Building an enduring plan for a lasting legacy
One of life’s greatest rewards is sharing your wealth with others. Managing assets to take care of one’s own needs and wants is one thing, but it takes additional planning and knowledgeable guidance to help ensure your financial legacy makes an enduring difference in the lives of loved ones or a favorite charity.
Having an estate plan to control the distribution of your assets benefits everyone – you, your family and the causes you care about – and can help mitigate potential pitfalls in the future. Our experienced team has the resources to assist your attorney and CPA with a personalized plan that not only preserves your assets but also helps you share your wealth with the people and charities you care about most.
Estate and Survivor Planning / Death of a Partner
Losing a family member, friend or loved one can be extremely emotional and challenging. Although we cannot plan for all eventualities, there are benefits in analyzing survivor outcomes, especially to support your desired lifestyle.
Coordinating with your attorney, we discuss and address estate planning issues such as how to title your assets, beneficiary designations and life insurance needs. Insurance is a valuable tool in protecting your family from unforeseen events that can compromise your financial future. As you go through different stages of life, it is important to re-examine the type and amount of insurance needed.
Income replacement is the most common reason to purchase life insurance. This may apply to a working spouse or to a non-working spouse who has a significant pension but a limited pension survivor benefit. For larger estates, life insurance may be used for wealth transfer, as well as providing immediate access to funds without having to sell existing assets.
You can be under-insured as well as over-insured, based on your budget and life situation. We will help you determine your insurance needs and offer solutions to fill any gaps.
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Think of it this way: if you don’t plan for your estate, it will inevitably be done for you. Most often the state will intervene, which can take a toll in taxes, time and additional emotional stress for loved ones. That is why it is important to develop your own estate plan.
We are here to make legacy planning a positive, life-affirming endeavor that leads to the preservation of your family values and your assets transferring efficiently and according to your wishes. We have access to experts in trusts, insurance, philanthropy and family dynamics. Our team is also adept at working with other professionals – such as CPAs and attorneys – to help ensure a well-coordinated approach, that your wishes are communicated to all involved, that your thoughts are thoroughly and accurately documented, and that your plans are amended appropriately as new marriages and births occur in your family.
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There are various instruments that work within your overall estate plan to provide certainty and control over everything you’ve worked for and accumulated during your lifetime, regardless of asset level. Examples include wills, trusts, insurance policies, and carefully considered durable powers of attorney.
Using instruments such as these can give you the confidence of knowing that your estate will be handled as you wish and can potentially exclude probate – a lengthy and expensive process. Well-documented estate plans may also help your family avoid the court’s involvement in appointing a guardian or conservator in the event of incapacity. Thorough documentation can provide for long-term care or education for children or grandchildren while other investment vehicles can provide for a favorite charity.
Our team works with you and your other professional advisors to ensure your wishes are communicated in writing and are legally binding. Moving forward, we will revisit your plan to help ensure it is up to date.
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Making charitable giving part of your financial and estate plan enables you to support the charities and causes you love, now and in the future. Moreover, having the right charitable giving strategy can help further your overall wealth management plan.
There are many ways to make charitable giving part of your overall financial plan, each with its own level of control and tax benefits. Some options provide immediate or future tax deductions while others can provide a continuous income stream. In any case, our goal is to help ensure tax-efficient giving so that your estate or charity of choice receives the most benefit from your gift.
Our knowledgeable team can provide recommendations that not only benefit you now but provide the opportunity to shape the way you wish to be remembered.
This information was developed by Raymond James. It is general in nature, and is intended solely for the purpose of illustrating conceptually how a particular estate planning technique might work, based on various assumptions. Whether the planning technique is appropriate for you will depend on your goals and your specific situation. This is not a complete statement of all information necessary for making an investment decision, and is not a recommendation or a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Investments and strategies mentioned may not be suitable for all investors. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Raymond James does not provide advice on tax, legal or mortgage issues. These matters should be discussed with an appropriate professional.
Raymond James does not provide tax or accounting services.