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Estate Planning Attorney

COVID-19 Funeral Reimbursement

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Did you know that you can be reimbursed for the funeral expenses of a lost loved one that passed from COVID-19? COVID-19 has affected the lives of many Americans and their families, reimbursement of funeral costs is a little way to ease the grief of losing a loved one from this pandemic.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has started a program to reimburse those families that have lost someone due to the coronavirus. The application process starts April 12, 2021 and currently does not have an end date. To qualify you must meet the following requirements:

• The death must have occurred in the United States, this includes U.S. Territories and the District of Columbia
• The death certificate must indicate that the death was attributed to COVID-19
• The applicant must be a United States citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses after January 20, 2020
• There is no requirement for the deceased person to have been a United States citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien

Additionally, the following documentation should be gathered and kept for submission:
• An official death certificate – that attributes the death directly or indirectly to COVID-19 and shows that the death occurred in the United States, U.S. Territories, or District of Columbia
• Funeral expenses documents – (receipts, funeral home contract, etc.) that includes the applicant’s name, the deceased person’s name, the amount of the funeral expenses, and the dates the funeral expenses happened
• Proof of funds received from other sources – specifically for use toward funeral costs. We are not able to duplicate benefits received from burial or funeral insurance, financial assistance received from voluntary agencies, government agencies, or other sources
If approved, you will receive your funeral assistance through a check by mail or direct deposit, depending on the option you choose when applying for assistance.

Unfortunately, there are some people who cannot apply for assistance if they fall under one of the following categories:
• A minor child cannot apply on behalf of an adult who is not a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified agent
• There are several categories of aliens that are lawfully present in the United States, but do not qualify for FEMA’s Individual and Households Program assistance, including this funeral assistance program. These include, but are not limited to:
o Temporary tourist visa holders
o Foreign students
o Temporary work visa holders
o Habitual residents such as citizens of the Federal States of Micronesia, Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands

Please keep in mind there is no online application, this is through the FEMA funeral assistance hotline 844-684-6333. Once your application has been submitted via phone, you will be provided an application number and will need to submit your supporting documents (death certificate, funeral expense receipts, etc.). The supporting documents can be submitted the following ways:
• Upload documents to your DisasterAssitance.gov account
• Fax Documents
• Mail Documents

If you were responsible for the funeral expenses of more than one person lost to coronavirus you may claim each funeral on your application. The limits for assistance are up to $9,000 per funeral and up to $35,500 per application per state, territory, or District of Columbia.

This is a great program for families looking for assistance in the unexpected death of a loved one caused by COVID-19. For more information, please visit the link below. To schedule and appointment with one of our estate planning attorneys, contact Baron Law at 216-573-3723

Sources:
https://www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/economic/funeral-assistance#eligible

family sitting around elder

Benefits Of A Family Trust As Part Of My Estate Plan

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Many people think trusts are for the affluent, but in actuality, family trusts are a powerful planning tool for individuals and families across the wealth spectrum.

We encourage you to carefully consider the differences between a will and a trust when crafting your estate plan. A will distributes assets outright upon your death. A trust allows you more customization and control over when and how your assets are distributed.

Here are a couple examples:

  • In a will, you can state that you’d like a certain sum of money to be given to each of your grandchildren. They will receive that sum upon your death. In a trust, you can state that your grandchildren only receive the sum once they turn 18 and that it may only be used for technical school or college tuition.
  • In a will, you can dictate that each of your children receive a portion of your assets. They will inherit those assets upon your death.
  • In a trust, you can control how and when the assets are received. For example, you can dictate in your trust that children receive payments in thirds after reaching the ages of 30, 35 and 40.
    In a will, you might leave assets to a sibling. If that sibling is in a nursing home, the home could end up with your assets or they could kick your sibling off federal benefits. If you establish a trust, you can dictate that the assets will not be distributed if your sibling is in a nursing home or receiving Medicaid.

In This Article:

What Is A Family Trust?

Put simply, a family trust is a set of instructions that tell others what you want to happen to your assets after you’ve passed, and in some cases, while you’re still living.

A family trust is different from other types of trusts in that the beneficiaries are limited to family members, like a surviving spouse or children.

Whether a family trust is right for you will depend on your financial situation, your family’s unique needs and your goals.

How Does A Family Trust Work?

To protect, manage and distribute assets, there are three key roles.

  1. A grantor establishes the trust.
  2. A trustee (an individual or third-party fiduciary) manages the trust and makes decisions or hires someone to make decisions about investments, distributions and other financial matters. Trustees are bound by legal obligations to act in the best interest of the beneficiaries. They distribute assets or income generated from the trust’s assets to the beneficiaries based on the terms of the trust.
  3. Beneficiaries – in this case family members – benefit from the assets in the trust.

