An irrevocable trust is an excellent tool when preplanning for Medicaid benefits. Anything that is put into the irrevocable trust is protected from a Medicaid spend-down if five years pass from the date of the transfer. [Read more…]
Irrevocable Trusts & the Current Federal Estate Tax (IRC 1022), Friend or Foe?
The following is a repost of a blog recently written by Attorney Dale Krause of Krause Financial Services. Attorney Krause is also a fellow member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA).
An Irrevocable Trust can offer a grantor lifetime control over his or her assets of the trust is established with the following provisions:
- All taxable income shall be disbursed to the grantor;
- The grantor shall have the right to direct how the trust assets are held or reinvested; and
- The grantor shall have a limited power of appointment over the final distributions of the trust; this power shall be in favor of a limited class of beneficiaries, consisting of the grantor’s children and grandchildren; the disbursements do not have to be in equal amounts or shares. [Read more…]