Garland Law Offices, P.A.

‘Siegfried & Roy’ Star Roy Horn Named Siegfried His Executor

The late 'Siegfried & Roy' star, Roy Horn, named lifelong friend and performance partner, Siegfried Fischbacher as the executor of his multi-million-dollar estate, according to his will filed in Las Vegas courts.”

Legal documents revealed that performer Roy Horn’s last will and testament was filed in the Las Vegas courts on June 18, 2020, according to the article “’Siegfried & Roy’ Star Roy Horn’s Will Names Siegfried As Executor Of His Multi-Million Dollar Estate” as reported in The Blast. The document gave Siegfried Fischbacher the power to administer and distribute Horn’s assets after his death. If Siegfried was not able to perform the tasks, Roy Horn had named Lynette G. Chappell as the alternate executor.

Lynette G. Chappell was the performer’s longtime assistant.

Roy Horn died at age 75 after contracting COVID-19. Siegfried had told an interviewer that he drove to the hospital with Lynette and was able to see his life partner one more time before he died.

Roy Horn also named Siegfried’s longtime lawyer, John Moran Jr., to be co-executor of his estate with Chappell, if Siegfried was unable or unwilling to be his executor.

The will, which was signed in 2016, also included directions that Roy Horn’s multi-million estate be distributed to beneficiaries, which were named in a private trust. The trust was not attached to the legal filing that included the last will and testament, so the names of his beneficiaries will remain private. The will does state that Roy Horn is unmarried and has no children. He was survived only by his brother, Werner Horn.

Siegfried was given broad powers to manage all of the financial issues of the estate, including paying for the funeral and any expenses regarding handling Horn’s remains. As the executor, the personal representative is empowered to perform any act necessary to administer the estate and any trust established under the will. The will also permits Siegfried to hold, retain, invest, sell or manage any real or personal property, distribute assets of the estate without requiring pro-rata distribution of specific assets, employ attorneys, accountants, custodians, and any other agents or assistants as the executor deems necessary and to pay them and pay for their expenses from income or principal.

According to reports, Siegfried and Roy had a combined estimated net worth of more than $100 million, after they had signed several highly lucrative contracts to perform their award-winning show on the Las Vegas Strip.

The duo performed on the Las Vegas Strip for decades, until 2003, when their show abruptly ended when Roy was attacked on stage by a white tiger. He was dragged off the stage by the tiger and suffered severe injuries, including a severed spine, a stroke and massive blood loss.

Siegfried revealed in a recent interview with a German publication that Roy Horn had been cremated and his ashes are being kept in a chapel in their Las Vegas compound.

Reference: The Blast (June 27, 2020) “’Siegfried & Roy’ Star Roy Horn’s Will Names Siegfried As Executor Of His Multi-Million Dollar Estate”

Coronavirus Makes Estate and Tax Planning an Urgent Task

“What may have seemed like something to take care of ‘one day,’ has turned into a basic necessity that makes it essential and necessary for you to encourage your clients to act now.”

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought estate planning front and center to many people who would otherwise dismiss it as something they would get to at some point in the future, says the article “Estate and Life Insurance Considerations During the Covid-19 Pandemic” from Bloomberg Tax. Many don’t have a frame of reference to address the medical, legal, financial, and insurance questions that now need to be addressed promptly. They’ve never experienced anything like today’s world. The time to get your affairs in order is now.

What will happen if we get sick? Will we recover? Who will take care of us and make legal decisions for us? What if a family member is in an assisted living facility and is incapacitated? All of these “what if” questions are now pressing concerns. Now is the time to review all legal, insurance and financial plans, and take into consideration two new laws: the SECURE Act and the CARES Act.

An experienced estate planning attorney who focuses in estate planning will save you an immense amount of money. Bargain hunters be careful: a small mistake or oversight in an estate plan can lead to expensive consequences. A competent legal professional is the best investment.

Here’s an example of what can go wrong: A person names two minor children—under age 18—as beneficiaries on their IRA account, life insurance policy or bank account. The person dies. Minors are not permitted to hold title to assets. Minors in New York are considered wards of the court in need of protection and court supervision. Therefore, in this state, the result of the beneficiary designation means that a special Surrogate’s Court proceeding will need to occur to have a pecuniary guardian appointed for the minors, even if the applicant is their custodial guardian.