What Are The Types of Family Trusts?

There are two main types of family trusts: revocable and irrevocable.

Revocable family trusts are often used as living trusts to document how you want your assets to be managed and distributed both while you’re living and after you’re gone. They allow you to retain more control because you can change the trust’s terms at any time and can add or withdraw assets.

With a revocable trust, you can serve as trustee and name a successor trustee to take over when you are no longer able to. This can be especially helpful to your family if you reach a point in your lifetime where you become ill or are unable to manage your assets. Your successor trustee can make distributions on your behalf, pay bills, file tax returns and more.

An irrevocable family trust cannot be changed once created. It is often used as an estate planning tool to reduce estate taxes or protect assets from creditors.

There are many additional types of family trusts for specific purposes or benefits. Some common types include:

Testamentary trusts are created in the grantor’s will and take effect after he or she dies. They can be used to distribute assets to beneficiaries according to the grantor’s wishes and to help protect assets from creditors.

Special needs trusts help parents or grandparents ensure that children with disabilities have the financial resources they need to maintain their quality of life without jeopardizing their eligibility for government benefits.

Asset protection trusts help protect assets from creditors and lawsuits. They are often used by individuals and families at a high risk of being sued, such as business owners.

If you are considering setting up a family trust, an estate planning attorney can help you determine which type of trust is right for you.

They will evaluate your needs and goals to not only set up the trust, but also to maintain it properly over time.

What Are The Benefits Of A Family Trust Vs. A Will?

Family Trusts Avoid Probate

Having a will is better than having no plan at all; however, a last will and testament does not avoid probate. Probate is a court system designed to administer your will and pay creditors. All of the assets controlled by your will go through probate to be verified and distributed according to your wishes.

The probate court can be costly and time consuming. According to the AARP, the average estate will lose 5-10 percent of assets when administered through probate. For example, if you have a five hundred thousand dollar estate, at a minimum, you’re going to spend twenty-five thousand dollars administering it through probate.

Not only is it costly, but also it is time consuming. The minimum time to administer a will in probate court is six months, but the average time in most counties is eleven months.

If established properly, a family trust can transfer assets to your heirs while avoiding probate. There will be no probate fees and no no minimum administration time.

Family Trusts Minimize Federal or State Taxes

Without a family trust, an individual who finds themselves over the federal exemption limit could face 40-45% in estate taxes. A family trust can significantly reduce or eliminate these taxes by allowing a surviving spouse to make certain tax elections. This is commonly known as “marital deduction planning.”

A family trust allows the surviving spouse to set aside a portion of the estate, including the growth, tax free. For example, if the federal exemption were $1 million, and a surviving spouse is left with $5 million, with the trust, he or she could set aside $4 million in trust and the entire balance (including growth) after the death of the second spouse, would be tax free. Without the trust, the heirs would be paying 40% on $4 million in estate taxes.

Family Trusts Protect & Preserve Your Assets

If you have minor children, then establishing a family trust becomes a must. A minor child cannot legally inherit your assets.

Family trusts provide asset protection by holding assets in trust for your children’s benefit. Even when your children become adults, the trust still provides asset protection against creditors, litigation, and divorce. For example, if you passed away leaving a large sum to your forty-five-year-old child who has spending issues, a pending litigation, or a divorce in process, the trust would hold the assets until your child is in a better place in life.

Another common asset protection measure occurs when individuals are in their second marriage. In this scenario, there is nothing preventing the remaining spouse from disinheriting children from a prior marriage. For example, a husband and wife in their second marriage care for two children the wife has from her prior marriage. The wife passes away and leaves everything to her husband, and the contingent beneficiaries are her two children. Five years later, the husband remarries and creates a new estate plan naming his new spouse as primary beneficiary of his estate and his two step-children as contingent beneficiaries. When the husband dies, the new spouse inherits everything and the children are accidentally or intentionally disinherited.

Family Trusts Offer Privacy

When you go through probate, all of your information – assets, beneficiaries and more – become public record. Establishing a trust will allow you to avoid probate and maintain your privacy.

Family Trusts Are Cost-Efficient

Having a trust is more cost- effective than a will. Because the trust allows you to avoid 6-18 months of probate costs, more of your legacy is preserved for your family.

How Do I Set Up A Family Trust?

The exact process varies, but the following are key steps that your family trust attorney will walk you through.

  1. Decide what assets will be placed in your trust. While you might already have an idea of what you’d like to include, your attorney may help you uncover some additional assets that would benefit from being placed in a trust. Assets can range from cash and investments to real estate and other property.
  2. Choose your beneficiaries. They might include your spouse, your children, grandchildren or other close family members.
  3. Establish the rules of your trust. For example, will assets be distributed with age requirements or terms for how the assets may be used?
  4. Determine who will manage the trust. The manager of the trust, called the trustee, could be yourself, someone you know or a third party, such as a financial institution.

