King & Wood, P.A.

Everyone Needs an Estate Plan

“Life is unpredictable. At least some uncertainties and concerns can be addressed with a good estate plan that offers a wide range of benefits intended to protect one’s well-being and family’s wealth.”

A comprehensive estate plan offers many benefits, from protecting surviving spouses, ensuring one’s wishes for medical care are followed, or reducing estate taxes. While the primary focus of an estate plan is different for every individual, reports the article “A good estate plan important” from The Record-Courier, there are common benefits for everyone concerned.

A good estate plan protects individuals and families before death by protecting assets for the use of an incapacitated person by placing them in a trust managed by a responsible trustee. An estate plan allows you to designate an agent to make health and financial decisions during incapacity. It will enable you to develop a retirement strategy by assessing and organizing your assets and financial needs.

With an estate plan in place, a deceased person’s family is spared the burden of making difficult decisions, including when or if to withhold life support treatment or how to handle a loved one’s remains. These decisions can be made in advance through the estate plan, so the family knows their loved one’s wishes, making a difficult time a little less stressful.

Clearly and transparently expressing goals and wishes for the final distribution of one’s estate removes the emotions and potential conflict associated all too often with the division of money and other assets, including personal effects.

An organized and funded estate plan ensures that the family is protected. If the right steps are taken, there will be enough money to pay bills and other living expenses, financial affairs will be organized, and accounts will be accessible to loved ones immediately without waiting for probate and the court’s permission. Guardians for minor children are appointed, and uncertainty needs not make their grief and trauma worse. Special needs children and adults are protected with a trust to supplement their needs in addition to government benefits, and the education of young adults is planned for with a college fund.

A comprehensive estate plan prepared in tandem with a business succession plan is crucial for business owners. Without a succession plan and estate plan, the business can fall apart after the departure or demise of the business owners. An estate plan can provide the rules and instructions for the business to transition to a new owner and ensure continuity.

A good estate plan also addresses tax planning. There are more than a few tax reduction strategies to minimize the taxes on a decedent’s estate, making more money available to the surviving family.

For philanthropically minded people, the estate planning process can also support charitable causes, creating a legacy and inspiring other family members to think beyond their own needs and wants to serve their communities.

It’s never too early to begin preparing an estate plan—life is unpredictable, and there’s no downside to being ready for whatever may come next.

Reference: The Record-Courier (Aug. 27, 2023) “A good estate plan important”

What Is a Qualified Disability Trust?

“A qualified disability trust (QDisT) is a special needs trust that qualifies for a federal tax exemption.”

A qualified disability trust, or QDisT, qualifies for tax exemptions and applies to most trusts created for an individual with special needs. In most cases, explains a recent article from Investopedia, “Qualified Disability Trust: Meaning and Tax Requirements,” the person receiving income from the trust must pay income tax. However, in 2003, the IRS added a section allowing some disability trusts to reduce this tax liability. This is another example of why reviewing estate plans every few years is important.

Trusts need to meet several requirements to be considered qualified disability trusts for tax purposes. However, if a special needs trust meets these criteria, it could save a lot in taxes.

Most special needs trusts already meet the requirement to be treated as qualified disability trusts and can be reported as such at tax time. For 2022 tax year, the tax exemption for a QDisT is $4,400. For tax year 2023, the amount will increase to $4,700. Income from a QDisT is reported on IRS Form 1041, using an EIN, while distributions to the beneficiary will be taxed on their own 1040 form.

The best way to fully understand a QDisT is through an example. Let’s say a child is diagnosed with a disability, and their grandparents contribute $500,000 to an irrevocable special needs trust the child’s parents have established for the child's benefit. The trust generates $25,000 in annual income, and $10,000 is used annually for expenses from the child’s care and other needs.

Who pays the income tax bill on the trust’s gains? There are a few options.

The parents could include income from the trust as part of their taxes. This would be “on top” of their earned income, so they will pay their marginal tax on the $25,000 generated from the trust—paying $8,000 or more.

Alternatively, trust income spent for the child’s benefit can be taxed to the child—$10,000, as listed above. This would leave $15,000. However, this must be taxed to the trust. Trust income tax brackets are high and increase steeply. Paying this way could lead to higher taxes than if the parents paid the tax.

The QDisT was designed to alleviate this problem. QDisTs are entitled to the same exemption allowed to all individual taxpayers when filing a tax return. In 2012, for instance, the personal tax exemption was $3,800, so the first $3,800 of income from QDisTs wasn’t taxed.

