.
You can see how life insurance can increase the size of your estate–and the amount of estate taxes that must be paid.

5. How does an insurance trust reduce estate taxes?

The insurance trust owns your insurance policies for you. Since you don’t personally own the insurance or have any “incidents of ownership,” it will not be included in your estate — so your estate taxes are reduced.

Let’s say you are married, with a combined net estate of $5 million, $1 million of which is life insurance. With a tax planning provision in a revocable living trust or will, you can protect up to $4 million in 2006-2008 from estate taxes. But if you die in 2006, your estate would have to pay $460,000 in estate taxes on the additional $1 million ($450,000 in 2007 and 2008). With an insurance trust, the $1 million in insurance would not be in your estate. That would save your family at least $450,000 in estate taxes.

For additional questions on life insurance trusts and estate taxes, please contact our Estate Planning Attorney in Woodland Hills, Ca today.

Published in: on July 25, 2011 at 5:04 pm  Comments (2)  
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