Once you are confident in these decisions, your family trust attorney can draft the trust document.

To learn more about how to set up a family trust with Baron Law or to schedule a free consultation, call 216-573-3723 or submit your request online.

Probate Attorney

Top Reasons Why You Should Avoid Probate

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Whether it was a gathering for a joyous wedding or the passing of a loved one, we’ve all heard about Probate Court at some point or another. We are going to dive into what probate is and why you want to avoid it when it comes to your estate, if you have no plan.

First, what is probate? Probate is the legal process of administering a person’s estate after their death. You’re probably wondering “OK, but what does that mean?” It means:

The court will determine your assets at the time of your death.

The court will determine the value of those assets.

The court will distribute the assets to those that are entitled to them by law.

Probate court, during the process will also appoint someone to supervise the administration of your estate.

Why would I want to avoid this process? The main reasons to avoid probate are the extensive timeline and astronomical expense that are both required for probate. The minimum amount of time that is required by probate court is 6 months, but in actuality this process takes 14 – 18 months on average. The reason for this extensive timeline is to give creditors a chance to make a claim on your estate, this in turn reduces the inheritance intended for your loved ones.

The probate process is very expensive. The average cost for probate court is between 5 – 10% of the estate’s total value. This means if your estate is valued at $500,000 you can expect an average cost of between $25,000 – $50,000.

The probate court appoints someone that they deem “suitable” to administer your estate, if you have no plan. This means that your wishes will not be heard and your assets, including your personal property and belongings will be distributed by the court to whom is legally entitled.

Lastly, probate court is public record. This means that all of your assets, your heirs, and your debts are available for anyone to see. Privacy is something that should be valued during this sensitive period of bereavement.

This costly and lengthy process can be avoided with a proper estate plan put in place. Your assets should be distributed according to your wishes, not to who is just legally entitled to them. Your heirs should have the ability to access the inheritance you intend on leaving them, and your loved ones deserve the privacy and time it takes to mourn your loss.

If you have not previously considered an estate plan or have questions about how to get started on planning, contact us at Baron Law today. You can go to our website for a free consultation to start planning for the future for yourself and your loved ones.

 Helping You And Your Loved Ones Plan For The Future

 

About the author: Kristy Gross

Kristy is a Legal Assistant at Baron Law LLC kristy@baronlawcleveland.com.

Covid-19 Photo

COVID-19 and the Continuing Importance of Powers of Attorney

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Certainty in this uncertain time is peace of mind many families are finding themselves without. The Covid-19 pandemic is highlighting harsh realities of life all of us were aware of but chose to ignore. One such reality is the importance of comprehensive and up-to-date estate planning. Many parents, grandparents, established business owners, and seasoned professionals are all awaking everyday to the potential of expensive and long-term hospitalization with the chance of persisting and life-changing health consequences. One can’t fight Covid-19 directly, it isn’t a person or thing to combat with force or wit, however, mitigation and foresight are always available. Estate planning will allow you to proactively get your affairs in order and, worst case scenario, if you become infected, allow you to rapidly and intelligently respond in a way that meets you and your families unique needs. Whether you have no estate plan or are looking to update an existing plan, where should you start? Given the current health crisis, taking a look at your powers of attorney, or POAs, is a good place to start.

Power of Attorney

A comprehensive estate plan provides the instructions necessary for estate administration, via a will, while tax relief and flexibility with asset distribution can be accomplished via trusts. Critical issues and decisions during life, however, must be addressed separately. That is where your powers of attorney come into play. A power of attorney comes in many forms, but its primary purpose is to grant authority to one or more responsible parties to handle financial or health decisions of a person in the event of illness or other incapacity. Life, and its associated obligations and burdens, tend to continue regardless of one’s physical or mental health. As many families are finding out, the bills keep coming due regardless of COVID-19. Powers of attorney are protection that ensures affairs are handled and medical wishes are followed even if you are lacking capacity in mind or body.

In your estate plan you will want both a financial power of attorney and a healthcare power of attorney. Both are agency agreements that grant another individual the authority to make decisions, within a certain sphere of decisions whose terms you dictate, on your behalf. A financial power of attorney, as the name suggests, grants your agent the authority to make financial decisions for you. Managing investments, buying selling land or property, representing you in business negotiations, etc. Healthcare power of attorney works the same way but with healthcare decisions. If you are incapacitated or otherwise can’t decide for yourself, your agent will decide who your doctor is, what treatment you undergo, what medication should be administered, etc.

As always, the terms, powers, and limits for your agents are decided by you in the documents that appoint your agent. If you want to add limits on how long they are appointed, what issues they can or cannot decide, or when exactly their powers manifest, you can do so. Furthermore, you always possess the authority to dismiss them outright or appoint someone new.

