King & Wood, P.A.

What Should You Do If Your Estate Plan is Out of Date?

“A farm couple spent a lot of money on their estate plan years ago. However, now it’s outdated.”

Keeping up with life's changes is part of estate planning. For those who own farms, ranches, or other family businesses, trusts and estate plans created years ago are unlikely to serve the family today, says a recent article from Successful Farming, “How to Handle an Outdated Estate Plan.” Adding to the issue, adult children may not always agree with the plan their parents created.

The solution begins with a consultation with an estate planning attorney experienced with farms, ranches, or family businesses. They can see the whole picture in a way owners often cannot. The process begins, as it does for non-business owners, with an inventory of the family’s assets. The nextstep is to determine the family’s goal: keep the farm in the family and sell it to fund the owner’s retirement or another option. Review the old estate plan to see if it’s relevant. It’s better to address the issue and create a new estate plan.

Depending upon what kind of trusts were created in the past, they may still work with the updated estate plan. An estate planning attorney can help restate the trust's provisions if it’s a revocable trust. If it’s an irrevocable trust, it may need to be decanted and “poured” into a new trust if your state’s laws permit this.

What ownership entities were created by the original estate plan? If the parents hold controlling interests, they can modify operating agreements to update the plan. A centralized management system and exit strategy can be created as long as the numbers work.

Life insurance policies’ expiration dates need to be reviewed in case something can be done with them before they expire. If there is a cash value, it might be used to purchase a better policy. Cash benefits from life insurance are a means of expanding operations, funding buyouts, or equalizing assets between heirs.

Fluctuations in land value mean that farmers, ranchers and real estate owners need to change their purchase prices. Review the numbers periodically to ensure that the valuation model and funding strategies still work. It may be wise to set a fixed or maximum price, depending on the situation.

Getting children to agree with their parents’ plan for the future takes more than parents explaining the plan. Schedule a family meeting with advisors, including an estate planning attorney, accountant and financial advisor, to review the reasoning behind your decisions and how they will benefit. Having non-family members present for the discussion can often take the emotions out of the discussion, changing the dynamic and allowing the next generation to feel empowered for the future.

The worst option is not to act on an outdated estate plan. The cost and stress of leaving a thriving enterprise to the next generation without an estate plan or a succession plan could leave the family with no choice but to sell the business.

Reference: Successful Farming (Nov. 7, 2024) “How to Handle an Outdated Estate Plan”

How Do You Split Property Among Heirs?

“If you thought that doing your taxes got complicated when you acquired more assets, wait until you try to split them up among multiple children when planning their inheritance.”

Deciding how to divide assets among heirs is one of the most challenging aspects of estate planning, especially when the estate includes complex holdings like real estate, family businesses and investments not easily divided, according to a recent article from GO Banking Rates, “I’m a Financial Advisor: Here’s How to Equally Divide an Inheritance Among Heirs.” Navigating this process is something you want to get right the first time to prevent heirs from becoming embroiled in family fights and, worse, litigation.

The first decision is whether the goal is equal or equitable distribution. Equality means that everyone gets the same inheritance, regardless of their situation. Equity is a bit more challenging, since everyone inherits what they need to succeed, and chances are that each of their needs are different.

Considering the needs and individual circumstances could be a more suitable way to help your heirs.

Consider one adult child who enjoys good health, and owns a business and a mortgage-free house, while their sibling cannot work and depends on government benefits. An equal solution would split the inheritance equally, but in an equitable distribution, the child who can’t work would receive more financial support and a Special Needs Trust to protect their benefits.

Trusts are the preferred method of estate planners because they bypass probate, offer tax advantages and protect assets from creditors. They also allow grantors to ensure distribution as desired. Trusts can be revocable or irrevocable, living or testamentary, and can be designed to include custom rules to suit any situation.

However, there are two asset classes presenting challenges to distributing equitably, even with a trust.

