5 Mistakes To Avoid In Estate Planning

10 October 2023

Estate planning is a vital process of wealth management that ensures your assets are distributed according to your wishes after your passing. It is a process that involves careful consideration, documentation, and, often, professional guidance.

While everyone’s estate planning needs are unique, there are common mistakes that can derail even the most well-intentioned efforts. To ensure you have a seamless process, our wealth management advisors at Whittier Trust have compiled a list of five common mistakes to avoid in estate planning.

Why Real Estate Planning Is Important?

Gone are the days when real estate planning was just a source of high net worth. Nowadays, everyone from a middle-class family to a luxurious background must come with efficient estate planning. It is true that there are various sources to invest your money. But the importance of property planning is truly unparalleled.

Estate strategizing is all about keeping your loved ones protected, at least from the IRS. Under the Internal Revenue Service, it is integral to transfer your assets to heirs with the aim of creating the least possible tax burden on them. The right estate plan also saves families from falling apart. Just like a will, estate planning helps you choose your assets and finances in the right way possible. Finally, it can be said that estate planning safeguards beneficiaries. If you are the sole breadwinner of the family, there is nothing to worry about, even if something happens to you. But for that, you will first have to curate a properly structured and evenly distributed estate plan.

What 5 Mistakes Must Be Avoided In Estate Planning?

It is good that you have come up with an exclusive strategy. But is that all to make things work? After all, you are risking your entire life’s savings in this endeavor. So, here I am listing down 5 mistakes that one must be devoid of at the time of estate planning:

1. Procrastination:

One of the most common estate planning mistakes is simply procrastinating. It is easy to put off creating a comprehensive estate plan, especially when you are focused on the present. Life can bring unexpected twists, and a thoughtfully crafted estate plan can offer you and your loved ones a comforting sense of security.

It is never too early to start estate planning, so regardless of age, taking action now ensures that your assets are protected, and your intentions are clear. A well-structured estate plan can alleviate the cloud of uncertainty about the future of your assets and the well-being of your loved ones.

2. Neglecting Regular Updates:

Estate planning is not a one-and-done process. Life is constantly changing, and your estate plan should reflect those changes. Failing to update your plan can lead to unintended consequences.

Major life events such as marriage, divorce, the birth of children, the acquisition of new assets, or changes in financial circumstances all warrant a review and, if necessary, an update to your estate plan. Without consistent evaluation, your assets may not be distributed as you intended. You update things like your phone, car, and closet without hesitation. Why neglect something as valuable to you and your family as your estate?

3. Inadequate Consideration of Taxes:

Failing to incorporate tax sensitivity into all areas of your wealth management strategy will inevitably diminish the impact of your estate and the eventual assets available for your intended beneficiaries.

Consulting with a knowledgeable wealth management advisor can help you navigate the complexities of tax planning and ensure that your estate is as tax-efficient as possible. It’s also important to consider what state you’re establishing trust in. For example, Nevada is one of the most trust-friendly states. It offers strong tax benefits, asset protection, trust longevity, and flexible decanting provisions.

4. Overlooking Beneficiary Designations:

Many assets, such as retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and bank accounts, allow you to designate beneficiaries. These designations supersede instructions in your trust. It is crucial to review and update these beneficiary designations regularly to ensure they align with your current intentions. Failing to do so can lead to unintended consequences, such as assets going to a former spouse or someone you no longer wish to benefit.

Oftentimes, emotions get roped into our decision-making processes, leading to impulse decisions or skewed perceptions. It is also important to think about the long-term effects of your beneficiary designations, considering every possible scenario. Having a third party like a wealth management firm help you with this process can prove to be extremely advantageous.

The third-party can either serve as your trustee or help advise the trustee to make objective decisions and look after the estate and family. In either scenario, a wealth management company helps create a neutral, mutually beneficial relationship in the estate planning process.

5. DIY Estate Planning:

Assembling a personalized wealth management team by handpicking lawyers, investment professionals, and other specialists may appear to offer a tailored approach to estate management. However, the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of this DIY approach are often outweighed by the advantages of partnering with a multifamily office.

While individual experts bring their own strengths, a multifamily office excels in curating a team personalized to your needs and capable of seamless collaboration, ensuring that your financial objectives are pursued with synergy and precision.

Multifamily offices are usually more cost-effective and time-saving as well, even providing family office services to help stay on top of the day-to-day expenses, documentation, and management for an estate. However, a good wealth management firm is also capable of working with outside experts, whether to account for a non-traditional area of need or comfort with a longtime and trusted source of counsel to prioritize your peace of mind.

Conclusion

Estate planning is a critical process that should not be overlooked or delayed. Avoiding common mistakes can help you create a robust estate plan that protects your assets and provides for your loved ones as you intend.

Trust services, like those provided at Whittier Trust, are committed to assisting individuals and families in developing comprehensive estate plans tailored to their specific needs and goals. You are not in this alone. The right wealth management advisors are ready to help you create and maintain an estate plan that is designed just for you.