Another “what if?” is the support for a disabled or special needs beneficiary who may be receiving government support. If the parents are gone, who will care for their disabled child? What if there are not enough assets in the estate to provide supplemental financial support, in addition to the government benefits? Life insurance can be used to fund a special needs trust to ensure that their child will not be dependent upon family or friends to care for their needs. However, if there is no special needs trust in place, an inheritance may put the child’s government support in jeopardy.

Here are the core estate planning documents to be prepared:

• Last Will and Testament
• Revocable Living Trust
• Durable General Power of Attorney
• Health Care Declaration

The SECURE Act changed the rules regarding inherited IRAs. With the exception of a surviving spouse and a few other exempt individuals, the required minimum distributions must be taken within a ten- year time period. This causes an additional income tax liability for future generations. There are strategies to reduce the impact, but they require advance planning with the help of an estate planning attorney.

Reference: Bloomberg Tax (June 18, 2020) “Estate and Life Insurance Considerations During the Covid-19 Pandemic”

Why You Need an Advance Directive Right Now

“COVID-19 is quickly becoming the leading cause of death in the United States. As of today, Indiana has over 37,000 cases of COVID-19 and over 2,100 deaths. That is why articulating your wishes regarding end-of-life health care, is more important than ever.”

The number of Americans who have died in the last few months because of COVID-19 is staggering, reports Inside Indiana Business in an article that advises readers to “Get Your Advance Directives in Place Now.” Just talking with family members about your wishes is not enough. You’ll need to put the proper legal documents in place. It’s not that hard, and it is necessary.

Only one in three Americans has completed any kind of advance directive. Many younger adults don’t feel the need to complete these documents, but there have been many examples that prove this is the wrong approach. Both Terri Schiavo and Karen Ann Quinlan were only in their twenties when they were not able to make their wishes known. Family members fought in and out of court for years.

The clinical realities of COVID-19 make it hard for healthcare workers to determine their patient’s wishes. Visitors are not permitted, and staff members are overwhelmed with patients. COVID-19 respiratory symptoms come on rapidly in many cases, making it impossible to convey end-of-life wishes.

Advance directives are the written instructions regarding health care decisions, if you are not able to communicate your wishes. They must be in compliance with your state’s laws. The most common types of advance care directives are the durable power of attorney for health care and the living will.

A durable power of attorney for health care names a person, usually a spouse or family member, to be a health care agent. You may also name alternative agents. This person will be able to make decisions about your health care on your behalf, so be sure they know what your wishes are.

A living will is the document that states your wishes about the type of care you do or don’t want to receive. Living wills typically concern treatments like CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), breathing machines (ventilators), dialysis, feeding tubes and certain treatments, like the use of an IV (intravenous, meaning medicine delivered directly into the bloodstream).

Studies show that people who have properly executed advance directives are more likely to get care that reflects their stated preferences.

Traditional documents will cover most health situations. However, the specific symptoms of COVID-19 may require you to reconsider opinions on certain treatments. Many COVID-19 patients need ventilators to breathe and do subsequently recover. If in the past you wanted to refuse being put on a ventilator, this may cause you to reconsider.

Almost all states require notarization and/or witnesses for advance directives and other estate planning documents to be valid. Many states, including Indiana and New York, now allow for remote notarization.

Talk with your estate planning attorney about putting all of your estate planning documents in order.

Reference: Inside Indiana Business (June 8, 2020) “Get Your Advance Directives in Place Now”

How the CARES Act has Changed RMDs for 2020

“Here is what you need to know about delaying required withdrawals from a retirement account until 2021.”

Before the CARES Act, most retirees had to take withdrawals from their IRAs and other retirement accounts every year after age 72. However, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, known as the CARES Act, has made some big changes that help retirees. Whether you have a 401(k), IRA, 403(b), 457(b) or inherited IRA, the rules have changed for 2020. A recent article in U.S. News & World Report, “How to Skip Your Required Minimum Distribution in 2020,” explains how it works.

For starters, remember that taking money out of any kind of account that has been hit hard by a market downturn, locks in investment losses. This is especially a hard hit for people who are not working and won’t be able to put the money back. Therefore, if you don’t have to take the money, it’s best to leave it in the retirement account until markets recover.

