Case Study – Estate Planning

Problem: Our clients were a married couple who had an estate plan drafted ten years earlier that needed to be updated. Due to a change in transfer tax laws, upon the husband’s death, their plan would have left all of his assets in a family trust, leaving nothing for his wife.

Resolution: Partner Craig Pierson amended and restated the trust agreement to include mechanisms to redirect allocation between family and marital trusts. This eliminated the problem of funding a family trust with an overly high percentage of the estate. These steps ensured the client’s wife’s security.