The Benefits of a Living Inheritance

Living Inheritance means creating a gifting strategy to donate assets to non-profits or causes that are meaningful is a standard part of many financial plans – not just estate plans. Giving can begin at any age and is often a family activity.

Just as donating assets to charities while living can be gratifying to the donor, it can also put funds to work immediately. Creating a gifting strategy that transfers assets to family and other people has similar benefits.

• Creates transparency around estate planning, so wishes are clear
• Reduces estate taxes
• Allows for control
• Provides necessary funds for education, business, or medical needs

There are some things to think through, but a living inheritance may simplify estate planning. It can also help you understand what your loved ones need and value – and how you can best help.

Understand Your Own Needs

Life expectancy is longer now, and healthcare costs in the last decades of life can be costly. You want to be sure you understand your needs and leave yourself an adequate cushion before you settle on a giving strategy and start to distribute assets.

Look carefully at your liquid and illiquid assets, any real property, and also insurance policies to understand what your needs are and what assets are genuinely available.

Gift-Tax Exclusions Are Effective, Efficient, and Repeatable

Removing assets from your estate now will reduce the tax liabilities later. Your first step should be to use your annual gift tax exclusion of $17,000 ($34,000 for a married couple filing jointly). You can make these gifts yearly, and they don’t count against the $12.92 million lifetime tax exemption.

You can also give money for education and medical expenses without incurring any tax liability.  Without counting against the lifetime exemption. Education gifts can include everything from early childhood education to graduate school, as long as the gift is paid directly to the qualified institution.

Medical expenses are a broad category that also includes insurance. This is one of the biggest expenses families can face, so helping out here can remove a considerable, recurring expense. It may also provide peace of mind, and reduce the taxable value of an estate.

Giving Appreciated Assets

Assets that have significantly appreciated – like equities with a low basis – can create a tax liability. Removing them from your portfolio by gifting shares to individuals in a lower tax bracket can be an effective way to avoid capital gains taxes. You’ll need to consider what the giftee’s needs are. That includes whether it would be better to leave these in your estate to take advantage of the step-up basis when they pass to your beneficiary. This can be a very effective giving strategy for children or grandchildren.  Especially if they are in a low enough tax bracket to pay 0% capital gains.

Be Transparent and Tailor Gifts to Needs and Preferences

As part of a Living Inheritance, giving an annual gift of the same amount to each child or grandchild, or earmarking a certain amount for each child’s education, is a good starting point. But if you desire to gift more significant amounts, think carefully about your strategy from the perspective of both the giver and recipient.

• What will the money be used for?
• Will a large gift now complicate life choices?
• Are children responsible enough to handle the funds?
• How can you shield assets if necessary?

Giving funds now can mean your loved ones get the money when needed. It can make a difference in their choices in their careers. Or it may help them achieve a personal goal, fund an artistic endeavor, or make additional education possible.

Money can change lives, and it can be gratifying to see that in action. Helping to purchase a home, or investing in a business venture, can create a path to success and help relieve stress. But it can also create stress and needs to be handled carefully.

There are two elements: ensuring that everyone understands your reasoning and creating safeguards.

Even if you have open family communication lines, be sure that you are clear and transparent in your intentions. Give everyone a chance to ask questions, be sure they understand the timing, and then memorialize the decided actions.

You may need to set up trusts to protect both the funds and the recipient or transfer property. You may decide to give funds in the form of an annuity and make regular payments. Or, you may want to set milestones to ensure that the gift’s intended purpose is met.

Having a trusted advisor such as an attorney, CPA, or financial advisor be a party to the discussions can help keep things clear for everyone.

The Bottom Line

Being in a position to create a Living Inheritance and thereby your legacy now – and hopefully see it grow and improve others’ lives – is a modern approach to wealth. Be sure that you have taken care of your own needs. Create a formal plan, and allow everyone involved to understand the amount, intent, and timing of the gift. Reducing estate taxes is a benefit of a living inheritance strategy. But that shouldn’t be the only objective.

Let Hennion & Walsh Offer a Second Opinion

Curious to learn more? Our unmatched client experience will give you peace of mind. Just as you may seek a second opinion about your health, we believe successful investors can gain value and peace of mind by getting a second opinion on their financial health. So, whether you’re worried about today’s uncertain economic environment or looking for increased peace of mind, we can help. Get a complimentary second opinion on all your investment accounts not held at Hennion & Walsh today!

Hennion & Walsh Experience

We have investment professionals, planners and portfolio managers that can collectively analyze your situation through the lens of their respective disciplines. Each member brings valuable insights to apply to your situation. Whether you are looking for income strategy guidance or growth strategy guidance, a second opinion of all your investment accounts not currently held at Hennion & Walsh could be beneficial to your financial health.

Disclosures:
Hennion & Walsh Asset Management currently has allocations within its managed money program, and Hennion & Walsh currently has allocations within certain SmartTrust® Unit Investment Trusts (UITs) consistent with several of the portfolio management ideas for consideration cited above.

Past performance does not guarantee future results. We have taken this information from sources that we believe to be reliable and accurate. Hennion and Walsh cannot guarantee the accuracy of said information and cannot be held liable. You cannot invest directly in an index. Diversification can help mitigate the risk and volatility in your portfolio but does not ensure a profit or guarantee against a loss.