RMDs are based on the year-end value of the previous year, so the RMD for 2020 is based on the value of the account as of December 31, 2019, when values were higher.

Remember that distributions from traditional 401(k)s and IRAs are taxed as ordinary income. A retiree in the 24% bracket who takes $5,000 from their IRA is going to need to pay $1,200 in federal income tax on the distribution. By postponing the withdrawal, you can continue to defer taxes on retirement savings.

Beneficiaries who have inherited IRAs are usually required to take distributions every year, but they too are eligible to defer taking distributions in 2020. Experts recommend that if at all possible, these distributions should be delayed until 2021.

Automatic withdrawals are how many retirees receive their RMDs. That makes it easier for retirees to avoid having to pay a huge 50% penalty on the amount that should have been withdrawn, in addition to the income tax that is due on the distribution. However, if you are planning to skip that withdrawal, make sure to turn off the automated withdrawal for 2020.

If you already took the distribution before the law was passed (in March 2020), you might be able to roll the money over to an IRA or workplace retirement account, but only within 60 days of the distribution. You can also only do that once within a 12-month period. If the deadline for a rollover contribution falls between April 1 and July 14, you have up to July 15 to put the funds into a retirement account.

For those who have contracted COVID-19 or suffered financial hardship as a result of the pandemic, the distribution might qualify as a coronavirus hardship distribution. Talk with your accountant about classifying the distribution as a COVID-19 related distribution. This will give you an option of spreading the taxes over a three-year period or putting the money back over a three-year period.

Reference: U.S. News & World Report (May 4, 2020) “How to Skip Your Required Minimum Distribution in 2020”

Does Your Estate Plan Need a Will or a Trust—Or Both?

“One of the most fundamental choices you can make as you’re thinking about how to pass your assets on to heirs, is whether you hold assets in a revocable trust or more simply give them via a will. Both approaches have advantages, although trusts can provide significantly more benefits.”

Having a structure in place that clearly directs who is in charge and who gets what assets, gives most people a sense of relief about their estate plan. It’s important to understand how a will works, how a trust works and when to use each of these planning tools, reports the article “Revocable trust vs. will: A guide to estate planning in the age of coronavirus” from Bankrate. In many cases, using both achieves the ultimate goal of protecting the family assets and their privacy.

The will process is more complex than its typical portrayal in film or fiction. The will directs who is to receive the property of the deceased. Without a will, property may be distributed by the courts, following the “intestate succession” law of the state. That’s usually the next of kin—not always who you want to inherit your estate.

If property is owned jointly, then it passes to the surviving owner. Accounts and assets with a named beneficiary go directly to that beneficiary. Any assets held in a trust are subject to the directions in the trust. That is one reason to check all accounts you own and make sure they have two named beneficiaries—primary and contingent. That applies to retirement and investment accounts, as well as life insurance policies.

The probate court appoints an executor— who should be chosen by the decedent and nominated in the will—to carry out the directions in the will, pay any outstanding debts, take care of taxes and oversee the distribution of assets. The process of administering the will can be lengthy, depending upon the size and the complexity of the estate. During probate, the will becomes a public document. Predatory creditors are able to see the will, including the amount of assets and their distribution. In many jurisdictions, there are court fees associated with probate that can take a bite (or a nibble) out of the estate.

Trusts are used to circumvent some of the issues created when assets are passed via a will. Trusts are legal structures that provide protection for assets. The assets in a trust do not belong to the individual, they belong to the trust.  Therefore, they are not subject to probate. When the trust is created, a trustee is named whose job it is to manage the affairs of the trust. A successor trustee is named to manage the trust, if the trustee cannot or will not serve.

The revocable trust is used to take assets out of the estate, while allowing the asset owner to maintain control. Assets can be moved in or out of the trust, or the trust can be dissolved, and the assets taken back. However, there are no tax benefits, since the trust owner is the trust maker, the trustee, and the beneficiary, as long as the owner is alive. On the owner’s passing, the designated successor trustee takes over.

With an irrevocable trust, there are significant tax benefits. However, there is also a loss of control of the assets.

Trusts do cost more to establish than wills, but they offer a number of advantages. The use of a trust means that less or none of your assets will go through probate, speeding up the distribution process. Trusts also protect the family’s privacy, since the details in the trusts do not become part of the public record. There is less involvement by the court in distributing assets, so fees may be lower.

