Volume 8, Issue 11
The Wealth Counselor
Trusts Solve Client Needs and Add Value to Wealth Plans
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Some think that trusts are used only for end-of-life planning. Trusts, however, are like wrenches: they come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, each particularly suited to a particular need. Some are for wealth accumulation while others are for wealth preservation, and still others are designed to protect future generations. In this edition of The Wealth Counselor, we look at some of the kinds of trusts that can be employed to deal with particular client concerns and needs and how they fit into a client’s overall wealth accumulation and preservation plan.
Key Takeaways:
Wealth Accumulation and Preservation and the Role of Trusts For some wealth preservation and accumulation strategies, an attorney is an essential member of the client’s team. The selection, creation and effective use of trusts is such a strategy because selection of a trust strategy involves giving legal advice, which only attorneys can lawfully do, just as only licensed financial advisors can lawfully sell securities. We are not talking about the trusts and estates attorney providing the trust document as a commodity. Stationery stores do that. The value the trusts and estates attorney provides to the client and the wealth planning team is his or her specialized knowledge, experience and wisdom. Comparing the Investment Analysis Process to the Decision to Implement Compatible Trusts Portfolio managers have analysts, research, and software analytics to support their due diligence process and help them predict a security investment’s expected results. They assist the manager to make informed recommendations about what would have the highest probability of achieving the client’s goals for the portfolio. Expected return ranges and investment risk are the two sides of the same coin for each investment. If risks are well understood, they can be better quantified and that allows for better prospects of harvesting of profits and client understanding of the realities of investing. Just as the financial advisor makes investment recommendations after considering a range of possibilities, a trusts and estates attorney makes a trust recommendation only after analysis of the client’s needs and goals, and whether they can be best met by a particular trust strategy. To achieve wealth preservation and growth, clients make upfront investment in the form of legal fees, financial advisor fees, accounting fees, and asset purchases. Then, with continuing management and monitoring, financial rewards accumulate over time. What You Need To Know: Unlike investment selection, which uses experts or specialists for analytical support, non-attorney wealth management practitioners sometimes don’t take full advantage of the comprehensive benefits of trusts because trusts’ technical nature creates a zone of discomfort. Trusts Provide a Robust Set of Benefits A client’s capital, income, anxieties, needs, and aspirations are the raw material input to the financial plan design. A client’s expression of need – “I’m worried about not having enough money to live on” becomes a solution in the assessment: “This plan is designed to provide you with the income you need to meet shortfalls as they occur.” A trust’s specific provisions will use tax, asset protection and other laws to meet client needs with precision. In wealth planning, it is critical to remember that a dollar saved through taxes not paid, expenses reduced, or losses avoided has the same effect as a dollar of investment return. By effecting client expense and tax savings and risk avoidance, trusts create efficiencies that increase clients’ overall net profits across time. Trust Solutions Meeting Clients’ Needs
In developing the client’s financial and wealth-management/preservation plan, the client’s needs are matched to the best implementation tools at the lowest total cost. No single financial plan or investment product solves all clients’ needs and the same thing applies with trusts. Trusts are not just for the affluent to the ultra high net worth client. Some trusts are designed to meet the particular needs of low income or disabled clients and those who fear running out of money because of nursing home expenses. Such trusts have the added benefit to the advisor team of preserving assets under management. Also, trust can be designed to hold less common investments and wealth, such as private stock, heritage property, and life insurance policies, and efficiently and privately transfer wealth and business control between generations. What You Need To Know: The most complex client needs may be insoluble without using trusts. Even with less complex needs, whether a trust will provide a positive investment to benefit ratio merits consideration. Trusts, a Benefit Accelerator The old adage, “You must spend money to make money” holds true with an investment in a trust. Different trust structures have different complexities, costs and benefits. As with other investments, the benefits typically accrue across time. Therefore, if only set-up costs are considered, an inaccurate picture results, often to the client’s financial detriment. The table below lists some of the costs and benefits of trusts. Not all benefits apply to every trust. Generally, the more basic and less expensive the trust, the lesser the total benefits. More sophisticated trusts, while costing more, typically deliver much higher positive cash flows across time. General Trust Cost-to-Benefit Guide
A trust’s benefits can accrue while the trust founder is living, at death, and after death—and sometimes for generations. Contrary to common misconception, trusts’ benefits often accrue very much while the founder is living. What You Need To Know: The manner in which a trust program’s benefits exceed its costs is a function of the client’s circumstances, wealth position, needs, and/or aspirations. For any investment solution, trusts included, the test is: Will it put the client in a better position than before? Actions to Consider:
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Law Offices of J.R. Hastings • 1003 Third Street, San Rafael, California 94901 • 415-450-6692
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