Powers of attorney are important to have because spouses or family members will face difficulty and frustration gaining access to things like bank accounts and property that is in your name only. This can be especially damaging within the context of business or professional relations in which the “gears of industry” must keep moving. Regrettably, if an individual trusted to handle the business if something happens doesn’t possess the authority to so, significant or even fatal business consequences may result. The same goes for medical decisions, often treatment decisions must be made right there and then. Hesitation may mean permanent damage or death to you and if someone doesn’t have express authority to make those decisions, things get confusing, messy, and take a lot longer.

If you decide not to draft one or more powers of attorney and you end up incapacitated, then, in certain situations, a court is forced to appoint either a guardian or conservator and the family is effectively cut off from independently managing the relevant affairs of the incapacitated family member. Further, if a court is forced to action, the entire process will take longer, cost more, be public knowledge, and is immensely more complex than it otherwise should be. Having an experienced Ohio estate planning attorney draft the appropriate POAs can avoid a lot of headache and save a lot of money down the line.

Even with the uncertainly pandemics bring, certain estate planning questions always linger. Who will manage my finances and investments if I am sick or incapacitated? Who will pick what doctor treats me or if a risky but potentially lifesaving procedure should be performed? What if I am put on life sustaining medical support? In what situations and for how long will I remain on such support, if I want to be on it at all? These types of issues and questions also must be addressed and accounted for by your estate plan. That is why finding and working with experienced Cleveland estate planning attorneys are so critical. These types of decisions and potential consequences for your life and wellbeing are not things that should be done on the fly or with doctors and stressed out family members demanding a decision. Unfortunately, with COVID-19 cases becoming more and more prevalent with each passing day, the necessity of proper POAs is crystal clear and those without these documents are scrambling to find estate planning attorneys who are open and still taking clients. If your estate planning documents, especially POAs are out of date or incomplete, contact a local estate planning attorney right away. Courthouses and government agencies are closing daily, and you don’t want to find yourself without the stability of critical legal documents during this most unstable time.

COVID-19, for good or ill, has and will continue to change how we live, work, and survive. Fortunately, one aspect of life that has largely gone untouched is estate planning. Estate planning was smart to do before Covid-19 and it still is. Northeast Ohio has felt the touch of this disease like every county in the world has. Cleveland estate planning attorneys are working around the clock to meet the historic demand for quick and immediate estate planning and are currently utilizing more teleconferencing and remote legal services than ever before to make their existing and new clients comfortable and secure. Social distancing and stay-at-home orders are all proactive protection measures that the majority of Americans are following, even if they cause financial hardship or social strain. Estate planning also represents a proactive protection measure, however, it seldom causes any financial or social pain, it actually prevents them. As such, it’s strange that 50% of people don’t even have a simple will. Considering the ongoing crisis, make sure you and your family are in the 50% that protects, not the 50% leaving everything to chance.

Disclaimer:

The information contained herein is general in nature, is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal or tax advice. The author nor Baron Law LLC cannot and does not guarantee that such information is accurate, complete, or timely. Laws of a particular state or laws that may be applicable in a given situation may impact the applicability, accuracy, or completeness of the preceding information. Further, federal and state laws and regulations are complex and subject to change. Changes in such laws often have material impact on estate planning and tax forecasts. As such, the author and Baron Law LLC make no warranties regarding the herein information or any results arising from its use. Furthermore, the author and Baron Law LLC disclaim any liability arising out of your use of, or any financial position taken in reliance on, such information. As always consult an attorney regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

Trust Adminstrator

What is an Administrator of an Estate?

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Managing the affairs and obligation of a recently departed is no easy task. That is why most people take the time to plan their estate. Estate planning, at its fundamental essence, is leaving a plan and instructions for those who survive you regarding what to do with the “stuff” you leave behind. People are living longer than ever before and, consequently, are leaving more behind. Often without a proper plan in place, the loved ones and family members left to organize and account all the leftover worldly possessions are hard pressed to do everything required from them by a probate court within the statutory time limits.

Dying without a will, only exacerbates this difficultly and lengthens the time it takes to administrator an estate. Bluntly, dying without a will, or dying with an invalid will, is never a preferential option. Most people already have a very limited understanding of the probate process, and if you throw intestate succession and administration, with all the accompanying issues and legal winkles, a difficult and trying process only becomes more so. As such, consult with an experienced Ohio estate planning attorney to either properly plan your estate so dying intestate doesn’t happen to you or, for those facing an instate administration, find out all the answers you need regarding what, how, and when to administrate an intestate estate.

What does dying intestate mean?

