A charitable lead trust (CLT) is a “split-interest” trust with both an income and remainder beneficiary. The trust makes distributions to a qualified charity for either a specific term or the life of an individual. Upon death, remaining assets are distributed to the donor’s beneficiaries.

When someone plans to leave a charitable legacy, the typical approach is to include a bequest in the will. Instead, try using life insurance. Have the charitable organization purchase life insurance on the life of the donor or name the charity as beneficiary of an existing policy.

With a spousal lifetime access trust (SLAT), one spouse makes a gift to an irrevocable trust using the gift tax exemption. The SLAT names the other spouse as a current beneficiary, which allows the trustee to distribute funds to the beneficiary spouse during their life.

Landowners often have a deep appreciation for their ranch, farm, forest, wetland or other property – and have concerns about the long-term welfare of the land. A conversation easement can help protect the land while life insurance can replace lost market value for the estate.

Clients who wish to leave assets to their families should consider IRA Legacy Maximization. To use this strategy, clients must be sure they won't need the IRA for retirement. The owner establishes an individual life insurance trust (ILIT) with distributions to fund the life insurance.

In legacy planning, simply leaving money to a grandchild in a will is leaving money on the table. Instead, depositing money into a joint and survivor single premium immediate annuity (SPIA) with a cost of living adjustment rider can provide guaranteed income for life.

With gifts to fund a cash value life insurance policy, grandparents can put a plan in place that protects their grandkids while they’re little in case something happens to mom or dad, or a plan that creates a reserve fund to be a financial foundation as their grandkids enter adulthood.

This discussion outline helps establish a need for business owners to create a guaranteed issue life insurance program. Common needs are buy-sell for businesses with a lot of stockholders or members, key person business protection or key employee benefit packages.

There’s a good chance you have clients with nonqualified annuities that aren’t part of their retirement income plan. These annuities can be a viable funding option when it comes to creating a long-term care plan. Getting started takes a single, simple question to your client.