“Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay.” – President Barack Obama
Thank you to the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and join us as we remember and honor our nation’s heroes on Memorial Day.
Today reminds us that legacies matter. Not only to our friends and our families, but also our communities and society writ large. Whether you are a veteran or just starting out in the military, planning your estate is an important first step to leaving your legacy.
Estate Planning Affects Everyone
Estate planning is important regardless of your financial situation. In fact, it may be more important if you have a smaller estate because the final expenses could have a much greater impact on your estate. Wasting even a single asset may cause your loved ones to suffer from a lack of financial resources.
Your estate plan can be relatively simple and inexpensive, such as preparing a will to distribute basic accounts and assets, or designating beneficiaries for your life insurance policy(s) and retirement account(s). If your estate is larger or you have more assets, the estate planning process may be more complex and expensive. In any case, you will probably need the help of professionals, including an estate planning attorney, a financial planner, an accountant, and possibly an insurance professional.
Issues to Consider
Your estate plan should be geared to your circumstances. Some factors that may impact your estate plan include whether:
How Do You Begin Planning Your Estate?
The process usually begins with an analysis of what you own. The type of assets and property you own can affect how you plan your estate. Next, formulate goals and objectives for your estate plan. Decide whom you want to inherit from your estate. Consider whether you want to place any restrictions or conditions on an inheritance (e.g., specify a replacement should a named beneficiary predecease you; control distributions to minors or someone you consider a spendthrift).
Consider how taxes might impact your estate. Taxes that may factor into your estate plan include federal and/or state gift and estate taxes, state inheritance taxes, and federal and/or state income taxes.
Additional goals and objectives you might consider include whether you want to:
Common Estate Planning Tools
Many strategies and tools are available to help you carry out your estate plan. In most cases, these tools are governed by specific state law, as well as federal law in some instances. Therefore, you should consult with a knowledgeable estate planning attorney to ensure that your legal documents and estate plan comply with the appropriate laws. The following is a brief description of several common tools and strategies:
Survivor Benefits
Whether you are receiving military retirement pay, a private pension, or income from the military or private employment, your death could cause serious financial hardship to your family. A major part of estate planning is developing strategies and contingencies to provide for your family after your death. Servicemembers have several benefits including life insurance, death gratuity, and survivor benefits that may be available to help survivors should the unthinkable happen.
Legacies are part of the ongoing foundation of life. We are grateful to our servicemembers for the impact they have on our communities and our nation. If we can ever be of service to you or your family, we stand ready to assist.
Prepared by Broadridge Advisor Solutions. Copyright 2021. Edited by BFSG, LLC.
Disclosure: BFSG does not make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy, timeliness, suitability, completeness, or relevance of any information prepared by any unaffiliated third party, whether linked to BFSG’s web site or blog or incorporated herein and takes no responsibility for any such content. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly. Please see important disclosure information here.
BFSG was in the news! View the article here: Ready, Set, Go!
Internal Revenue Service, Employee Plans
www.irs.gov/ep
Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration
www.dol.gov/ebsa
401(k) Help Center
www.401khelpcenter.com
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Using several versions of e-mails to retirement plan participants, researchers at Yale University conducted experiments to determine if certain written cues would affect the saving behavior of participants. The e-mails reminded participants of the employer match and how much the participant had contributed so far in the year, and allowed the researchers to study the impact of specific wording and examples on saving rates.
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