When a decedent does not have a valid will in existence at the time of death, a decedent is deemed to have died intestate and Ohio intestacy laws govern how estate assets are managed and distributed. There are two primary situations when a person is deemed to have died intestate, 1) there was no last will and testament, or 2) they had a last will and testament, but for some reason or another, it was found invalid.

Ohio intestacy laws may be avoided altogether with proper estate planning, a major aim of which is to ensure you have a will and that it is valid. It is important to note, however, that sometimes intestacy laws will control even if a valid will is subject to probate administration, an experienced estate planning attorney can inform you of these circumstances. Conversely, sometimes Ohio intestacy laws may not apply even if a decedent died intestate. As such, since the controlling law for dying without a last will and testament can vary dependent on circumstance, meeting with an estate planning and/or probate lawyer is highly recommended.

What is an administrator?

In the context of intestate estate administration, an administrator is, for the most part, functionally identical to an executor. Executors, however, are appointed in the last will and testament by the decedent while administrators are appointed by the probate court in the absence of an executor appointment. Note, however, that Ohio has explicit Ohio residency requirements for intestate administrators. Thus, out-of-state residents can only be named executors and cannot serve as administrators.

Why is an administrator needed, what do they do?

The duties of an administrator aren’t easy. The duties of an administrator are specific to each particular estate, however, there is a “core” group of duties and tasks each one must fulfill. Every administrator must:

  • Conduct of thorough search of decedent’s personal papers and attempt to create a complete picture of their finances and family structure.

 

  • Take possession, catalogue, and value all estate property.

 

  • Maintain and protect estate assets for the duration of the probate proceedings.

 

  • Directly notify creditors, debtors, financial institutions, utilities, and government agencies of decedent’s death.

 

  • Publish notices of decedent’s death, usually a newspaper obituary, which serves as notice and starts the clock running on the statute of limitations for creditor claims on the estate.

 

  • Pay or satisfy any outstanding debts or obligations of decedent.

 

  • Represent decedent during probate court proceedings.

 

  • Locate heirs and named beneficiaries and distribute respective assets at the appropriate time.

These duties occur during the probate process, which is a major reason why probate takes many months to complete. Especially within the context of intestate probate administration, where no preplanning, accounting, or collection of information regarding the decedent’s estate was likely done.

Because intestate administration is such a time-intensive and laborious process, many people take the time to plan their estate and attempt to avoid probate entirely. Often trusts are a good option to avoid probate. With trusts, estate assets can be distributed right away, no executor or administrator is needed, and many mornings, which otherwise would be spent in probate court, are freed for personal enjoyment. Contact an Ohio trust attorney to see if avoiding probate through the use of trusts is right for you and your family.

Disclaimer:

The information contained herein is general in nature, is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal or tax advice. The author nor Baron Law LLC cannot and does not guarantee that such information is accurate, complete, or timely. Laws of a particular state or laws that may be applicable in a given situation may impact the applicability, accuracy, or completeness of the preceding information. Further, federal and state laws and regulations are complex and subject to change. Changes in such laws often have material impact on estate planning and tax forecasts. As such, the author and Baron Law LLC make no warranties regarding the herein information or any results arising from its use. Furthermore, the author and Baron Law LLC disclaim any liability arising out of your use of, or any financial position taken in reliance on, such information. As always consult an attorney regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

Helping You and Your Loved Ones Plan for the Future

House in Trust with Mortgage

Can I Put My House In A Trust If It Has A Mortgage?

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More and more people are becoming ever more concerned with either protecting their assets, maintaining eligibility for Medicaid, or leaving as much as possible to children and future grandkids. As such, more and more people are realizing the remarkable utility of trusts within their estate planning. One’s residence often represents the most significant asset an individual or couple possesses, and for many, financial assistance is needed to purchase it, that is mortgages. A common question presented to Cleveland estate planning attorneys is, can protect my house with a trust if it has a mortgage? As with any legal question, the answer is not black and white. 

  • What is trust? 

To understand how the what, when, and how of funding your trust with a mortgaged house, we must start with the basics, what is a trust? A trust, to put it simply, is a private agreement that allows a third party, a trustee, to manage the assets that are placed inside the trust for the benefit of trust beneficiaries. There are innumerable types of trusts, each with own its respective legal conventions and purposes. A critical aspect of trusts is that the assets housed within them usually aren’t counted as a part of the trust creator’s taxable estate. Thus, when the owner of the trust creates the trust and properly funds it, the assets go from the owner’s taxable estate to the trust. Afterwards, when the owner dies, the assets are not in the owner’s estate and subject to probate, and if the trust is drafted properly, are further ignored for the purposes of Medicaid eligibility. Further, trust assets pass via the beneficiary designations set down when the trust was created. These conveyances via beneficiary designation are much simpler, quicker, and cost-effective then going through probate and can be halted or expedited when circumstantially advantageous depending on the terms of the trust.   