Distribution of complex holdings like real estate property and family-owned businesses requires considerably more planning than simply splitting a bank account. Consideration needs to be given to the dynamics of beneficiaries and what potential issues may arise.

In the case of a family business, the challenge is deciding whether or not to liquidate the property and distribute the proceeds or determining how to establish ownership among the siblings.

If one or more heirs want to continue to own the business and others do not, a buy-sell agreement will be needed so they can buy the other’s shares at a predetermined price, thereby ensuring all receive fair compensation. A professional appraisal will be critical to establishing the current market value, ensuring fair distributions.

Another way to resolve this is to create a Family Limited Partnership (FLP) to maintain control within the family, while distributing profits equitably.

What if heirs want vastly different outcomes, and you’d like to simplify matters? One answer is to have crystal-clear language in your will stating if beneficiaries can’t reach an agreement on what should happen to the business, it will be liquidated and the proceeds divided.

An experienced estate planning attorney will help determine the best way to achieve your goals based on your family’s situation and your wishes.

Reference: GO Banking Rates (June 8, 2023) “I’m a Financial Advisor: Here’s How to Equally Divide an Inheritance Among Heirs”

Top Five Mistakes to Avoid When Passing Wealth to the Next Generation

“What could go wrong with this transfer of generational wealth? Several things, in fact.”

Many families count on the transfer of general wealth and the transfer of assets from generation to generation. A report from Cerulli Associates says approximately $84 trillion will be passed from today’s older generation to heirs by 2042.

For this wealth transfer to succeed, parents and heirs should consider the pointers in a recent article from yahoo! finance, “Don’t Make These 5 Mistakes When Passing Down Generational Wealth to Your Family.”

Prepare heirs for their inheritance. Speak with family members about how their inheritance might change their lives. Educate them early on about personal finance, and introduce them to your advisors, including your estate planning attorney, financial advisor, and CPA.

Teach heirs how to be financially independent. Another problem can occur if children expect to receive an inheritance and don’t think they’ll need to work. This could get in the way of their personal and professional growth. You want them to know how to support themselves and the value of money earned.

Make sure to diversify your portfolio. When did you last increase your 401(k) contributions or diversify your portfolio? Be mindful of your investments. You don’t want to overestimate the value of your wealth or leave your children with an out-of-date investment portfolio.

Involve your children in the family business. If your legacy includes a family business, you need to consider the importance of ensuring that your children are fully involved in how the business operates and its financial needs and goals. If you simply toss the children into the business without completely understanding it, the transition may not work. As a result, your years of hard work could disappear quickly. A succession plan should be in place, so everyone knows what is expected of them.

Don’t neglect your estate planning. Sit down with an estate planning attorney and create a comprehensive estate plan, including a last will and testament, power of attorney, health care power of attorney, living will, and any trusts needed to pass wealth to the next generation. Do this long before you expect it to be needed. If you fail to create an estate plan, heirs will end up in probate court. It could take years before they receive the assets you want them to inherit.

Reference: yahoo! finance (June 5, 2023) “Don’t Make These 5 Mistakes When Passing Down Generational Wealth to Your Family”

What Do Your Kids Want to Inherit?

“While it might seem too soon to think about this uncomfortable topic, it’s still something that needs to be carefully planned to make everyone’s life a little easier as they handle the grief of losing a loved one.”

Nearly everyone needs a will, also known as a last will and testament, to list all properties and assets and how they should be distributed postmortem. While the decisions are all yours, it’s helpful to know what personal possessions your children may or may not want to receive as part of their inheritance, as explained in the article “12 Things Your Kids Actually Might Want to Inherit” from Entrepreneur.

Making a list of things you want your children to inherit will save a lot of time, especially if you have a lot of possessions you want to give to them. You might think they want your collection of fine china and glassware, silverware and Grandma Helen’s sculptures. However, you might be wrong.

