According to a 2015 study conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, approximately 43.5 million caregivers provided unpaid care to an adult or child during the prior 12 months. Those who have taken on the role of caregivers for ill or disabled spouses, aging parents, children or other loved ones with special needs are typically selfless and giving individuals who may not stop to consider their own financial and estate planning needs. It is likely that you have clients who are providing this type of care. It is essential to broach this subject with your clients to ensure they have financial and estate plans in place that address both their own needs and those of their care recipients.

As their trusted advisor, you can encourage them not only to recognize their own emotional needs and develop the skills needed to deal with the stresses of caregiving, but to take the time to create financial and estate plans, or if they have those plans in place, to reevaluate them at regular intervals. It is crucial for caregivers to ensure not only that their own future is secure, but to also create plans that provide for their families and their care recipient if something should happen to them. The following are some suggestions about how you can help clients who are caregivers.

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As your client’s trusted advisor, you may be the first person the family turns to when a family member or loved one passes away. Although it is important for your client to contact us soon to start the process of estate or trust administration, the shock and grief of losing a loved one are often overwhelming. Sometimes, family members simply need a brief respite before addressing these legal matters.

However, there are several practical and legal considerations that the person named as the executor of the estate or trustee of the trust should address in the initial weeks following the death, prior to the administration of the estate or trust. During this stressful and emotional period, your client may forget about certain tasks which may lead to problems if left undone, and there are important legal considerations your client must heed. Here is a list you can provide to your client of some important initial steps to take:

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In 2008, Congress recognized the need for the public to understand the importance and benefits of estate planning by passing House Resolution 1499, which designated the third week of October as National Estate Planning Awareness Week. Nevertheless, according to a 2019 survey carried out by Caring.com, 57% of adults in the United States have not prepared any estate planning documents such as a will or trust despite the fact that 76% viewed them as important. Many of the respondents said this was due to procrastination, but many others mistakenly believed that it was not necessary because they did not have many assets.

Estate Planning Awareness Week is a great reminder of the need to explain what estate planning is to your clients and why it is crucial for them not to delay putting an estate plan in place, regardless of the size of their estate.

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Since the enactment of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017, the utility of the irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) has been in question. The substantial increase in the federal estate tax exemption–$11.4 million for an individual and $22.8 million for a married couple in 2019—greatly reduced the need for estate planning aimed at lessening federal estate tax liability or offsetting estate taxes for many clients. As a result, your clients may be wondering if an ILIT is necessary.

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The 2019 estate tax exemption is $11.4 million per person, up from $11.2 million per person in 2018. According to the Tax Policy Center, only 4,000 estate tax returns were filed this year, with only 1,900 of those returns owing tax. Some industry experts estimate that less than one percent of all estates are taxable. Put another way, over 99 percent of all estates are exempt from estate tax. With the likelihood of clients having a taxable estate being relatively low right now (this is subject to change, of course), it only makes sense that clients focus on income tax planning. As a trusted advisor, you hold a crucial role in ensuring that our clients receive the best comprehensive strategy.

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If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it is that each client is unique.

Likewise, our approach to counseling these clients should be tailored to each one’s specific needs.

Let’s work together to develop special plans that fit each client’s special circumstances.

One key tool to consider is the niche trust.

Usually, when we speak about a trust, we mean an “express trust.” An express trust is a three-way relationship between the grantor, the beneficiary or beneficiaries, and the third party, or trustee. The grantor has assets he or she wishes to distribute in a specified way to the beneficiary, and the trustee holds those assets on behalf of the beneficiary.

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Prevention Is the Greatest Cure

Your clients trust you with their financial future and the legacy they want to leave behind. They rely on you to anticipate challenges, foresee trouble, and take preventative measures. When it comes to a client’s financial wellbeing, it is up to the trusted advisor to know what problems are likely to arise and to have solutions ready to help avoid conflict in the family, waste of resources, and other common pitfalls.

One crucial tool to keep assets safe and to ensure they are distributed in the way your client wants is through the use of a revocable living trust.

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For maximum benefit, estate planning should happen as a team effort, with CPAs, insurance professionals, financial advisors, and attorneys working together strategically and cooperatively. When it comes to helping married couples plan, today’s strategies need to be considerably more thoughtful than in previous years. Although the estate tax exemption is ever increasing, portability is still an important option, particularly for high net worth clients.

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Retirement accounts are designed to help make the transition between working and retiring easier. They provide a steady stream of income for retirees who are suddenly without take-home pay for the first time in their lives. These accounts require extra planning and consideration since, unlike other assets your clients may have, retirement account distributions are subject to income tax for the account owner and the designated beneficiary after the owner’s death.

It is important that any plans for retirement match up with the plans a person has for their estate. Of course, planning for retirement assets is often motivated by different goals than estate planning because of income taxes. It is critical that financial advisors take the opportunity to talk with their clients about the differences when meeting for a review of their plans.

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Estate planning is a complex, nuanced process. Properly done, it requires a specialized team of experts in investment, tax, and legal strategy. At its center, however, is the client and their particular needs, hopes, and goals. It’s vital that over the course of working together, you engage your client and help them gain comfort and understanding of the process. Delving into a client’s plan together is a great opportunity to interact more closely.

Be an Active Listener

As an experienced financial advisor, you may feel as if you’ve heard and seen it all. But every client is unique. Each one’s story, background, goals, hopes and fears are different, and it’s up to you to ensure you’re getting all the necessary information before proceeding with the next steps. If you’re not entering client consultations with the goal of being an active listener, you could be setting yourself up to miss critical details.

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