The deduction for personal exemptions is suspended for tax years 2018 to 2025 by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, except the same law said that in any year there isn’t a personal exemption, the exemption will be allowed for a QDisT.

For tax year 2022, $4,400 is the indexed tax exemption amount for these trusts, including most special needs trusts. For tax year 2023, the amount will increase to $4,700.

To be reported as a qualified disability trust, specific requirements must be met:

• The trust must be irrevocable.
• The trust must be established for the sole benefit of the disabled beneficiary.
• The disabled beneficiary must be under age 65 when the trust is established.
• The beneficiary must have a disability included in the definition of disabled under the Social Security Act.
• The trust must be a third-party trust, meaning all funding must come from someone other than the disabled beneficiary.

An experienced estate planning attorney can help set up a special needs trust to meet the criteria for a QDisT and enjoy the tax benefits the statute grants.

Reference: Investopedia (March 4, 2023) “Qualified Disability Trust: Meaning and Tax Requirements”

When Can Gifts or Donations Be Made for You?

“Many older adults enjoy giving money during their lifetime to family members or donations to a religious or charitable organizations.”

Grandparents may make a generous gift to a grandchild to help with college expenses or an adult child who is struggling. The size of the gifts is often directly related to the giver’s financial resources, life circumstances and their relationship with the recipient. However, this tendency toward generosity can come to a sudden stop if the giver becomes incapacitated, explains a recent article titled “Estate Planning: Gifts and donations by agents and trustees” from Lake County News.

Authority to make gifts can be included in a person’s trust to permit the trustee to make gifts using assets owned by the trust. A person’s power of attorney can be drafted to permit the agent to gift using assets owned by the individual if this gifting authority is expressly stated and authorized. It may not be implied based on a person’s past behavior or informal comments.

For example, a commonly used express giving provision in power of attorney is language like this: “The Agent is authorized to make gifts on the Principal’s behalf to the Principal’s children, any of their issue, or both, to the full extent of the federal annual gift tax exclusion…and for such purposes, to remove the Principal’s assets from any revocable trust of which the Principal is a grantor.”

This language, which must be created in alignment with state law, is an example of how the agent may be given discretion to make gifts to children and grandchildren, up to the annual federal gift tax exclusion per person. The agent may request assets from the principal’s trust to fulfill these gifts.

Giving should not be confused with a person’s legal duties of support to a spouse or dependent minor children. A Power of Attorney and a trust can be used to meet a person’s legal duty of support during the time of their incapacity.

Some people provide financial support to family members, which is not required by law.

For example, a parent may wish to pay a disabled child’s living expenses in coordination with any special needs planning. It’s extremely important in this situation for planning to be in place long before it is needed. If support is to continue when the parent becomes incapacitated, the parent’s estate planning documents must provide for continued support, otherwise the child will lose access to those resources.

An agent under a power of attorney and a trustee according to the directions of the trust document are both fiduciaries, meaning they are legal representatives with duties and obligations to put the interest of the individual ahead of their own.

Any action taken by the agent or the trustee must meet the standard of the fiduciary. The actions must be reasonable, in good faith and consistent with any instructions specified in the document. An agent or a trustee may not make imprudent or unjustified gifts which might jeopardize the financial welfare of the principal.

An important exception is if the agent or trustee is expressly authorized to gift assets in order to qualify the principal as eligible for needs-based government benefits.

There are many good reasons to make gifts during one’s lifetime. It is sometimess necessary for those gifts to continue during incapacity. Talk with an estate planning attorney to ensure that loved ones are protected regardless of what unexpected events should occur.

Reference: Lake County News (Dec. 31, 2022) “Estate Planning: Gifts and donations by agents and trustees”

What Is a ‘Residuary’ Estate?

“In simple terms, a residuary estate is any part of your estate that hasn’t been distributed to your heirs through a last will and testament.”

This is also known as estate residue or residual estate. It simply means the assets left over after a will has been read, assets have been distributed to heirs and any final expenses have been paid. An estate planning attorney can help avoid leaving residual assets behind, with a comprehensive estate plan, reports a recent article titled “How to Write a Residuary Estate Clause in a Will” from yahoo!

A will is a legal document used to name guardians for minor children and providing directions for how you want assets to be distributed when you pass. Any assets not included in your will or distributed through a trust automatically become part of the residuary estate on your death.