  • When can a mortgage be called?  

The next basic to understand is when can your bank come after your house, i.e. a bank calling on a mortgage. A mortgage being called is when a financial institution/holder of the mortgage demands that the full amount of a mortgage be paid. When this can occur is conditional and which events will trigger are often denoted within the mountain of legal documents that physically make up your mortgage. In the context of funding a trust with a mortgaged house, your “due-on-sale clause” is what your estate planning attorney will be concerned about.    

A “due-on-sale clause” is a contract provision which authorizes a lender (your bank), at its discretion, to collect on the loan, i.e. declare it immediately due and payable if all or any part of the property, or an interest therein, securing the real property loan is sold or transferred without the lender’s prior written consent. This is fair because banks depend on mortgages getting paid off, or at least foreclosed, and the mortgage contract is between you and the bank, not the potential buyers and the bank.  

  • How can a mortgaged house in placed in trust without having the mortgage called?  

Any “due-on-sale clause” facially seems to be a death nail to any thought of funding trust with a mortgaged house, I mean, not many people have thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars in liquid assets to immediately pay off a house. This is where the Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 comes into play and your estate planning attorney earns his money. The relevant part of the Garn-St. Germain Act in the context is 12 U.S. Code § 1701j–3, subsection d, as follows:  

(d) Exemption of specified transfers or dispositions.  With respect to a real property loan secured by a lien on residential real property containing less than five dwelling units, including a lien on the stock allocated to a dwelling unit in a cooperative housing corporation, or on a residential manufactured home, a lender may not exercise its option pursuant to a due-on-sale clause upon— […] 

(8) a transfer into an inter vivos trust in which the borrower is and remains a beneficiary and which does not relate to a transfer of rights of occupancy in the property; … 

So, to bring everything back down to Earth, this subsection possesses the two “prongs” of the Garn-St. Germain test, occupancy and beneficiary status for the trust makers for the mortgaged house. When there is a mortgage, a trust must be properly drafted to include specified reserved occupancy language in the trust to satisfy the occupancy prong of Garn-St. Germain. Simply, the trust makers, you, must specifically reserve the right to live in the house. Further, in some way, the trust makers, must be a trust beneficiary. The beneficiary status prong usually isn’t an issue with self-settled trusts given their nature, i.e. trusts made with the intent to provide some tangible benefit to the trust makers. An argument can be made that the reservation of occupancy rights inherently makes the settlors beneficiaries, however, more cautious estate planning attorneys further make trust makers income beneficiaries as well.  

Facially, drafting a trust to satisfy the prongs of the Garn-St. Germain test appears straight-forward, however, care must be taken when making your trust. The interplay between the actual language of a trust can have profound effects on taxation, ownership, inheritance, and eligibility for state and federal assistance programs whose admittance guidelines are based on income and asset thresholds.    

Now it is important to note that the issue of a mortgage is an issue apart from Medicaid eligibility, though often the two are interrelated. Addressing both concerns requires the same solution, precise drafting of trust language that is statutorily compliant.  Under the Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982, placing the home in the MAPT does not trigger the “due on sale clause” contained in most mortgages provided certain steps are taken and legal standards are satisfied. Thus, with a knowledgeable estate planning attorney, you can remain Medicaid eligible and avoid Medicaid Estate Recovery, while still living in your home and paying the mortgage as you always have.  

Helping You And Your Loved Ones Plan For the Future

power of attorney

Financial Power of Attorney | Baron Law | Cleveland, Ohio

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Financial power attorney (POA) is a set of documents that you’re giving your agent the ability to act and make financial decisions on your behalf. They’re most commonly used in an elder law scenario. They can also be used in a crisis scenario, if you are overseas, a business owner, and you need to elect someone to make those decisions on your behalf.

Are There Different Types of Powers of Attorneys?

General and Limited:

A general power of attorney gives your agent the ability to govern any part of your estate plan. Whereas, a limited power of attorney is restricted from having control over certain aspects of your estate that you deem fit.

Springing and Current:

A springing power of attorney only allows your agent to act when a certain offense occurs. Whereas, a current power of attorney can act at any time. We recommend that clients have a current power of attorney because it can be difficult to really point out a point time when the springing power returning comes into effect.

How Do I Know if My Financial POA is Up-To-Date?

Financial power of attorney laws changed in 2012, so if you have not updated your power of attorney since then, you’ll want to get it updated as soon as possible.

In addition, you’ll want to look for hot powers in your financial power of attorney, which are:

  • Gifting Powers
  • Powers Over Beneficiary designations
  • Powers Over Retirement Accounts
  • Ability to Make Trusts
  • Safety Deposit Boxes

These are the hot powers, and if you don’t have those, then financial institutions may not warrant your financial power of attorney. It’s really important that you look for these in your document.