Wanting your children to have these items so they stay in the family isn’t wrong. However, it’s more than likely they’ll be donated after you die. If you want to make your children’s lives a little easier, here are twelve things they actually might want:

Cash money. Cash is the ideal asset, since it can be easily divided. Cash also provides an easy way to give your children a chance to invest in stocks or real estate or a means of starting a business.

Annuities. An inherited annuity has several advantages, including tax benefits, especially if they are non-qualified annuities paid for with after-tax dollars. By annuitizing an annuity, heirs may convert it into a steady and dependable income stream to help cover living expenses. They can choose to do this for a pre-defined period of time or for life, if the original annuity contract was created as a multi-life annuity.

Recipes. There are any number of ways to create a cookbook, from a simple bound folder to a hard-cover book likely to be shared and talked about, bringing warm memories to all.

Family Photos. Whether you take the time to organize them or not, videos and photos are your family’s history. Keep them in a water-proof bin and protect them for the future generations, until you’re ready to hand them over.

Trusts. Trusts are not just for wealthy people. Trusts are an all-purpose tool for passing assets across generations, controlling how they are used and minimizing estate tax liability. A trust is a legal entity to hold a variety of assets. A trust allows you to set down what you want done with the money, from paying for college to buying a first home. You name a trustee who is in charge of managing the trust and making sure your wishes are followed.

Furniture. Today’s young adult is more likely to want authentic furniture with family history than the latest knockdown furniture from Ikea. They also know how expensive good furniture is and may welcome saving money when furnishing their first home.

Vinyl Records. While collectors may value pristine records, the albums you listened to with scratches and skips will be prized by younger listeners. They evoke happy memories and hold sentimental value.

Life Insurance. If you want to leave money for your family but worry about the impact of taxes, life insurance is a good option. Your estate planning attorney will be able to explain who the beneficiary should be, or if you need to set up a trust to benefit your children.

Real Estate. Real estate is a strong investment with a track record of growth. Keeping a vacation home in the family for future generations requires extra planning. For many families, even a simple cabin by the lake is a touchstone of family history.

A Business. Family-owned businesses are often passed to the next generation. An established business has value up front and, if all is well with the business, provides income. A succession plan will be needed. Be realistic: if your children have never set foot in your office or expressed interest in the business, selling it may be a better move.

Investment Accounts. Stocks, bonds or other investment accounts can be gifted to children while you are living or after you die. Like cash, this asset is easily divided and relatively easy to give.

Education Funds. You can start a College Savings Account 529 for individual children when they are born or open one at any time to help with college expenses. Having financial help for college could be the difference between the burden of college loans or being able to explore different careers without the constant worry that a six-figure debt brings.

Your estate planning attorney will be able to explore all of the different ways to transfer wealth to the next generation while you are living and after you pass.

Reference: Entrepreneur (Oct. 30, 2022) “12 Things Your Kids Actually Might Want to Inherit”

Succession Planning for Farm Transition and Estate Planning

“Conversations about family succession plans are difficult.”

If you think it’s bad that 60% of farmers don’t have a will, here’s what’s even worse: 89% don’t have a farm transfer plan, as reported in the recent article “10 Farm Transition and Estate Planning Mistakes” from Farm Journal’s Pork Business. Here are the ten most commonly made mistakes farmers make. Substitute the word “family-owned business” for farm and the problems created are identical.

Procrastination. Just as production methods have to be updated, so does estate planning. People wait until the perfect time to create the perfect plan, but life doesn’t work that way. Having a plan of some kind is better than none at all. If you die with no plan, your family gets to clean up the mess.

Failing to plan for substitute decision-making and health care directives. Everyone should have power of attorney and health care directive planning. A business or farm that requires your day-in-day-out supervision and decision making could die with you. Name a power of attorney, name an alternate POA and have every detail of operations spelled out. You can have a different person to act as your agent for running the farm and another to make health care decisions, or the same person can take on these responsibilities. Consult with an estate planning attorney to be sure your documents reflect your wishes and speak with family members.