This can happen deliberately or unintentionally. For example, your will can state your wishes to have certain assets left to certain people. However, your will could also include a residual estate clause explaining what should happen to any assets not already named in the will. In this case, you’re intentionally creating a residual estate, and planning for it at the time of the will’s creation.

Some residual estates are created without advance planning. Here’s how that happens:

• If you forget to include assets in your will.
• If you acquired new assets after drafting a will and do not add a codicil making provision for the distribution of the assets.
• Someone named in the will dies before you or is unable to receive the inheritance you left for them.

This can also happen if you set up a Payable On Death (POD) account but neglect to add a beneficiary to the account. Any funds in the account would be lumped into the residual estate.

What happens if you draft a will and don’t have a residuary estate clause? Any unclaimed or overlooked assets will be distributed, according to your state’s inheritance guidelines. However, this is only done after any estate taxes, outstanding debts or final expenses have been paid. Assets would be distributed as if you did not have a will. Heirs at law would receive assets according to kinship, including spouse, children, parents, siblings and other relatives.

How does a trust work in relation to a residual estate? Trusts are legal entities allowing you to transfer assets to a trustee. The trustee is responsible for managing assets on behalf of the trust for beneficiaries according to your wishes. You may want to establish a trust if you have a substantial estate, want to plan for a family member with special needs or if you wish to create a charitable giving legacy.

Speak with an experienced estate planning attorney to determine whether your will should have a residual clause and what assets should be included. The estate planning attorney will also be able to determine whether you need additional estate planning strategies, including a revocable living trust.

Reference: yahoo! (Dec. 4, 2022) “How to Write a Residuary Estate Clause in a Will”

Does Estate Plan Need a Trust?

“Trusts are sometimes offered as a ‘cure all’ solution to estate planning problems. It is true that some issues lend themselves to the use of trusts.”

Many people dismiss trusts as only needed by wealthy people. However, they actually can be used to solve many different issues. A recent article from The Mercury titled “Planning Ahead: How do you know when you need a trust?” examines the different reasons for using trusts.

Family Members with Special Needs. If your family includes a family member with special needs, you’ll want to use a Special Needs or Third-Party Supplemental Needs Trust to protect the individual’s eligibility to receive government benefits. Most benefits are means-tested, so a disabled person is not permitted to have more than a minimal level of assets. A well-intentioned family member may feel they are doing a good thing by bequeathing assets to an individual with special needs. However, they would instead be putting the person’s benefits at risk.

Special Needs planning is complex, since it usually involves several different benefit programs as well as services. An estate planning elder law attorney is often involved in helping families navigate benefits and planning for the future, when parents are deceased.

When money management is needed. The average person isn’t accustomed to managing million-dollar portfolios. Therefore, when a large inheritance is in the future, a trust with an experienced financial manager as a trustee can be a better alternative. This is good ‘future-proofing.’ For an example, a woman with a large estate dies unexpectedly, leaving adult children with an equally unexpected large inheritance. The children are suddenly tasked with managing complex investment vehicles and tax liabilities. Had the estate been in a trust with a skilled money manager, their interests would have been better protected.

Real estate in multiple states. Real estate in more than one state gets complicated for estate management. It might be easier to place all of the assets in one trust to make management easier.  If the goal is to keep the property in the family, like a vacation home, a trust is an easier way to own the property and define the rights and responsibilities of the beneficiaries.

Do you need tax protection? Placing assets in trusts can remove them from the taxable estate. Tax planning is a common reason to use trusts, and many different types of trust are available for this purpose.

Do you want a trust to manage funds during your life and after you’ve passed? A revocable living trust can be used to hold your assets during life and postmortem. A revocable trust does not remove assets from the taxable estate but are used for other purposes. This type of trust is usually used in conjunction with a “pour-over will,” where assets held in your name at the time of death are “poured over” into a living trust.

Your estate planning attorney will be able to determine which of the many different types of trusts will be right for you and your family’s unique circumstances.

Reference: The Mercury (Nov. 23, 2022) “Planning Ahead: How do you know when you need a trust?”

Ask Mom if She has a Will

“My mother told me many times over the years that she had a will, and I believed her. When she passed away, we discovered that her will was 40 years old—and completely useless.”

The family was baffled. Not only was the will out of date, but it was also unsigned and the person named as executor had died a decade before their mother died. Grandchildren born after the will was created were not mentioned and personal possessions left to some people in the will had been given away years ago.

