New York Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog

SOCIAL SECURITY SURVIVOR BENEFITS

Published on: April 5, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

NEW RULES FOR SAME SEX COUPLES

Social security survivor benefits may seem like a relatively straightforward issues to understand. Indeed, it can be for the majority of people, but with the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that states must recognize the right of all couples, including same sex couples, to marry, the issue of social security survivor benefits for spouses and even for children should at least be touched upon. The opinion in Obergefell may be as monumental of an opinion as the Court ever penned. While only history will tell, the social consequences may be of the same magnitude as the Supreme Court’s opinion in Brown v. Little Rock Board of Education, requiring racial integration of schools across the country.

The implications ripple throughout the law, from tax law to social security benefits to family law, estate planning, bankruptcy and even elder law. Less than a year prior to the writing of this blog there was a patchwork of treatment for same sex couples, which was anything but similar in its treatment of two similarly situated couples, with the only difference being what jurisdiction the couple lived in. Social Security indeed denied some same sex life partners survivor benefits when a couple resided with each other as spouses for decades. Even before the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Obergefell some who be widows/widowers (but for the state law denial of this right) sued the Social Security for this disparate treatment.

GENERATION SKIPPING TRANSFER TAX

Published on: April 5, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

SEEMINGLY COMPLICATED

The Generation skipping transfer tax seems complicated to understand and it absolutely should only be dealt with by a seasoned professional, but there are some hallmarks that are present in each such transaction so that individual taxpayers know when the tax will apply and can follow a general conversation about the topic. To begin with, the name may seem a bit confusing at first. The skipping that the name refers to is the tax that would (should according to some lawmakers and IRS officials no doubt) be incurred when a second generation passes on the inherited asset.

The generation skipping transfer tax was first introduced in 1976 to avoid what Congress saw as an avoidance of the estate tax by wealthy families that could afford to hire attorneys to create complicated, long term trusts that avoided the estate tax. The net result was that less wealthy, middle class families were paying a disproportionate share of the estate taxes; in other words, those who could least afford it were paying more of the tax. The generation skipping transfer tax in its current incarnation creates tax liability anytime a transfer of an asset or money is transferred more than one generation from the grantor or to someone who is at least 37.5 years younger.

TAXATION OF TRUSTS

Published on: March 31, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

SOMETIMES MAY BE BETTER TO DISTRIBUTE THAN HOLD ON

Most trustees know that they have to make an accounting and pay taxes on at least a quarterly basis. While accounting itself may seem like a relatively simple theoretical proposition, the truth is much different. The devil is in the details. Allocation of each line of income to specific taxes, each with its own tax forms, requires that the trustee account for every penny that comes in, how it is earned, how it is treated under both federal and state tax laws and how it is distributed is a full time job to say the least. Once a trust is funded, it generally does not act simply as a bank account simply holding the money for later distribution.

Often the money is invested in a diverse portfolio of stocks, bonds and other financial instruments. It is not uncommon for a trust to include ownership of real estate assets that produce income in the form of rent or mineral royalties or perhaps even intellectual property which can produce a different source of income. Whatever the source, most trusts are now subject to a 3.8% net investment income tax on any undistributed income that is not distributed to beneficiaries or given to charities. While this figure may be low it is a consideration that needs to be taken into account when determining whether to pay out certain monies to beneficiaries, from what source that money comes from, whether it is from principal, capital gains or dividends.

HOME CARE SERVICES IN NEW YORK STATE

Published on: March 29, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

IN HOME PERSONAL ASSISTANTS

If you already have New York Medicaid you may be eligible for managed long term care or in home care by a licensed Managed Long Term Care Agency (often simply referred to as MLTC). The animating thought is to ensure that older adults can remain in their home and community rather than in a nursing home. The menu of options available to eligible New York state residents is actually quite extensive. In fact, there is even the option of hiring and training your own personal assistant, know as Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program.

Traditionally, they could not live with you and you cannot hire your own spouse, parent, son-in-law, son, daughter-in-law or daughter, although they can be grandchildren, neices or nephews or any other relative for that matter. That requirement is changing in April, 2016. There is an exception that allows your personal assistant to live in your home if the amount of care required by the patient makes it necessary. That means that parents (usually of a disabled child), children, grandchildren or sons and daughters in law may reside in the home and care for the patient and get paid for it. You are also required to hire and train an alternate for when the primary care assistant is unable to come to your home because of vacation or need for sick time.

THE CLAT – STRANGE NAME, GREAT PLAN

Published on: March 28, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

CHARITABLE LEAD ANNUITY TRUST

There are many great estate planning strategies that allow a person to avoid or lower estate tax liability and give money to charity at the same time. With the large estate tax exemption and portability of estate tax exemptions only a small number of Americans will face the possibility of paying the federal estate tax. For many New Yorkers, however, the federal estate tax is a secondary consideration in light of the lack of right to transfer any unused estate tax exemption from for the first deceased spouse to the next. Instead of a double benefit, New Yorkers face a potential double hit of not only having a lower estate tax threshold, but being taxed on the entire estate amount, sans estate tax exemption. For couples that face this possibility and for those with larger estates, few match the simplicity of the charitable lead annuity trust, often abbreviated as a CLAT. It is also a good fit for those who seek to defer the payout of their trust payments to relatives quite some distance in the future.

The CLAT works quite simply by funding the trust with a certain amount, usually a large amount (since it is generally used by families or grantors looking to reduce their estate tax liability) that is scheduled to be paid out to a charity over of a certain length of time. Once the payout period for the charity is over, a certain sum, plus any additional monies earned (minus taxes and expenses of course) is paid to the remainderman beneficiary of the trust.