Failing to communicate, early and often. There’s no room for secrecy, if you want your farm or family business to transfer successfully to the next generation. Schedule family meetings on a regular basis, establish agendas, take minutes and consider having an outsider serve as a meeting facilitator.

Treating everyone equally does not fit every situation. If some family members work and live on the farm and others work and live elsewhere, their roles in the future of the farm will be different. An estate planning attorney familiar with farm families will be able to give you suggestions on how to address this.

Not inventorying assets and liabilities. Real property includes land, buildings, fencing, livestock, equipment and bank accounts. Succession planning requires a complete inventory and valuation of all assets. Check on how property is titled to be sure land you intend to leave to children is not owned by someone else. Don’t neglect liabilities. When you pass down the farm, will your children also inherit debt? Everyone needs to know what is owned and what is owed.

Making decisions based on incorrect information. If you aren’t familiar with your state’s estate tax laws, you might be handing down a different sized estate than you think. Here’s an example: in Iowa, there is no inheritance tax due on shares left to a surviving spouse, lineal descendants or charitable, religious, or educational institutions. If you live in Iowa, do you have an estate plan that takes this into consideration? Do you know what taxes will be owed, and how they will be paid?

Lack of liquidity. Death is expensive. Cash may be needed to keep the business going between the date of death and the settling of the estate. It is also important to consider who will pay for the funeral, and how? Life insurance is one option.

Disorganization. Making your loved ones go through a post-mortem scavenger hunt is unkind. Business records should be well-organized. Tell the appropriate people where important records can be found. Walk them through everything, including online accounts. Consider using an old-fashioned three-ring binder system. In times of great stress, organization is appreciated.

No team of professionals to provide experience and expertise. The saying “it takes a village” applies to estate planning and farm succession. An accountant, estate planning attorney and financial advisor will more than pay for their services. Without them, your family may be left guessing about the future of the farm and the family.

Thinking your plan is done at any point in time. Like estate planning, succession planning is never really finished. Laws change, relationships change and family farms go through changes. An estate plan is not a one-and-done event. It needs to be reviewed and refreshed every few years.

Reference: Farm Journal’s Pork Business (June 28, 2021) “10 Farm Transition and Estate Planning Mistakes”

Do Estate Planning before Golden Age Ends

“Americans have been living through a ‘golden age’ of estate planning, but it’s coming to an end, says one consultant to ultra-high-net-worth families and family offices.”

Unfortunately, the changes that may be coming to estate planning are likely to be felt by not just ultra-high-net-worth families, but by upper middle-class families whose net worth is comfortable, but not in the stratosphere. Estate planning lawyers are talking with their clients now about how to plan for transferring assets to families without overly aggressive tax avoidance strategies, according to the article “Are We Leaving a ‘Golden Age’ For Estate Planning?” from Financial Advisor Magazine.

The lifetime gift and estate tax exemption is $11.7 million per person and $23.4 million for couples for 2021, which touched only the extremely wealthiest Americans. However, new tax policies are being debated in Congress, including the possible rollback of those estate tax exemptions. Tax-aware estate planning has already gotten underway for many Americans who are not in the top 1%.

There are two proposed changes that may push more families into using trusts and other planning strategies. The first is a proposed increase in the capital gains tax rate for high earners to bring it more in line with their income tax bracket. That would mean they might lose the advantage of deriving income from investments versus a salary.

The second is the possible elimination of step-up in cost basis for assets upon death. Other changes under discussion have been the elimination or decrease of valuation discounting within an estate.

The rush to change estate plans has begun. Estate plans are being revised, trusts are being created and giving strategies are being planned to remove assets from the grantor generations’ estates and take advantage of the current high tax exemption.

Congress is still figuring out what changes will be made. In addition, no one knows if these changes will be retroactive to 2021 if they are made in the third quarter of 2021, or if they will be enacted on January 1, 2022.

