Innovative Estate and Gift Planning
Leave your legacy as you intended for your family, your business and your charities
You’ve worked hard to grow your wealth and build a comfortable life for you and your loved ones. Now you want to ensure that they– and future generations – are cared for after you’re gone. You also want to share your good fortune with others. To accomplish both, you need a tax-efficient estate and gifting plan.
Our advanced estate planning and wealth preservation solutions help you achieve your goals while mitigating your tax liabilities and those of your heirs. Recommendations are tailored to your unique situation and reflect our expansive knowledge of estate, trust, gift and tax laws.
Estate planning is one of the most priceless and enduring gifts you can give your loved ones—and yourself.
Your legacy provides loved ones with the resources to pursue their passions and puts them on the path to financial well-being. But ensuring these resources last is a challenge. We help you build a lasting legacy that:
Your life isn’t static, and your estate plan shouldn’t be either. We monitor it regularly to make sure it keeps up with you, your family, and changing tax laws.
State and federal estate taxes can significantly erode a family’s wealth over time—more so than income taxes. This is especially true for individuals who live in high-tax states. We work with you and your attorney to create and execute a comprehensive plan for your unique needs and intentions.
How you pass your wealth from one generation to the next directly impacts your taxes and the protections afforded in the event of a lawsuit, divorce, or bankruptcy. Dynasty Trusts and Private Trust Companies are just two ways we help address these concerns and sustain the viability of your estate.
The first step to enhancing your estate plan is understanding where you’re at today. Reviewing your existing documents helps us ensure all your assets are addressed, including investments, your homes, jewelry and artwork, and identify opportunities for improvement. Once identified, we work with you and your attorney to close any gaps so you can feel confident your legacy and loved ones are protected.
The type of asset and how it is owned impacts who receives your property after your death. For example, IRA accounts automatically pass to your beneficiaries. Any property owned jointly with rights of survivorship passes to the other owner. Our review helps ensure your assets are titled according to your intentions and that your beneficiary information is up to date.
Life insurance is more liquid than many assets you may own, making the proceeds a good source for paying estate taxes and other liabilities—leaving the rest of your estate intact. We help you determine the level and type of life insurance that’s right for you.
Should you make your gift now or in the future? Should you bundle your gifts together in one year? Does a Donor Advised Fund make sense for you? Should you make a monetary gift or donate investments or real property? We answer these questions and more to help you maximize the value of your gifts while minimizing taxes.
If you’re a business owner, the future of your company is an essential part of any estate planning conversation. Do you want to transfer ownership to family members? Do you plan to sell the business and allocate the proceeds amongst loved ones? Whatever your vision, we help you create a comprehensive exit strategy that prepares you, your business and your family for the transition.
Loved ones who understand the reasoning behind the provisions in an estate plan are more likely to embrace the plan and carry it forward. We offer education materials that focus on the rising generation to help you have this important conversation.
The most important reason for estate planning is to give yourself and your loved ones peace of mind. Creating your estate plan gives you control. As I’ve often said to many clients over the years, if you don’t have an estate plan, the state will write one for you (also known as an intestate statute), and its likely not what you would want. At Cerity Partners, we work with clients to create a full comprehensive financial and estate plan for individuals to protect both their wealth and well-being.
Susan Hartley-Moss
Partner
Many people equate estate planning with wills and irrevocable trusts. While these tools do serve a purpose, they likely won’t address all your needs. Our planning specialists understand the nuances of designing effective and tax-efficient estate plans and trusts for affluent families here and abroad.
Estate and gift planning are just one aspect of your financial life. We help you manage the full picture.