Speak with an estate planning attorney about how trusts may play a useful part in your estate plan and for passing wealth down to multiple generations.

Reference: Bankrate (April 17, 2020) “Revocable trust vs. will: A guide to estate planning in the age of coronavirus”

Would an Early Retirement and Early Social Security Be Smart?

“For many older adults, claiming Social Security early would be a big mistake. It was a mistake made by many older workers, who lost jobs in the Great Recession.”

For older employees who are laid off as a result of the pandemic, the idea of an early retirement and taking Social Security benefits early may seem like the best or only way forward. However, cautions Forbes in the article “Should You Take Social Security Earlier Than Planned If You’re Laid Off Due to COVID-19?,” this could be a big mistake with long-term repercussions.

In the recession that began in 2008, there were very few jobs for older workers. As a result, many had no choice but to take Social Security early. The problem is that taking benefits early means a smaller benefit.

In 2009, one year after the market took a nosedive, as many as 42.4 percent of 62-year-olds signed up for Social Security benefits. By comparison, in 2008, the number of 62-year-olds who took Social Security benefits was 37.6 percent.

You can start taking Social Security early and then stop it later. However, there are other options for those who are strapped for cash.

There is a new tool from the IRS that allows taxpayers to update their direct deposit information to get their stimulus payment faster and track when to expect it. There is also a separate tool for non-tax filers.

Apply for unemployment insurance. Yes, the online system is coping with huge demand, so it is going to take more than a little effort and patience. However, unemployment insurance is there for this very same purpose. Part of the economic stimulus package extends benefits to gig workers, freelancers and the self-employed, who are not usually eligible for unemployment.

Consider asking a family member for a loan, or a gift. Any individual is allowed to give someone else up to $15,000 a year with no tax consequences. Gifts that are larger require a gift tax return, but no tax is due. The amount is simply counted against the amount that any one person can give tax free during their lifetime. That amount is now over $11 million. By law, you can accept a loan from a family member up to $10,000 with no paperwork. After that amount, you’ll need a written loan agreement that states that interest will be charged – at least the minimum AFR—Applicable Federal Rate. An estate planning attorney can help you with this.

Tap retirement accounts—gently. The stimulus package eases the rules around retirement account loans and withdrawals for people who have been impacted by the COVID-19 downturn. The 10% penalty for early withdrawals before age 59½ has been waived for 2020.

If you must take Social Security, you can do so starting at age 62. In normal times, the advice is to tap retirement accounts before taking Social Security, so that your benefits can continue to grow. The return on Social Security continues to be higher than equities, so this is still good advice.

Reference: Forbes (April 15, 2020) “Should You Take Social Security Earlier Than Planned If You’re Laid Off Due to COVID-19?”

Top 10 Reasons to Get Going on an Estate Plan

“It took my husband Mike's heart attack to force us to recognize the need for having an estate plan. It was not smart. You are smarter than that. Create an estate plan today.”

The time to have an estate plan really begins the moment you have assets that need to be distributed, but most people put off this important task. There are more than ten good reasons to talk with an estate planning attorney and get your estate plan in order, says the article “Top ten reasons to create an estate plan today” from OakPark.com, but these ten should be compelling enough to get you started.

10-It’s better to start with a plan than with an emergency. A sudden health crisis, whether a global pandemic or a spouse’s heart attack, should not be the reason for you to get going on your estate plan. Get an estate plan done, before you or a loved one needs it.

9-Don’t hope for the best for your minor children. A will is used to name guardians for minor children and to name a financial guardian who will oversee assets left for them. Without a will, the court will make that decision. The person selected by the judge may not be the person you’d want.

8-Equal is not always fair. If you paid for your oldest child’s college education, and your youngest is still in middle school, how will an equal division of your assets be fair to the child who has yet to go to college? A will and estate plan lets you map out how assets can be distributed equally, taking a variety of factors into consideration.

7-Inheritance begins at age 18, ready or not. With no will, children 18 and over will inherit assets all at once, no questions asked. If you have a son who likes expensive cars, there won’t be anything stopping him from spending his entire inheritance on a Ferrari.

6-Estate planning is an act of love. Couples strengthen their relationship, when they create an estate plan. It’s a love letter to your spouse and your family that demonstrates a tangible desire to protect them.