Without knowing what the final changes will be, any planning now should be made with a long-term framework for the family.

Estate planning can be considered in three steps:

The grantor generation needs to consider the purpose of their wealth. Do they want to continue a family business, give the majority of their wealth to a charitable organization, or pass it all to their children and grandchildren?

What does it mean to treat beneficiaries fairly? If one child is teacher, while the other has built and grown a highly successful business, do both children inherit the same amount? What if one of the children has a child with Special Needs?

The grantor generation needs to communicate with their heirs. Heirs often don’t learn about their parent’s intentions, tax planning or charitable giving, until after they have passed. It’s far better to talk about the parent’s wishes and their reasoning while they are living. Without these conversations, families suffering from loss must add sibling quarrels and sometimes, estate litigation, to an already difficult time.

Reference: Financial Advisor Magazine (May 20, 2021) “Are We Leaving a ‘Golden Age’ For Estate Planning”

Largest Tax Bill in History Filed in South Korea

“Picasso, Monet and Dalí are among the assets South Korea’s richest family is parting with, as it prepares to pay one of the largest inheritance tax bills in history.”

How’s this for a big inheritance tax bill: $10.8 billion! The Samsung family announced that it would be paying the sizable amount after the death of Lee Kun-hee, the chairman of Samsung. South Korea has one of the highest inheritance taxes in the world, as reported in this recent article, “An Inheritance Tax Bill You ‘Can’t Fathom’: $10.8 Billion” from The New York Times.

The family is required to inform the tax authorities of how it plans to pay the bill by the end of May, and they did so very publicly, appearing in a news broadcast to announce their plans. Their statement was clear and simple: “It is our civic duty and responsibility to pay all taxes.”

Samsung is the biggest and most profitable family-run conglomerate in South Korea.

Mr. Lee was credited for transforming Samsung into a massive tech giant, but he was also reclusive, and one of his secrets was how he wished his wealth to be divided among his wife and three children upon his death.

His only son, Lee Joe-young, is the de facto leader of Samsung. If he inherits his father’s shares in the company’s many subsidiaries, it will boost his control of the company. However, it is still unclear how much he will inherit or how he will raise the $10.8 billion needed to pay the inheritance tax.

Analysts expect that he will sell some non-essential Samsung shares and secure bank loans. How the elder Mr. Lee’s fortune is divided will impact the future of the company.

The Lees are South Korea’s wealthiest family. Samsung reported that the $10.8 billion is more than half of the value of the father’s estate, and more than three times the total inheritance taxes collected by the government last year.

The family announced that it will donate his personal art collection of 23,000 works to national and provincial museums throughout South Korea. The collection has been estimated as worth $2.2 billion.

The Lees have also committed $900 million to fight the growth of infectious diseases and help children afflicted by cancer and rare diseases. Half of the money is dedicated to building the first hospital in the country dedicated solely to infectious diseases.

The generosity is from a family that has struggled with its public identity. In January, the son was imprisoned after being convicted for bribery. Recently, business groups have lobbied the government to pardon him, so he could lead the company as the semiconductor industry faces uncertainty.

The company has long been accused of trying to secure a father-son transfer of power at all costs, even if success required breaking laws, buying political influence and avoiding taxes. The senior Mr. Lee himself received a suspended three-year prison sentence in 2009 for evading taxes for assets he secretly inherited from his own father, Samsung founder Lee Byung-chull. The money was secreted in stock accounts opened in the name of his assistants.

Mr. Lee Jae-yong has run the conglomerate, since his father suffered a heart attack in 2014.

By law, the chairman’s widow is entitled to one-third of the total inheritance, with the rest split evenly between the three children. However, the wealthy families of South Korea often reach private agreements to ensure the eldest son remains in control of the company.

The family has a history of promising to use its wealth to benefit society, but reportedly has not kept its word until this recent announcement. Reaction from South Koreans is mixed, from skeptics who take a wait-and-see attitude, to others who are pleased by the large donations being made.