Estate planning can seem like a big hassle because they are so many levels which require close detail. If you want to make sure your financial POA is up-to-date and can really act on your behalf, contact us at Baron Law today.

What is the Difference Between a Trust and a Will in Estate Planning?

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What is a Will?

A will is a basic document outlining your wishes for your estate. It identifies an executor of your estate and provides the opportunity to divide your assets among your beneficiaries. This tool allows you to control the future care for any minor children and division of your assets. Without a will, the laws of your state will determine how your assets are divided. Therefore, a will is the minimum estate plan you need to care for your family and your assets. However, the purpose of a will is to guide the probate court to act in accordance with your desired plan.

What are the limitations with a will?

Probate

A will does not avoid probate court, and the average time to administer a will through probate is 18 months, while the minimum is six months. The length of this process can place a burden on the family left behind, and it allows creditors to make claims on any debts you owe.

Cost

Probate requires a number of fees–on average 5-7% of the value of the estate.

Public Transaction

Anything that goes through probate is public information. This means that both your assets and the way you choose to divide them become public, able to be found online in detail.

What is a Trust?

A trust is another form of estate planning that allows you to divide your assets as you desire. While this is similar to a will, a trust allows greater control and bypasses the limitations of a will as seen above.

A trust avoids probate, thus freeing your assets and your family from the court system. As such, probate fees are also avoided, and your personal information (assets and beneficiaries) is kept private.

What are other benefits of a trust?

Taxes

Saving on taxes is one benefit of a trust. However, given current tax laws, this is not an advantage unless your estate’s value is over 10 million dollars. Note, though, that this exemption is subject to change, and tax benefits may become more valuable.

Asset Protection

This is the biggest reason people use trusts over wills. Trusts allow for greater protection of the estate in case of something unexpected such as a beneficiary who develops a credit issue, or the possibility of a divorce.

If you are realizing that estate planning is more important and less simple than you thought, Baron Law will walk you through every step to ensure that your family and your assets are protected. To learn more about the difference between a will and a trust, or to begin planning for your future, contact the estate planning attorneys at Baron Law today.

Six Month Creditor Claim Blog Photo

Six-Month Creditor Claim Period

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Payment of the decedent’s debts is one of the basic responsibilities of an estate fiduciary. Ohio law specifically provides that the fiduciary of an estate shall proceed with diligence to pay the debts of the decedent. The critical questions remain, however, of who to pay and when to pay them. Unless a fiduciary is confident that the estate will have more than enough assets to pay all of the debts of the decedent, it may actually be better not to pay any debts received until the expiration of the creditor’s claim period. Under Ohio law, legitimate creditors have six months to present their claims. When such period expires, only the majority of legitimate debts claims against the estate will remain because if specified claims are not brought timely, they are foreclosed as a matter of law. At this time it can be determined whether or not there are sufficient probate assets with which to pay the debts or if the estate is insolvent. Most people, however, are ignorant of this little wrinkle of Ohio probate law. As such, when a loved one or friend passes, always contact an experienced Ohio probate attorney.

All too often a gung-ho fiduciary starts paying estate debts without a comprehensive accounting of estate assets or complete list of debts and obligations. This results in payment of debts which may have fallen off after the creditor’s claim period or, more seriously, if Ohio statutes are not fully complied during estate administration or assets are prematurely distributed, potential personal liability for a fiduciary. This means that if a surviving spouse, heir, beneficiary, or legitimate creditor should have gotten something from the estate that a fiduciary mistakenly gave away, the fiduciary must personally pay them their share, whatever the amount or value of the asset. This looming threat of personal liability is a significant reason why must appointed fiduciaries seek the counsel of experienced Cleveland estate planning and probate attorneys.

It cannot be understated the significant windfall potential for an estate if the six-month creditor’s claim period is waited out. The difficulty, however, is convincing friends, heirs, and devisees to be patient. Easier said than done. Now, after the debts of the estate are settled and verified and the time has come to pay them, unless the decedent’s will provides otherwise and/or in the absence of sufficient cash or other liquid assets to satisfy the debts, payment is made from the proceeds of the sale of: 1) tangible personal property which has not been specifically devised, then 2) specifically devised tangible personal property, then 3) non-specifically devised real property, and finally 4) specifically devised real property.

Good Ohio legal counselors always advise their client to be wary. A common point, but often overlooked one, of avoiding probate via beneficiary designations or trust usage is privacy. If everything passes via will, anyone anywhere can look up the estate online and see what is going on. A little information in the wrong hands can do a lot of damage. For example, a recent client came into a piece of property of the east side of Cleveland. Naturally, the previous owner failed to property taxes for many years. Lo a behold a nice company called the client and offered to negotiate, settle, then pay off the back taxes, for a nominal fee of course. Client, being uninformed, agreed on the spot and gave out his credit card information. The estate had been closed for quite some time, way past the six month creditor claim period, and now the client has new problems to deal with. All this could have been avoided with a quick 30-second phone call with their Cleveland estate planning attorney, don’t make the same mistake they did.

