Typically used for estate planning, trusts may accomplish much more than tax reduction. They can protect assets from an arduous stint in probate, shield assets from creditors and offer added control over them – both during and after your lifetime. This is crucial for small business owners who want their private business screened from competitors, their family to succeed them or another buyer to pay top price when the time comes to sell.
A Credit Shelter Trust, also known as a Bypass or AB Trust, ensures that if you’re married, your estate gets what’s left of you and your spouse's
entire estate tax exemptions. Without this trust, your estate loses any unused part of an exemption. The
federal estate tax exemption now exceeds $5 million per person. According to the
IRS website, under the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, Pub. L. No. 115-97, the 2018 filing threshold is increased to $10,000,000 without taking into account the necessary inflation adjustment. However,
state estate and inheritance taxes widely. Some states don’t have the tax, while others may begin at much lower thresholds.
A Grantor Retained Annuity Trust shields a business or other assets from some or all estate taxes. Irrevocable, a GRAT also provides an income from the trust’s assets during your lifetime. When the trust’s term ends, income payments end and beneficiaries receive a discounted value of the business interests held in the trust. The IRS will value the gift at the time of the creation of the trust, making this trust a natural one for assets expected to appreciate. As with most things related to trusts, you should consult an experienced estate planning attorney for the details.
A Life Insurance Trust is irrevocable. It is both owner and beneficiary of one or more life insurance policies. This type of trust, a common estate-tax reduction tool, is important because of how the Internal Revenue Service taxes life insurance. Although life insurance isn’t subject to federal income taxes, the IRS includes it as an estate-taxable asset. A Life Insurance Trust takes the insurance out of your taxable estate, giving heirs a tax-free source of funding to pay other estate taxes or to buy a business interest as part of a succession plan.
Many business owners want to leave some of their assets to charity. To make the most of their charitable gifts, they might use one of two irrevocable charitable trusts. The assets in a Charitable Remainder Trust provide income over a fixed period of time to a person named in the trust. The remainder goes to a named charity upon the death of the person who created the trust. A Charitable Lead Trust does the opposite. The trust’s creator donates the trust’s income to charity while alive, and heirs get the remainder after the trust terminates. Both trusts help you lower income taxes.