This scenario, as described in the article “Mom, Do You Have a Will?” from Next Avenue, is not unusual because many older adults and their children are equally reticent to discuss death. It’s a hard topic to address, but without these conversations, how can you make sure the transition after they pass is smooth?

Who needs a will? Pretty much everyone does. If your parents don’t have a will, here are some talking points to remind them of why it matters:

• If you are part of a blended family, estate planning avoids either a full or partial disinheritance of a surviving spouse or their children.
• If there are minor children or adult children with special needs, a will is used to appoint guardians. With no will, the court makes decisions about who raises children or cares for a special needs individual.
• If yours is a fighting family (you know who you are), and if you want certain things to go to certain people, there needs to be an updated will.

Single people need a plan for their assets, especially if they are in a committed relationship but not married. Many state inheritance laws make no provision for a domestic partner. If a relationship is recognized before a loved one dies the remaining partner can access their right to property or benefits.

When someone dies without a will or a living trust, known as intestate succession, assets may be distributed according to rules set out in state law, which vary state to state and may not be what they would have wanted.

When asked if there is a will, some may say they are prepared. However, as in the example, this may or may not be true. Their will may be old, no longer relevant to their situation or may not have been signed.

Clarifying the status of an older adult’s will is important to a smoother transition of assets and needs to be addressed when they are of sound mind and able to make their own decision about their estates.

When preparing to have a discussion with someone who is active and healthy, the conversation is easier. Ask if they have a will and what their wishes are after they have passed. You can explain how these steps are essential to creating their legacy and protect their family from estate taxes and expensive court oversight.

When a person is seriously ill, this is admittedly a harder conversation. Acknowledge the difficulty and let them know they can stop the discussion if necessary. It may take more than a few conversations to get to everything. Discuss these issues with respect and empathy. Offer ideas and options and steer clear of any ultimatums.

Talk with an estate planning attorney who will explain what you need for your specific family. Find someone who focuses on estate planning and not six other areas of the law. They will have seen this situation before and will know how to manage both the law and the people. Find someone who doesn’t see this as a one-time fill-in-the blanks transaction, but as a relationship based on trust.

Reference: Next Avenue (Sep. 14, 2022) “Mom, Do You Have a Will?”

Why Is It Important to have an Estate Plan?

“The new Federal Estate tax limit (above which Federal estate taxes will be payable) is $11,200,000.00 per person. Yes, most of us will not hit that limit, but 19 of the 50 states, Illinois included, impose an estate tax of their own ranging from .25% to almost 20% of your estate.”

Right now, the federal estate tax exemption is so high as to be a non-issue for most taxpayers, but this will not always be the case, and there are also state estate taxes to consider. Regardless of taxes, there are other reasons why everyone needs to have an estate plan, affirms a recent article from mondaq titled “Do I Really Need an Estate Plan?” The short answer is yes, you definitely do.

The first thing a will does is distribute your assets according to your directions. If you have grandchildren, there are ways for you to gift them assets and minimize taxes, but you’ll need to plan for generation skipping taxes.

If you own a business, you will need a succession plan to align with your estate plan. Will family members become owners, or will the business be sold?

Does the family include a disabled or individual with special needs? A special needs trust can add an extra layer of resources. Guardianship planning needs to be done for the parents and guardians be named for when the parents are no longer able to care for the person.

The will is also used to name an executor, the person to handle all the decisions you express in the will and carry them out.

Gifting is another part of your estate plan. If you have any charitable organizations or individuals outside of your family who you’d like to make a gift to, this can be done through your will or through a number of gifting strategies.

The current federal estate tax exemption is set to end in 2025 and revert back to 2017 levels. Tax planning should be done well in advance to protect your estate and heirs.

A review of life insurance should be part of your estate plan. Do you know who your named beneficiary is on your life insurance policies? If your estate is the beneficiary, your estate’s value may exceed the federal or state estate tax limits.

Many people today create an ethical will. This is not a legally binding document; instead, it is used to express your values and your wishes for heir’s futures. It may also be used to give them insight into how your will was structured and why. If there is controversy in the family, an ethical will or statement of intentions may help bolster your will if there are any legal challenges.

Your retirement benefits and any workplace benefits have beneficiaries named in the event of your death. Do you know who they are, and do you still wish for those named to be your beneficiaries?

Estate planning includes addressing incapacity and illness. You’ll want a Power of Attorney for someone to act on your behalf if you are sick or injured and cannot handle your personal finances. You’ll also need a Health Care Proxy for someone who will be empowered to speak with healthcare personnel and make care decisions for you if you cannot.

