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Twenty years ago at The Madison Group we wrote a book that said, \u201cStatus quo planning perpetuates the belief system \u2013 that numbers and documents are all there is, all there can be. How can these tools alone be the endgame?\u201d<\/h2>\nThe why of planning is sometimes referred to as \u201cabove the line\u201d planning whereas the how is sometimes described as \u201cbelow the line.\u201d The how is the tools and techniques: These are the structures that help move money between generations, such as, IDGTs, GRATs, GRUTs, PRTs, SLATs and ILITs. This is, of course, just a small sampling. There are also CRUTs, CRATs, Dynasty Trusts, Family Foundations, etc. None of these strategies are good or bad. They all exist in order to help legally avoid gift and estate taxes while preserving wealth for the benefit of others, usually descendants of the wealth creator (grantor).<\/h3>\n
It is our experience that often there is too much focus on these tools and techniques while a number of important questions are left unanswered-the why of the planning. Examples of these questions include:<\/p>\n
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- Is my estate planning improving the life course of the beneficiaries?<\/li>\n
- Are my heirs prepared to manage the responsibility of great wealth?<\/li>\n
- What are the guiding principles to guide decisions about family wealth?<\/li>\n
- Will these trusts infantilize my descendants?<\/li>\n
- When should my descendants have access to their inheritance?<\/li>\n
- What are the acceptable uses and non-acceptable uses for family wealth?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These questions are examples of \u201cabove the line\u201d planning. Do you know a family where great wealth has proven a great resource for stewardship, leadership, and entrepreneurship? We certainly have seen that in our professional engagement. Have you ever seen a wealth transfer plan fail because children could not handle the inheritance? Once again, we have seen this as well.<\/p>\n
Based on interviews, out of 1,000 large estates, 700 failed by the family\u2019s own definition. Why? The top 2 reasons are as follows:<\/p>\n
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- Trust and communication broke down.<\/li>\n
- Failure to prepare heirs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
All of the other causes, i.e., taxes, investment losses, and legal complications, were all subordinate to these top two reasons for failure. As an industry, we spend a lot (too much?) time on how but not enough time on the why, and it\u2019s the why (or lack of awareness of the why) that ultimately causes the most careful of plans to fail.<\/p>\n
One of the foremost guiding principles among the families we work with is that adult children should take responsibility for their lives.<\/p>\n
A powerful question to know to help you understand when and how much should be transferred to your children is asking them, \u201cHow do you feel a financial inheritance would serve you in your life?\u201d Listening to that answer can reveal much about when and how much is appropriate.<\/p>\n
There are many reasons why \u201cabove the line\u201d planning is so difficult:<\/p>\n
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- It\u2019s messy -When you ask a question, you never know what you will learn and sometimes it isn\u2019t pleasant. <\/li>\n
- It\u2019s time-consuming \u2013 \u201cabove the line\u201d planning is really a never-ending process.<\/li>\n
- The results are not as quantitative \u2013 when you create a trust and complete a gifting strategy, you can quantify what you have achieved in terms of taxes saved, and wealth preserved or protected and that is satisfying.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Nonetheless, successful families are accustomed to doing the hard things and know that doing the hard things is usually where the greatest rewards lie. If you haven\u2019t already, we encourage you to explore \u201cabove the line\u201d planning for both your family legacy and for your philanthropic legacy.<\/p>\n
At The Madison Group, we offer solutions for your planning. We are dedicated to the financial goals of high-net-worth families and businesses in their use of life insurance. As a member of the M Financial Group, we have access to specialty products and a multi-carrier underwriting approach. With almost $3 billion under management, we offer creative solutions for unique situations. Our engaged service team offers proactive monitoring of client policies. Benefit delivery averages $50 million a year since 2019.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nAbout The Madison Group<\/strong>
The Madison Group is one of the largest independent financial firms in the U.S. dedicated to comprehensive wealth preservation since 1968. We specialize in providing affluent families, business owners and executives with unique, tax-efficient wealth transfer and business continuity strategies. We value solutions that have simplicity at their heart and are manageable across generations.<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider disabled_on=”on|on|on” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” disabled=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/familyenterpriseusa.com\/2022-annual-family-business-survey\/” button_text=”Do You Have 5 Minutes To Help Your Multi-Generational Business?” button_alignment=”center” disabled_on=”on|on|on” admin_label=”Call to Action Button” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_button=”on” disabled=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”FEUSA Statement” _builder_version=”4.17.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” link_option_url=”https:\/\/familyenterpriseusa.com\/donate-2\/” global_module=”5910″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
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