Estate Planning Solutions & Information Build loyalty by helping identify the retirement income sweet spot And trust document preparation as retirees age, their satisfaction with lifetime income sources only increases. Even high-net-worth retirees report greater happiness and financial peace of mind when they receive approximately $3,000 in additional guaranteed monthly income. This threshold creates an income floor that allows retirees to spend more freely without the fear of depleting their savings. But how much additional guaranteed income provides the greatest boost in retiree confidence and well-being? Wade D. Pfau, Ph.D., CFA®, RICP®, Professor of Practice, The American College of Financial Services Michael Finke, Ph.D., CFP®, Professor of Wealth Management, The American College of Financial Servic Our estate planning advisors work with you, your attorney, and other professionals to help build a plan that reflects your values and adapts to your life. EP Wealth helps clients take stock of these assets, think through access and ownership questions, and determine where they should trust document preparation be included in legal documents. Along with your attorney, accountant, and other professionals such as a life insurance specialist, a financial advisor can prove to be a key team member when it comes to creating your estate plan. The EP Wealth Advisors® team works with you to ensure your legacy wishes are fulfilled by integrating your objectives into a checklist that encompasses all four steps of our Peace of Mind Planning Model. Preparing for your wealth transf As with a Bypass Trust created after the first spouse’s death, distributions from a SLAT can be as broad or as limited as you choose. Again, these trusts can provide asset protection plus a reduction in overall estate taxes. This can provide asset protection plus a reduction in overall estate taxes. A Medicaid Planning Trust may qualify you or your spouse for Medicaid while preserving an income stream for the well spouse and protecting the trust assets from estate recovery after deat "Holistic Planning is different because of the depth they go into to understand every part of your plan." Tom Taylor "I feel like they take care of us like we're the only customer they have." Jim Elder Trust and related services are provided by Edward Jones Trust Company, an affiliate of Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. An estate plan accounts for even more, including establishing trusts and other legal documents such as powers of attorney which address your needs in the event you become incapacitated. Drafting a will is an important step in estate planning. Access an Educational Partnership Many clients have clear intentions for their estate, but struggle with how to communicate those plans to their family. Today’s estates often include more than real estate or investment accounts. This includes reviewing how trusts, insurance, and liquidity planning may be used to reduce tax exposure or prepare for future ownership changes. Our charitable giving services are designed to integrate seamlessly with your broader planning strategy, in collaboration with attorneys, CPAs, and other members of your advisory team. If you're ready to take the next step, you can find an advisor in your area to start the conversation. Every estate plan reflects a unique combination of goals, assets, and family relationships. Edward Jones Trust Company as a trustee As an advisor, you can help facilitate the family meeting by acting as an impartial moderator, strengthening your connection to the family beyond the head of household, and providing support during the eventual transition of wealth. It can also help with objectives and goals in maintaining wealth and optimizing estate tax implications. 124 trillion in wealth will be transferred to heirs or charity between 2024 and 2048 Once you place assets in a family asset protection trust, the assets go to the trust's named beneficiaries. trust document preparation A family asset protection trust protects your assets from creditors and legal judgments. A family trust also works well if you have specific financial goals you want your beneficiaries to meet. Setting up an asset protection trust involves legal, financial, and practical consideration You may have a vacation home that you built or purchased with the dream that your loved ones would continue to use it after you are gone, or you may have a homestead that you would like to pass on to someone in your family. A Qualified Personal Residence Trust ("QPRT") is an irrevocable trust that holds the Trustmaker's primary residence or vacation home as its only asset. This can be especially important if your son-in-law or daughter-in-law should remarry or have more children. Depending on the circumstances, you might still consider naming your son-in-law or daughter-in-law as Trustee on behalf of the grandchildren, but the HST makes it clear that the funds are only to be used for the grandchildren's benefit. The Heir Safeguard Trust allows you to bypass your son-in-law or daughter-in-law and set the funds aside for grandchildren. With a "simple" Will, you might leave things equally to your children when you die. Relief from financial waste The benefit is that, because the property is no longer yours, it’s unavailable to satisfy claims against you. We discussed tax planning, avoiding probate, and steps to provide for financial management if either or both spouses become incapacitated. Clients should consult their legal and/or tax advisors before making any financial decisions. Bank of America, Merrill, their affiliates, and advisors do not provide legal, tax, or accounting trust document preparation advice. A trust could help with this by, say, allowing your second wife to benefit from trust income during her life, with the principal reverting to your children from your first marriage upon her death. After the parents died, a cousin took over as co-trustee of the trust — and now works closely with Bank of America to ensure that the daughter will have everything she needs. She was finally convinced that a trust could benefit her children and grandchildren by removing assets from her estate while at the same time reducing her family’s exposure to certain future risks. When customized properly under New York law, these trusts provide one of the most powerful estate planning tools available to high-net-worth families seeking both protection and flexibility across the generation