Gifts And Trusts As Part Of An Estate Plan
While the cornerstone of every estate plan is a carefully constructed last will and testament, some estate clients need more creative solutions and sophisticated planning. At Stephenson Fournier we can help you identify optimal strategies which may include creating trusts, business entities and intergenerational agreements to hold and manage wealth over time. Family partnerships and limited liability companies, grantor retained annuity trusts, intentionally defective grantor trusts, insurance trusts and grantor retained income gifts can also be effective devices. A comprehensive estate plan that addresses the ever-changing environment of tax and legal issues can have a significant impact, minimizing potential tax liability and providing peace of mind regarding the future financial stability of loved ones.
At Stephenson Fournier, we focus our estate planning practice on designing estate planning and asset protection solutions for our clients’ needs so our clients can maximize the value received by their chosen beneficiaries.
Trust Planning, Trust Creation And Trust Administration
We focus on reducing the effective rate of estate tax through lifetime planning. Frequently, this entails trust planning and implementation to manage wealth over time. We listen closely to each client to learn about individual concerns and goals and analyze each financial situation. We respond with personalized solutions tailored to each client’s values and designed to achieve his or her objectives.
Our lawyers are experienced in planning for, creating, funding and administrating all types of trusts in order to accommodate the needs of clients, including:
- Marital trusts
- Irrevocable trusts
- Life insurance trusts
- Special needs trusts
- Revocable trusts (Living trusts)
- Generation-skipping trusts (for grandchildren and beyond)
- Charitable lead trusts and charitable remainder trusts
- Grantor retained annuity trusts
- Intentionally defective grantor trusts
- Trust fund administration
Gifts: Charitable Gifts And Other Beneficiary Gifts
Estate taxes are determined in part by the size of the estate. Without proper estate planning, affluent individuals may expose their beneficiaries to considerable estate taxes — reducing the overall value of assets received by them. Our estate planning attorneys offer legal advice and strategies that can reduce the estate tax burden, protecting an increased portion of overall value for beneficiaries. We recognize our clients’ need to make important decisions regarding charitable giving, maximizing distributable wealth and tax considerations, and we guide them through the maze of issues and choices they may face.
In order to keep pace with the frequently changing income, gift, generation-skipping and estate tax laws, our attorneys innovate with the available legal tools in order to provide responsive, creative and effective planning for our clients.
We craft thoroughly customized estate plans that integrate our sophisticated understanding of trusts, incapacity planning, and estate and gift tax strategies with our clients’ short-term requirements and long-range goals. We also maintain and revise existing estate plans to keep pace with new regulations and changing circumstances and objectives.
Sophisticated Estate Planning You Can Rely Upon
Our attorneys have extensive experience in working with clients to identify their goals and provide solutions to achieve their objectives. For effective, experienced and individualized estate planning in Houston, Texas, call 713-629-9494, or contact our estate planning lawyers online to schedule an initial consultation.