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LTC Medicaid Rejected

My LTC Policy Was Rejected By Medicaid, What Now?

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Common scenario for Cleveland estate planning attorneys. Estate planning client comes in distraught. They did the smart and sensible thing, they purchased a long-term care insurance policy years ago to help cover the cost of later-in-life medical costs. They recently applied for Medicaid thinking their LTC policy wouldn’t be counted for calculating their Medicaid eligibility. Unfortunately for them, they received rejection letter from the Ohio Department of Medicaid saying they didn’t meet the asset requirements. Now, the Medicaid benefits, that they were counting on and always thought were readily available no longer are. Now, their estate plan is seriously threatened, and they are scrambling to make sense of the situation and found out what went wrong.

As the old saying goes, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. The relationship between long-term care insurance polices and Medicaid eligibility is not a simple one. As with anything involving government bureaucracy, what you don’t know can hurt you and an experienced guide is worth his weight in gold. Two lessons often taken to heart far too late to avoid tough decisions and missed opportunities.  So, what happened to the person above? The best way to illustrate what happened is to answer the two most common questions anyone in that situation would ask.

Why did my LTC policy get rejected from Medicaid?

Only certain long-term care policies that comply with the guidelines set by the Ohio Long-Term Care Insurance Partnership program count as qualified policies and therefore aren’t countable Medicaid resources. So, what polices are “qualified?”

Per the Ohio Department of Insurance, for a LTC policy to qualify, insurance companies’ policies must meet several requirements, including:

  • The policy must have been issued after Sept. 10, 2007
  • The insured must be a resident of Ohio when coverage first becomes effective
  • The policy must be a federally tax-qualified plan based on the Internal Revenue Service Code (qualified plans can lower federal taxes, but they have benefit triggers that are less flexible than those required by nonqualified plans)
  • The policy must meet strict consumer protection standards (standard fee-look period, coverage outlines, mandatory informational disclosures, etc.)
  • The policy must include certain protection against inflation (the most common inflation protection automatically increases benefits each year by 5%)

So, if you have a long-term care policy, but don’t know, or worse hope without knowing, if it is a qualified policy, you’re likely in for a rude awaking when you apply for Medicaid.

What do I do now that my LTC policy was rejected by Medicaid?

Before any definitive answer or plan can be formulated, certain information about a Medicaid applicant must be answered definitively. At the very least, the information and/or documents needed are:

  1. LTC policy documents – should be overt on whether it was sold/defined as a qualified LTC policy.
  2. Rejection notice from the department of Medicaid – reasons for reject and any explanation regarding why the submitted policy was rejected.
  3. How does the applicant know their LTC policy is a qualified one?
  4. Contacting the insurance carrier to find out the exact details of the LTC policy in dispute.
  5. Where and how did an applicant purchase the LTC policy.
  6. Did the applicant receive the required CSPA complaint disclosures and documents (if was sold non-qualified policy but received CSPA docs could an indication of potential fraud).
  7. The realities of applicant’s current financial situation and health needs.

This last point is really the starting point and is exactly why you retain the services of experienced estate planning attorneys. Every estate planning attorney starts with the same questions, what do you need, what do you have, and prove it. No intelligent planning or decisions can be made until you know exactly where you stand. Further, in this context, the realities of where you stand are even more important because now your options are limited and you are, in a way, at the mercy of the Ohio Department of Medicaid.

If you have been rejected by Medicaid you are essentially in the realm of Medicaid crisis planning, where important questions must be asked, and tough decisions must be made. If someone is applying for Medicaid, the need is now and a solution must be found. One such critical consideration is the current need for care and the potential penalty period. To illustrate, let’s say a rejected applicant has a $400,000 non-qualified LTC policy. As of right now, with current Medicaid penalty divisor of $6,570, 400K/6,570 = approximately 61 months of Medicaid ineligibility, a little more than 5 years.

With this five-year Medicaid ineligibility period on the horizon, options are limited. Namely you can either appeal the rejection or resort to Medicaid spenddown. Medicaid spenddown is a beast all its own, is never something anyone wants to do, and largely depends on how ineligible for Medicaid you are, based on your current income and assets. For most, however, the good news is this situation and Medicaid spenddown, if the proper Ohio estate planning attorneys are used, will never be a worry because they will have done things the right way and won’t be subject to any nasty surprises. Failure to surround yourself with the right advisors, regretfully, often leads to  uncomfortable discussions and decisions that will have to be made sooner rather than later.

Helping You and Your Loved Ones Plan for the Future