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7 Ways to Build a House on a Tight Budget

Probably you are busy on the web looking for actual home designs that fall within your budget. Or a way to build your dream house without inflating the cost beyond your savings. You are not alone, and many people planning to build their home on a budget are stuck looking for a solution to find a way to own a home making sure quality is not compromised. Well, the first step for you is to look for a real estate developer to guide you through the process because they know a thing or two more than you do. So, instead of sitting there searching online for solutions that don’t make sense, here are ways to build your home below and still end up with a quality house when everything is complete. 1. Build smaller: The first step of minimizing expenses when building your house is to cut your overall housing needs. You don’t want to end up with unfinished structure after your money diminishes; therefore, plan for a small house because it will need few materials and the same with spending. Also, a small house will require you to install few cooling and healing resources to maintain the house temperature. But before reducing everything, including the size of your house, first, know what your house requires and the family. Planning earlier before you start spending will avoid overspending or going beyond the allocated budget. Never assume that you only need a few items to complete the house just because the house is small. So, try to balance everything, and this is achievable if you work with a professional to guide the items and the required materials. 2. Look for reclaimed materials: Looking for reclaimed materials helps you to stay within your budget and void costly things. It saves you money, and you may end up getting high-quality and stunning building materials similar to new ones. You can even look for old houses that are no longer in use and see whether they can sell some of the valuable materials from the houses. Many people who use this approach save thousands of dollars that would have purchased new materials. If you get a good deal with reclaimed materials, you may end up expanding your house if the budget becomes reasonable. However, compare what you are buying with the market prices for you may spend more than expected. 3. Use natural building techniques: Natural building techniques can save you a great deal of money. For instance, you can use Cordwood in your house to save on purchasing costly materials. It can replace sheathing, studs, insulation, drywall, siding, and finish coverings. For Cordwood, you only need a beam frame built within a post to make your house walls stand. Even choosing natural methods does not mean you escape from spending too much money. And that's why budgeting before starting the building process saves you the headache later. 4. Look for cheap or free materials and services: Going for this option does not mean using used items to build your house. You can look for building materials for low cost or discounts in the market and still get good deals for items that would have cost you a fortune. For services, enquire from family and friends. They can recommend people they know or service providers they have worked with within the past. That means you get a good opportunity to negotiate building services to amount you feel will not press you financially. 5. Keep water usage areas together: Trying to combine water usage areas is a great way to save you money. This may save you excess money on plumbing materials spread all over your house. So, the ideal approach is to clump your bathroom, laundry, and kitchen as close as possible to minimize piping needs. You should include the clumping idea in the plan before the house building begins. 6. Forget the costly finishes: If your budget does not allow you to spend further, you can skip some finishes for a later date. For instance, you can postpone countertops and floor installation until you save money for specifically that work. Your entire focus should be on building a strong foundation that will guarantee your house stability. Building a house is a lifetime affair; therefore, you need something solid that will shelter you for many years to come, even on a budget. 7. Do-it-yourself as much as you can: If you can handle most of the building work, it will save on materials and labor. This is where you have to bring your expertise and at the same time know your limit to avoid shoddy work that may end up costing you more to rectify. Alternatively, rather than hiring many people to handle the project, you can work with architecture and follow their guidelines to save those extra dollars. Some of the task involved does not require a professional to handle them, but observation and application. Conclusion: You don’t have to spend a fortune to own a house. There are many options available that you can apply for and end up with a good-looking house. The idea is to build your dream house without spending much money. Read Also: Utilizing the Strength of Concrete to Protect Your Property Real Estate 101 – 3 Simple Tips to Boost the Value of Your Property Home Maintenance Plans And Cleaning Tips During Covid-19 6 Interior Design Tips to Make Your House a Home

How External Cladding Can Transform Homes?