Reference: The New York Times (April 28, 2021) “An Inheritance Tax Bill You ‘Can’t Fathom’: $10.8 Billion”

What Is Family Business Succession Planning?

“If you plan to pass your business to your offspring, there is more to keep in mind when creating your succession plan than your descendants—there are also their spouses—especially if they become ex-spouses.”

Many family-owned businesses have had to scramble to maintain ownership, when owners or heirs were struck by COVID-19. Lacking a succession plan may have led to disastrous results, or at best, less than optimal corporate structures and large tax bills. This difficult lesson is a wake-up call, says the article “Succession Planning for the Family-Owned Business—Keepin’ it ‘All in the Family’” from Bloomberg Tax.

Another factor putting family-owned businesses at risk is divorce. Contemplating the best way to transfer ownership to the next generation requires a candid examination of family dynamics and acknowledgment of outsiders (i.e., in-laws) and the possibility of divorce.

Before documents can be created, a number of issues need to be discussed:

Transfer timing. When will the ownership of the business transfer to the next generation? There are some who use life-events as prompts: births, marriages and/or the death of the owners.

How will the transfer take place? Corporate structures and estate planning tools provide many options limited only by the tax liabilities and wishes of the family. Be wary, since each decision for the structure may have unintended consequences. Short and long-term strategic planning is needed.

To whom will the business be transferred? Who will receive an ownership interest and what will be the rights of ownership? Will there be different levels of ownership, and will those levels depend upon the level of activity in the business? Will percentages be used, or shares, or another form?

In drafting a succession plan, it is wise to assume that the future owners will either marry or divorce—perhaps multiple times. The succession plan should address these issues to prevent an ex-spouse from becoming a shareholder, whose interest in the business needs to be bought out.

The operating agreement/partnership agreement should require all future owners to enter into a prenuptial agreement before marriage specifically excluding their interest in the family business from being distributed, valued, or deemed marital property subject to distribution, if there is a divorce.

An owner may even exact a penalty for a subsequent owner who fails to enter into a prenup prior to a marriage. The same corporate document should specifically bar an owner’s spouse from receiving an ownership interest under any circumstance.

A prenup is intended to remove the future value of the owner’s interest from the marital asset pool. This typically requires the owner to buy-out the future spouse’s legal claim to future value. This could be a costly issue, since the value of the future ownership interest cannot be predicted at the time of the marriage.

Many different strategies can be used to develop a succession plan that ideally works alongside the business owner’s estate plan. These are used to ensure that the business remains in the family and the family interests are protected.

Reference: Bloomberg Tax (April 5,2021) “Succession Planning for the Family-Owned Business—Keepin’ it ‘All in the Family’”

What Is Family Business Succession Planning?

“Studies have shown that the number of family businesses owned by second generations and third generations dramatically decline for a number of reasons. One large reason is the lack of business succession planning for the family business.”

The importance of the family business in the U.S. can’t be overstated. Neither can the problems that occur as a direct result of a failure to plan for succession. Business succession planning is the development of a plan for determining when an owner will retire, what position in the company they will hold when they retire, who the eventual owners of the company will be and under what rules the new owners will operate, instructs a recent article, “Succession planning for family businesses” from The Times Reporter. An estate planning attorney plays a pivotal role in creating the plan, as the sale of the business will be a major factor in the family’s wealth and legacy.

• Start by determining who will buy the business. Will it be a long-standing employee, partners, or family members?
• Next, develop an advisory team of internal employees, your estate planning attorney, CPA, financial advisor and insurance agent.
• Have a financial evaluation of the business prepared by a qualified and accredited valuation professional.
• Consider taxes (income, estate and gift taxes) and income requirements to sustain the owner’s current lifestyle, if the business is being sold outright.
• Review estate planning strategies to reduce income and estate tax liabilities.
• Examine the financial impact of the sale on the family member, if a non-family member buys the business.
• Develop the structure of the sale.
• Create a timeline.
• Get started on all of the legal and financial documents.
• Meet with the family and/or the new owner on a regular basis to ensure a smooth transition.