Without a comprehensive estate plan, the difficulties facing your loved ones upon your illness and upon your death will be magnified. Yes, you need an estate plan. The sooner, the better. Speak with an estate planning attorney to get the process started.

Reference: mondaq (Aug. 24, 2022) “Do I Really Need an Estate Plan?”

What Is Better, a Trust or a Will?

“Preparing an estate plan for managing and distributing your assets in the case of death is one of the most important steps you could take to protect and provide for loved ones.”

Estate plans come in all sizes and shapes. One of the decisions in creating an estate plan is whether a trust should be part of your plan, as detailed in this recent article titled “Trust vs. Will: What They Share (And 6 Ways They are Different)” from Yahoo! Money. Both trusts and wills give control over how assets are distributed. However, there are differences.

A trust is a tool for asset protection during and after life, created by an estate planning attorney. When the trust is created, assets are transferred into the trust, which is a legal entity. If it’s a revocable trust, typically you are the grantor, trustee, and beneficiary. There are also other roles, like the successor trustee, who is the trustee if the primary is incapacitated and the beneficiary, the person who receives the assets. The trustee is a fiduciary and responsible for managing the assets for the best interest of the beneficiary.

There are many different types of trusts, but they mainly fall into two categories:

Revocable or living trusts allow the grantor full control of the trust. The trust assets are outside of the probate estate. Revocable trusts can be changed, assets may be added and beneficiaries can be changed. However, there’s no protection from creditors and no unique tax benefits.

Irrevocable living trusts transfer assets upon death without going through probate. They provide stronger asset protection. Assets in an irrevocable trust are not accessible to creditors and, depending on how they are set up, may place assets outside of the taxable estate.

There are also many specialized trusts. A Special Needs Trust is used to care for a person with special needs, while maintaining their government benefits. A spendthrift trust can be used to leave assets for people who aren’t capable (or interested) in managing funds responsibly. Trusts provide significantly more control over assets after death than wills. They may also be harder to contest after death, since they go into effect while you are living and may remain in effect for many years.

Wills are used to provide specific directions about how you want to distribute assets upon your death. The will goes through probate, where the court determines if the will is valid, if the executor is acceptable and then the will becomes part of the public record. Creditors can make claims against the estate, family members may challenge the will and depending upon where you live, it could take many months or several years to settle the estate.

How are trusts and wills different?

1—Trusts can be more complex than wills and require management. The will goes into effect upon your death, and you can change a will whenever you want. You also can change a trust whenever you want, but only if it is revocable.

2—Trusts go into effect immediately and they need to be funded, so you’ll have to transfer assets to the trust.

3—A trust is a separate legal entity, so assets are shielded from estate and inheritance taxes. Certain trusts do pay taxes, so speak with your estate planning attorney about how this may work for you.

4—Certain trusts put assets well beyond the reach of creditors. However, a trust may not be created solely for this purpose, since it could be deemed invalid by a court. However, in most cases, trusts work well to protect assets to pass them along to beneficiaries. A will offers no such protection, unless a “testamentary” trust is created under the will. This will created trust can operate exactly as an inheritance trust created for loved ones after you die and your revocable trust becomes irrevocable.

5—Planning for incapacity should be part of any estate plan. Once a trust is set up and funded, the assets immediately enjoy the protection by having a successor trustee to be in charge of assets if the grantor/trustee becomes incapacitated. A will only addresses what happens after you die, not what happens if you become too sick or are injured and can’t manage your affairs.

6—The trust is the winner when it comes to control over assets after death, if you want to avoid probate. You can instruct the trustee to distribute funds to beneficiaries only under certain conditions and terms. If you want beneficiaries to finish college, for instance, you can direct the trustee to distribute a certain amount of money only after the person completes an undergraduate degree. You can also use the money to pay for their college education.

For most people, a combination of a will and trust works to control assets, prepare for incapacity and, just as importantly, provide peace of mind.

Bottom line: estate planning is complicated, not a do-it-yourself project and should be done with the counsel of an experienced estate planning attorney.

Reference: Yahoo! Money (June 5, 2022) “Trust vs. Will: What They Share (And 6 Ways They are Different”

Special Needs Planning

“Estate planning should always be customized to each individual creating a plan. This is particularly important when planning for beneficiaries with disabilities.”