The facade of a home creates the first impression for a visitor. And for most homeowners, there really is quite no place like home. The comfort and privacy of the home is something that can never be replicated elsewhere. This is precisely why it is necessary to ensure that creature comforts and the luxury aspects of your home are not compromised in any way. Vinyl cladding and recladding is an effective way to give your home an absolutely stunning makeover. Here is what you need to know about transforming your homes in a cost-effective manner. Choose An Experienced Service Provider : It is absolutely necessary to choose the services of experienced cladding installers Melbourne. Pick an agency that is reputed, with extensive experience in cladding across all surfaces, including - fibro, weatherboards, corrugated iron, concrete, brick, and artificial brick. The experience of a service provider will reflect in the quality of the finish and time taken to complete the task. It is necessary to choose a service provider who has successfully completed projects, where homes were of different sizes and designs. By choosing a service provider with limited exposure, you run the risk of an improper finish and it is also possible that the outcome would be a lot different from your expectations. Insulation Effects : When you opt for vinyl cladding, you get the added benefit of insulation which offers great thermal effects. The option of choosing the extent of insulation rests with you as the boards typically come with a foam of either 20 mm or 30 mm thickness. This will also help to fight noise pollution in addition to thermal protection. Ensure that the design of the structure is taken into consideration when you choose the thickness of the insulation boards. Additionally, it is also possible for you to consider foil for improving the quality of insulation. Functional And Esthetic Benefits : Vinyl cladding comes with dual benefits. The first is the functional protection it affords to the home through superior thermal protection and reduction in noise levels. In other words, it means that the homes will be warm when it is cold outside and cooler when it is hot outside. This will help to keep the electricity bills low, while at the same time offering greater comfort naturally. In addition to the functional aspect, the boards improve the esthetics considerably. The right choice of color and finish can greatly transform a home, with a large number of homeowners choosing the boards for renovating old homes. When you choose a service provider, ensure that you pick one who has all the necessary equipment and resources to handle the installation of the boards. The quality of the boards needs to be your primary consideration. This will ensure that the boards retain the look for long, and are cost-effective. A distinct advantage of the boards is the fact that specific boards can be replaced if damaged. This is a great advantage that will prevent the need for pulling down an entire section of the wall to replace a damaged portion. Read Also : How Do Law Firms Help Companies With Their Real Estate Issues? How Real Estate Factors Into Business Decisions Top Tips For Flipping Homes

6 Expert Tips for Finding The Right Home to Buy

Buying a home is undeniably one of the biggest purchases in life. When it comes to that point, it really makes sense to think through cautiously, especially if you’re a first-time buyer. Whatever the case, buying a new home can be a lengthy and detailed process. Especially given the fact that the housing market changes all the time. Whether you are looking for a condo, turn-key or an underappreciated property, there are various things you need to take into account. Read on to learn more. 1. Starting Early Makes Sense You’re not just going to wake up one day and use up your life’s savings to get your dream home. There is a volume of house hunters just like you looking for the best house the market has to offer. So, if you start the search sooner, you’re likely to get a better home quote and mortgage price. You also need to understand that starting early is all about keeping yourself updated with the changes in the real estate market. For example, if you start the planning process early, you will be able to keep yourself aware of the up-and-coming neighborhoods, development projects and other new and exciting infrastructure that is sure to drive valuation and property prices higher in the next few years. When sellers put their homes out for sale, they usually get offers in a matter of weeks. Also, they don’t like when their listings stay on the market for too long. Have a savings goal and commit to a monthly deposit amount to help you get the money for your downpayment. Ideally, it all depends on when you want to buy the home. 2. Compare Mortgages Most buyers tend to assume straight off that a 30-year fixed mortgage is a right option for them. You want a mortgage that will pay dividends over the life of the mortgage. Take the time to use a comparison shop to review different mortgage plans from several providers before selecting one. With mortgage rates ever-rising, they’re expected to be 4.6 percent in 2018 and about 5 percent in 2018. As a customer, you need to know the variety of mortgage plans out there. You want to prey those rates that are low and affordable. A low rate will make it easier for you to qualify for a loan and you’ll save thousands over the course of the loan. 3. Get the Buyer’s Package Lenders are usually confident about buyers that come to them with a comprehensive package. Before you approach lenders, you want to put your best foot forward. Take it as a way of demonstrating stability and building a relationship from the start. Before you start your house hunting, prepare yourself with a package of materials, such as a copy of your credit score, proof of funds, and pre-approval letter from the bank. If you’re working with a real estate agent to find Rochester NY houses for sale, for example, they’ll help you collect all the relevant documentation. 4. Plan Your Down Payment This is one of the fundamentals of buying a new home. If you can afford to pay more than 20 percent in down payment, you can avoid paying mortgage insurance premiums. Determine the price range of the home you want to buy and be sure to save at least 20 percent of that amount as a down payment. To save enough down payment, you can get a second job, downgrade your home or live with a roommate, and sell some stuff. Avoiding habits that require you to spend money regularly. With a down payment, the more you save, the better. 5. Location Matters When considering a price range for your new home, location is one of the critical determinants. Ideally, home prices are far between depending on locations. For example, houses in the Midwest and South are more affordable. This is because you could get a 2-bedroom house for $250,000 in Chicago but you can get a 1-bedroom at the same price in Boston. If you’re looking for something that’s a little bit down the price scale, you want to take location into account. Of course, it depends on where you want to live. For those who are not planning to stay in their new home for more than five years, it helps to get something cheaper and affordable. Get the Right Home Buying a new home doesn’t need to be a scary affair. Most people have done it, and you can do it, too. It all starts with making the decision and staying committed to your resolution. Check with friends, colleagues and family members who already bought a house to share their experience and tips. Read More: Buying Or Selling A Home In Seattle? What Makes A Strong Foundation For Your Home We Buy Houses: Don’t Build Without Permits 5 Good Luck Plants That Deserves A Place In Your Home

5 Mistakes To Avoid In Estate Planning

Why Real Estate Planning Is Important?