Do you know that a beneficiary clause can help save money on your estate? Often clients need to lower their potential taxable estate and there are many ways to do so, and a beneficiary clause is a relatively easy way. One area in which there is a beneficiary clause is in a life insurance policy. The beneficiary clause or designation provision permits the policy owner to name anyone as primary and secondary beneficiaries. The policy owner usually may change the beneficiaries at any time. A Utah City beneficiary clause lawyer can help explain how this clause works.
Life Insurance can be an important part of a Utah Estate Plan. Insurance can be utilized to add tens of thousands of dollars to a person’s overall estate value to be used to directly benefit a beneficiary or to pay expenses such as estate taxes.
A Beneficiary Clause Can Help Save Money On Your Estate
Life insurance can be used to fund an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) to take your life insurance out of your estate thereby potentially saving thousands in estate taxes. Also, investments in retirement funds, such as annuities or IRA’s typically have a beneficiary clause that can be used to name a primary or secondary beneficiary. This may avoid probate and thus save the estate additional costs.
Finally, you should periodically check your beneficiary clause in all your retirement accounts, life insurance and similar type of assets. Without doing this, you may find that your designated beneficiary is not who you think it should be. For example, if you have divorced, remarried or had children since your retirement plan account was established, you should update your beneficiary clause. A beneficiary clause lawyer in Utah City can assist you with any updates. If a long time ago you named a relative as your beneficiary, the relative may be deceased. Updating your beneficiary clause will prevent confusion and disputes and provide the estate plan your desire.
Such disputes or confusion can arise when a person prepares a Last Will and leaves his estate to a certain person but names a different person as the beneficiary of an asset such as a life insurance policy. In this situation, the person named in the Will may receive no benefits because the life insurance will be paid directly to the life insurance beneficiary. There may be little or no assets that pass under the Will.
When an estate plan is being formulated, Estate Planning Attorneys typically review all of a person’s beneficiary designations so that there is no conflict between such documents and the provisions of the person’s Will.
Additionally, beneficiaries under a Will generally receive assets that are left in the decedent’s name alone, with no outside beneficiary designation. Testamentary beneficiary dispositions in a Will can take many forms. There can be specific bequests of certain property or more general dispositions where a person receives a percentage of the estate. Every individual has specific desires and intentions as to the manner in which to transfer assets to family members and friends. Utilizing appropriate beneficiary clauses and designations is essential to a successfully planned estate.
Free Consultation with a Estate Planning Lawyer
When you need to plan your estate, call Ascent Law for your free estate law consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.
8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C
West Jordan, Utah
84088 United States
Telephone: (801) 676-5506
