No one could have foreseen this pandemic nor the impact it has had on all of us. It has caused us all to stop, pause and ask ourselves how could I have been better prepared for this?

More importantly, what steps can I now take to ensure I am prepared and my family is protected. At Imperial, we are proud to say we have helped get you to where you are today and that our methodical approach to your planning has safe guarded your financial plan. However, we would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge we need to make sure you are looking forward and making sure you and your family’s future is protected. Several of you reached out at the peak of the pandemic to ask about wills and legacy planning which is a clear indication that this is needed. The most common questions we get are:

• Can I retire when I want to and maintain my desired lifestyle?
• How can I ensure I don’t outlive my money?
• What might my future healthcare needs and costs are, and how do those factor into my overall plans?
• If I were to pass away unexpectedly, would my family be taken care of?
• How can I protect the value of my estate?

A great first step is setting up a Trust. A Trust –  Is a fiduciary relationship in which one party, known as a trustor, gives another party, the trustee, the right to hold title to property or assets for the benefit of a third party, the beneficiary. Trusts are established to provide legal protection for the trustor’s assets, to make sure those assets are distributed according to the wishes of the trustor, and to save time, reduce paperwork and, in some cases, avoid or reduce inheritance or estate taxes.

Trusts are created by settlors (an individual along with his or her lawyer) who decide how to transfer parts or all of their assets to trustees. These trustees hold on to the assets for the beneficiaries of the trust. The rules of a trust depend on the terms on which it was built. In some areas, it is possible for older beneficiaries to become trustees. For example, in some jurisdictions, the grantor can be a lifetime beneficiary and a trustee at the same time.

A trust can be used to determine how a person’s money should be managed and distributed while that person is alive, or after their death. A trust helps avoid taxes and probate. It can protect assets from creditors, and it can dictate the terms of an inheritance for beneficiaries. The disadvantages of trusts are that they require time and money to create, and they cannot be easily revoked.

A trust is one way to provide for a beneficiary who is underage or has a mental disability that may impair his ability to manage finances. Once the beneficiary is deemed capable of managing his assets, he will receive possession of the trust.

Categories of Trusts

Although there are many different types of trusts, each fits into one or more of the following categories.

A living trust – also called an inter-vivos trust – is a written document in which an individual’s assets are provided as a trust for the individual’s use and benefit during his lifetime. These assets are transferred to his beneficiaries at the time of the individual’s death. The individual has a successor trustee who is in charge of transferring the assets.

A testamentary trust also called a will trust, specifies how the assets of an individual are designated after the individual’s death. 

A revocable trust can be changed or terminated by the trustor during his lifetime. An irrevocable trust, as the name implies, is one the trustor cannot change once it’s established, or one that becomes irrevocable upon his death.

Living trusts can be revocable or irrevocable. Testamentary trusts can only be irrevocable. An irrevocable trust is usually more desirable. The fact that it is unalterable, containing assets that have been permanently moved out of the trustor’s possession, is what allows estate taxes to be minimized or avoided altogether.

A funded trust has assets put into it by the trustor during his lifetime. An unfunded trust consists only of the trust agreement with no funding. Unfunded trusts can become funded upon the trustor’s death or remain unfunded. Since an unfunded trust exposes assets to many of the perils a trust is designed to avoid, ensuring proper funding is important.

Common Purposes for Trusts

The trust fund is an ancient instrument – dating back to feudal times, in fact – that is sometimes greeted with scorn, due to its association with the idle rich (as in the pejorative “trust fund baby”). But trusts are highly versatile vehicles that can protect assets and direct them into the right hands in the present and in the future, long after the original asset owner’s death.

A trust is a legal entity employed to hold property, so the assets are generally safer than they would be with a family member. Even a relative with the best of intentions could face a lawsuit, divorce or other misfortune, putting those assets at risk.

Trusts can also be used for estate planning. Typically, the assets of a deceased individual are passed to the spouse and then equally divided to the surviving children. However, children who are under the legal age of 18 need to have trustees. The trustees only have control over the assets until the children reach adulthood.

In some cases, the tax consequences provided by using trusts are lower compared to other alternatives. As such, the usage of trusts has become a staple in tax planning for individuals and corporations.

We developed the Legacy Planning Workbook to help you understand and work through the various parts of ensuring your children and grandchildren will have security no matter what. You can download it here.

Have more questions on legacy planning? Contact one of our advisors here.