An estate plan is like a car or a house: It needs regular maintenance to function as intended. Yet unlike your car or home, external events can create the need for adjustments. Among such events is legislation like the tax bill Congress passed in late December.
So this is an important time to schedule a meeting with your estate planner and be certain your plan is up-to-date. Even if your estate plan won’t be affected by the new tax law, it’s smart to confer with your estate planner periodically to be certain your current wishes are reflected in your estate planning documents.
During this checkup, you may find that your plan no longer meets all of your needs because of changes in your life and the lives of your heirs. Or you may find that your plan didn’t cover your needs from the get-go. In my experience, many clients leave their estate planner’s office with a thick folder of documents and fail to read them carefully or discuss them in detail with their planner before signing.
When you meet with a professional for a thorough evaluation and possible updating, you might ask some key question to assure your plan documents fully support your interests and those of your heirs, including these five
1. Will the new federal law affect my estate tax picture?
Estate tax is the tax that estates pay governments upon death; when it applies, there’s less left for your heirs. The federal government exempts a certain amount of an estate’s value from this tax and Congress just doubled that amount, known as the exemption. The new law eliminated tax on estates for many wealthy families.
Read More at: 5 Questions to Ask Your Estate Planner After the New Tax Law, by David Robinson, CFP, Jan. 29, 2018, accessed 10/16/2018.