Selling a business to the next generation or a new owner is an emotional decision, which is at the heart of most business owner’s utter failure to create a plan. The sale forces them to confront the end of their role in the business, which they likely consider their life’s work. It also requires making decisions that involve family members that may be painful to confront.

The alternative is far worse for all concerned. If there is no plan, chances are the business will not survive. Without leadership and a clear path to the future, the owner may witness the destruction of their life’s work and a squandered legacy.

Speak with your estate planning attorney and your accountant, who will have had experience helping business owners create and execute a succession plan. Talking about such a plan with family members can often create an emotional response. Working with professionals who benefit from a lack of emotional connection to the business will help the process be less about feelings and more about business.

Reference: The Times Reporter (March 7, 2021) “Succession planning for family businesses”

Estate, Business and Retirement Planning for the Farm Family

Planning is one of the most important aspects of managing any business. This is especially true for farms and agribusinesses, due to their complexity and the inherent uncertainties associated with agriculture.”

The family is at the center of most farms and agricultural businesses. Each family has its own history, values and goals. A good place to start the planning process is to take the time to reflect on the family and the farm history, says Ohio County Journal in the recent article “Whole Farm Planning.”

There are lessons to be learned from all generations, both from their successes and disappointments. The underlying values and goals for the entire family and each individual member need to be articulated. They usually remain unspoken and are evident only in how family members treat each other and make business decisions. Articulating and discussing values and goals makes the planning process far more efficient and effective.

An analysis of the current state of the farm needs to be done to determine the financial, physical and personnel status of the business. Is the farm being managed efficiently? Are there resources not being used? Is the farm profitable and are the employees contributing or creating losses? It is also wise to consider external influences, including environmental, technological, political, and governmental matters.

Five plans are needed. Once the family understands the business from the inside, it’s time to create five plans for the family: business, retirement, estate, transition and investment plans. Note that none of these five stands alone. They must work in harmony to maintain the long-term life of the farm, and one bad plan will impact the others.

Most planning in farms concerns production processes, but more is needed. A comprehensive business plan helps create an action plan for production and operation practices, as well as the financial, marketing, personnel, and risk-management. One method is to conduct a SWOT analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in each of the areas mentioned in the preceding sentence. Create a realistic picture of the entire farm, where it is going and how to get there.

Retirement planning is a missing ingredient for many farm families. There needs to be a strategy in place for the owners, usually the parents, so they can retire at a reasonable point. This includes determining how much money each family member needs for retirement, and the farm’s obligation to retirees. Retirement age, housing and retirement accounts, if any, need to be considered. The goal is to have the farm run profitably by the next generation, so the parent’s retirement will not adversely impact the farm.

Transition planning looks at how the business can continue for many generations. This planning requires the family to look at its current situation, consider the future and create a plan to transfer the farm to the next generation. This includes not only transferring assets, but also transferring control. Those who are retiring in the future must hand over not just the farm, but their knowledge and experience to the next generation.

Estate planning is determining and putting down on paper how the farm assets, from land and buildings to livestock, equipment and debts owed to or by the farm, will be distributed. The complexity of an agricultural business requires the help of a skilled estate planning attorney who has experience working with farm families. The estate plan must work with the transition plan. Family members who are not involved with the farm also need to be addressed: how will they be treated fairly without putting the farm operation in jeopardy?

Investment planning for farm families usually takes the shape of land, machinery and livestock. Some off-farm investments may be wise, if the families wish to save for future education or retirement needs and achieve investment diversification. These instruments may include stocks, bonds, life insurance or retirement accounts. Farmers need to consider their personal risk tolerance, tax considerations and time horizons for their investments.

Reference: Ohio County Journal (Feb. 11, 2021) “Whole Farm Planning”