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Estate Planning Mistakes – How to Avoid Mismanagement of Inheritance by Heirs and Beneficiaries

Last update on: Aug 25 2020
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Many estate plans ultimately fail. The problems are not with the plans. The owners spent a fair amount of time and money preparing and executing the plans.

The problem with many estate plans is the final stage. The heirs are not prepared to receive the wealth. So they mishandle it. Or they did not know what was intended, so they do the wrong things. The results are squandered wealth, overpaid taxes, and lost opportunities.

Inheritance mismanagement usually falls into one of three categories of mistakes. Each of these can be avoided if estate owners understand their heirs and take the time to prepare them for the inheritance – or prepare the inheritance for them.

  • Not knowing the rules. Sometimes heirs can reap the full intended benefits of an inheritance only if they know to take certain actions, or avoid other actions. This often is the case when the tax law is involved, as when an IRA is inherited.For example, heirs must know not to allow the IRA custodian to retitle the IRA in their names. The deceased owner’s name must remain as part of the account name if the heirs want to maximize tax deferral. Heirs also must know when to begin required minimum distributions, how to compute them, and which paperwork to complete. Otherwise, they lose the benefit of the tax deferral. They have to distribute the entire IRA within a short time and pay income taxes on the distribution.An estate plan should ensure that heirs have the advice and information they need to make the right decisions and make them on time. I have long recommended that part of an estate plan include a letter to heirs with the basic instructions and supplemented by a notebook containing the appropriate documents, contact information, and any detailed instructions. The executor should know your intentions so these can be explained to the other heirs.

    The heirs might not want to follow your advice. They might want to take all the money out of the IRA and spend the after-tax amount. But they should do so knowing the alternatives and considering them.

  • Inheritance as a shrine. Some heirs will not use, change, or spend an inheritance. They view it as a legacy their loved one intended or as a memorial of the loved one. They come to believe that any change of the inheritance is a sign of disrespect or a loss of the final connection with their loved one.Heirs in his mindset might be unwilling to make any changes in an investment portfolio. If they inherited a portfolio overloaded with a particular stock, they feel obligated to hold all the shares of that stock regardless of what is happening with the company. The company might be well past its growth phase and in decline. But the stock is considered the family legacy and not to be sold. Or they believe that the entire portfolio was never supposed to be changed. As the markets and the securities in the portfolio experience changes, the heirs will not allow any changes.The unfortunate truth is that many people do not sell long-term holdings because they do not want to pay the capital gains taxes. They know when heirs inherit they get to increase the tax basis to the current fair market value and can sell without paying taxes. But they do not communicate this to their heirs, so the heirs think the asset had some special value or meaning.

    The same attitude might be taken towards assets such as real estate or collectibles. The heir might inherit the family vacation home. Perhaps the heir cannot afford to own and maintain it or does not have the time or money to visit it very often. But he or she believes it would be improper to sell the home. So instead of being a valuable asset it is a cash drain that produces neither financial nor personal benefits.

    Once again, the solution is to make clear your thoughts about an asset and your advice. There are few assets that you should expect heirs to hold indefinitely and pass to their heirs. Assets that fall into that category should be clearly identified. You also should leave enough other assets so the heirs have sufficient income to pay any costs of ownership. If the heirs do not have the knowledge to properly manage inherited assets, such as an investment portfolio, recommend one or more sources of advice to guide them. Do not let your inheritance to them become a burden.

  • The windfall mentality. There are some people who, after receiving a windfall, do not feel the need to manage it for the long term. They view it as found money that should be used to justify higher risks, increase spending, or purchase items they would not buy with their own income or assets. Heirs with this attitude usually go through an inheritance fairly quickly and spend it in ways that provide little for the future other than memories.If you do not mind your loved ones treating their inheritance this way, there are no steps you need to take. Leave them what you have and let them do as they please.You might know your loved ones well enough to realize that they will not take a windfall mentality with their inheritance. Some people are reassured after discussing the issue with loved ones and reiterating their hopes in a letter to heirs.

    If you do not want the inheritance treated as a windfall and do not feel assured that your heirs will manage it properly, consider a trust. The trust can limit the spending of the heirs and preserve the assets for the future.

    If you have intentions or preferences concerning an inheritance, you should say so. Either discuss it with your heirs now or state it in a letter to them as part of your estate plan.

Some good advice to give heirs is that they first should use an inheritance to eliminate their debts. Next, the assets should become part of their retirement fund. If they are well-funded for retirement, they can consider spending it in other ways. But providing a comfortable retirement should be their first use. If the inheritance is spent, the preference should be on items that increase wealth instead of on depreciating items that temporarily enhance life style. If you are leaving IRAs, be sure the heirs are properly advised on the tax implications and decisions.

Finally, whatever assets you leave try to ensure they are managed properly. If your heirs do not have enough knowledge, recommend some trusted advisors who can steer them toward good decisions.

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