When a family includes a disabled individual, sometimes referred to as a “person with special needs,” estate planning needs to address the complexities, as described in a recent article titled “Customize estate plan to account for disabled beneficiaries” from The News-Enterprise. Failing to do so can have life-long repercussions for the individual.

This often occurs because the testator, the person creating the estate plan, does not know the implications of failing to take the disabled person’s situation into consideration, or when there is no will.

The most common error is leaving the disabled beneficiary receiving an outright inheritance. With a simple will, or no will, the beneficiary receives the inheritance and becomes ineligible for public benefits they may be receiving. The disruption can impact their medical care, housing, work and social programs. It may also lead to the loss of their inheritance.

If the disabled beneficiary does not currently receive benefits, it does not mean they will never need them. After the death of a parent, for instance, they may become completely reliant on public benefits. An inheritance will put them in jeopardy.

A second common error is naming the caregiver as the beneficiary, rather than the disabled individual. This causes numerous problems. The caregiver has the right to do whatever they want with the assets. If they no longer wish to care for the beneficiary, they are under no legal obligation to do so.

If the caregiver has any liabilities of their own, or when the caregiver becomes incapacitated or dies, the assets intended for the disabled individual will be subject to any estate taxes or creditors of the caregiver. If the caregiver has any children of their own, they will inherit the assets and not the disabled person.

The caregiver does not enjoy any kind of estate tax protection, so the estate may end up paying taxes on assets intended for the beneficiary.

The third major planning mistake is using a will instead of a trust as the primary planning method. A Special Needs Trust is designed to benefit a disabled individual to protect the assets and protect the individual’s public benefits. The trust assets can be used for continuity of care, while maintaining privacy for the individual and the family.

Planning for individuals with special needs requires great care, specifically for the testator and their beneficiaries. Families who appear to be similar on the outside may have very different needs, making a personalized estate plan vital to ensure that beneficiaries have the protection they deserve and need.

Reference: The News-Enterprise (March 15, 2022) “Customize estate plan to account for disabled beneficiaries”

Write a Letter of Instruction for Loved Ones

“Executors can use additional information in administering estates, especially if the executor is unrelated to the decedent.”

A letter of intent is frequently recommended for parents of disabled children to share information for when the parent dies. However, letters of intent or a letter of instruction can also be a helpful resource for executors, says the article “Planning Head: For detailed instructions consider a letter of instruction” from The Mercury. This is especially valuable, if the executor doesn’t know the decedent or their family members very well.

For disabled children, legal documents address specific issues and aren’t necessarily the right place to include personal information about the child or the parent’s desires for the child’s future. Estate plans need more information, especially for a minor child.

The goal is to create a document to make clear what the parents want for the child after they pass, whether that occurs early or late in the child’s life.

For a disabled child, the first questions to be addressed in the estate plan concern who will care for the child if the parent dies or becomes incapacitated, where will the child live and what funds will be available for their care. Once those matters are resolved, however, there are more questions about the child’s wants and needs.

The letter of intent can answer questions about the special information only a parent knows and is helpful in future decisions about their care and living situation.

The letter of intent concerning an estate should also include information about wishes for a funeral or burial and contain everything from directions for the music list for a ceremony to the writing on the headstone.

Once the letter of intent is created, the next question is, where should you put it so it is secure and can be accessed when it is needed?

Don’t put it in a bank safe deposit box. This is a common error for estate planning documents as well. The executor may only access the contents of the safe deposit box after letters of administration have been issued. This happens after the funeral, and sometimes long after the funeral. By then, it will be too late for any instructions.

Keeping estate planning documents in a safe deposit box presents other problems. If the bank seals the safe deposit box on notification of the owner’s death, the executor won’t be able to proceed. This can sometimes be prevented by having additional owners on the safe deposit box, if permitted by the bank . Any additional owners will also need to know where the key is located and be able get access to it.

The better solution is to keep all important documents including wills, financial power of attorney, health care powers, living wills, or health care directives, insurance forms, cemetery deeds, information for the family’s estate planning attorney, financial advisor, and CPA, etc., in one location known to the trusted person who will need access to the documents. That person will need a set of keys to the house. If they are kept in a fire and waterproof safe in the house; they will also need the keys to the safe.

If the parents move or move the documents, they’ll need to remember to tell the trusted person where these documents have moved., Otherwise, a lot of work will have been for naught.

Reference: The Mercury (Jan. 19, 2022) “Planning Head: For detailed instructions consider a letter of instruction”