MEDICARE AND HOSPICE CARE

Published on: March 25, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

FOCUS ON COMFORT

Hospice care is intended to ensure that those who are in the final stages of a terminal illness are cared for and comfortable. It is not to cure a current disease process. Instead it is to help provide a more holistic or all encompassing level of care. The patient’s medical, emotional, mental, social and religious needs are addressed. Prior to entry into a Medicare hospice program you and your family will meet with your hospice team to address the families needs, obviously with primary focus on the patient. Included within that plan, there could be social workers, dietary consultants, nurses, physicians, speech pathologists or any other medical professional that is Medicare eligible.

There are times when a hospice care plan will include bereavement counselors and priests or chaplains. Care can even be provided in home, unless your hospice team determines that the level of needed care can only be provided in an inpatient facility. If the care is in home and one of the primary caretakers needs a break, Medicare authorizes respite care for up to five days each time respite care is authorized. Respite care may be available more than once it is not authorized more than once very often.

UNDERSTANDING THE SUPERFUND A 529 ACCOUNT

Published on: March 24, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

529 ACCOUNTS

Estate planning is the legal strategy by which one generation transfers wealth to the next, which involves an the use of various trusts and/or a will or even transferring money or items to corporations in an effort to legally and ethically reduce tax liability. One of the easiest ways to insure that your children, grandchildren or loved ones who have not yet graduated from high school have a much easier ride in life is to have them graduate from college.

College graduates almost uniformly enjoy a longer life, better health, live in safer neighborhoods and make more money than those who did not graduate from college. There is a hitch, however, in that college is an extremely expensive undertaking. College graduates can be saddled with debt that can follow them for decades. As such, if you can find a way for them to go to college and graduate with no debt or at least minimal debt, you will ensure that you transferred more wealth to them than even the average wealthy parent can leave via traditional estate planning. Many people are aware of 529 plans, which allows for deposits into an account, wherein the money grows tax free and is non-taxable when withdrawn if used for educational costs.

PARENTAL VISITATION LAWS – RIGHT TO VISIT PARENT OF ADULT CHILDREN

Published on: March 22, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

ANOTHER CELEBRITY CASE MAKING CHANGES

In the last few months that Casey Kasem had on this earth, he was the center of a brouhaha between his daughter, Kerri Kasem, and her stepmother, Jean Kasem, Mr. Kasem’s second wife. More specifically, Kerri Kasem alleged that at the end of the Mr. Kasem’s life she tried to visit with him but was not allowed until she forced the issue via a court Order. Kerri obviously cared deeply for her father and was clearly distraught over how everything played out during Ms. Kasem’s last few months as almost anyone would. She decided to do something about it and created the Kasem Cares Foundation to advocate for parental visitation laws.

It is not surprising that Kerri Kasem sound to advocate for change, as Mr. Kasem was well known for his advocacy against things such as factory farming and his refusal to engage in movies as a voice actor that portrayed Arabs in a negative light; the Kasem’s are of Lebanese heritage. Kerri Kasem also followed her father into the radio industry. Mr. Kasem passed away on June 15, 2014 and in the last two years, the foundation can justifiably claim some modest success.

ESTATE PLANNING FOR THE ARTIST

Published on: March 22, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN ESTATE PLANNING

This blog explored the generic topic of intellectual property in estate planning in the recent past, which is worth reading for a discussion on the larger topic. Estate planning for the artist or even the art collector is certainly related but worthy of its own discussion. With respect to intellectual property, copyrights are provided to protect in an original work of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, which can be replicated, perceived or communicated. To put that in plain english, the law protects those an artist who creates new forms of expression in established media, whether it be paintings, sculpture (including welded sculptures), photography, writing literature, screenplays or plays, music and even choreography. Artists such as Christo certainly make classification of art more difficult, but that is probably the point of the art. What happens, however, when an artist or art collector passes away and they have a substantial amount of artwork. Transferring a recording of a song is not the same as transferring the copyright to that song. Transfer of intellectual property must be in writing.

CREATING AN INVENTORY, DECIDING WHO GETS WHAT OBJECTS AND WHO GETS WHAT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

MONEY IN IRA MAY BE LEFT DIRECTLY TO HEIRS OR TO TRUSTS

Published on: March 18, 2016 | by Ettinger Law Firm

MONEY LEFT IN IRA AT TIME OF PASSING NOT SUBJECT TO NORMAL IRA RULES

This blog previously discussed the Supreme Court case of Clark v. Rameker and the legal implications of money remaining in an IRA at death, that is in turn left to the heirs of an estate. Putting aside the potential tax implications, if any, with passing on an account with an easily ascertainable value, passing on an IRA can strip the IRA of its legal protections, such keeping it from the reach of judgment creditors. It should be noted that this discussion does not include leaving money in an IRA to a spouse, which the law allows special treatment for, by allowing the spouse to roll it over into a regular IRA account upon the death of the owner of the IRA and treat it as if it were his/her own IRA.

With respect to all other types of heirs, with an inherited IRA, the owner can withdraw from the IRA prior to reaching the age of 59 and one half years old. If the IRA is not inherited the owner would normally face a ten percent penalty if did this. In addition, the owner of an inherited IRA must withdraw the entire balance within five years of the original owner’s passing or take annual minimum distributions, allowing the bulk of the money to sit in the account and grow tax free. The money is only taxed to the recipient upon withdrawal. Most importantly, the owner cannot add funds to the IRA account. To maintain certain protections, such as keeping the money in the IRA out of the hands of judgment creditors and to minimize the tax liability, it may be wise for the testator to leave the money in the IRA to an IRA trust or conduit trust.