5-Build personal connections. Asking someone to be there for you and your family when you are the most vulnerable—incapacitated or deceased—is a strong statement of trust. Creating an estate plan cements relationships and sends a clear message that you believe in others to care for your loved ones.

4-Make parenting your college-age children easier. In the eyes of health care privacy laws, your children are strangers to you, once they reach the age of majority in your state (i.e., usually age 18). With young adult health care powers of attorney and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) privacy waivers in place now, you can be informed and involved in case of an emergency later.

3-The state wants you to have an estate plan. One of the results of the coronavirus pandemic is that many states have made it lawful to have estate plans witnessed and notarized by video conference. You don’t have to leave the house to create or update your estate plan. There are no excuses now!

2-Your mortality is basically 100%. People procrastinate having their estate plans done because who wants to think about death and dying? However, whether or not you procrastinate doesn’t matter. We will all die one day, and an estate plan will make it better for those we leave behind.

1-There is a good chance that you have more time on your hands now, than before the coronavirus pandemic. Call an estate planning lawyer, and get it done. There’s no time like the present.

Reference: OakPark.com (April 15, 2020) “Top ten reasons to create an estate plan today”

Coronavirus Stimulus Allows Retirees to Tap Funds Early, With Little or No Penalties

“Lawmakers in Washington are making it easier for Americans struggling with the fallout from the coronavirus to draw on the trillions of dollars in their 401(k)s and other retirement accounts.”

For a limited time, Americans will now be able to withdraw money from tax-deferred accounts without penalties, under the Coronavirus Stimulus law. Rules on taking loans from 401(k)s will also be loosened up, and some retirees will be able to avoid Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) that otherwise would have been costly, says the article “Coronavirus stimulus lets struggling Americans tap retirement accounts early” from the Los Angeles Times.

In some cases, these changes reflect what has been done for retirement savers in previous disasters. However, for the most part, these are more intense than in other events. The chief government affairs officer of the American Retirement Association, Will Hansen, says that we are now in uncharted territory as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The numbers of people filing for unemployment make it likely that many people will be tapping their retirement accounts.

One provision in the bill would allow investors of any age to take as much as $100,000 from their retirement accounts without any early withdrawal penalties. If the money is put back in the account within three years, there won’t be any taxes due. If the money is not put back, taxes can be paid over the course of three years. The law says that the money must be a “coronavirus-related distribution,” but the rules are loose.

People who test positive for the virus, along with anyone who experiences adverse financial consequences as a result of the pandemic, including being unable to find work or childcare, are permitted to make these withdrawals.

The bill also makes it easier to borrow money from 401(k) accounts, raising the limit on these loans from $50,000 to $100,000. The payment dates for any loans due in 2020 are extended for a year.

Retirees in their early 70s were previously required to start taking money out of tax-deferred accounts and start paying taxes on those distributions. The bill also waives these rules.

U.S. individual retirement accounts held nearly $20 trillion in assets at the end of 2019. While those amounts have certainly dropped due to market volatility, Americans still hold a lot of money in retirement accounts.

However, pre- and post-retirees need to think carefully about withdrawing large sums of money now. For pre-retirees, this should only be a last resort. Some professionals think the 401(k)-loan amount is too high and that people will jump to take out too much money, which will never find its way back.

According to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report from 2019, Americans ages 25-55 take approximately $69 billion a year from their retirement accounts. Once the money is gone, it’s not able to earn future tax-deferred returns.

Reference: Los Angeles Times (March 27, 2020) “Coronavirus stimulus lets struggling Americans tap retirement accounts early”

Requests for Estate Plans Reflect Fears about Coronavirus

“Lawyers are being bombarded with requests to write wills, update estate plans and prepare health surrogate or "pull the plug" documents, as people are confronted by the realization that they could be diagnosed with COVID-19 and dead within days.”

Estate planning lawyers have always known that estate planning is not about “if,” but about “when.” The current health pandemic has given many people a wake-up call. They realize there’s no time to procrastinate, reports the article “Surge on wills: Fearing death by coronavirus, people ask lawyers to write their last wishes” from InsuranceNews.net. Legal professionals urge everyone, not just the elderly or the wealthy, to put their end-of-life plans in writing.

The last time estate planning attorneys saw this type of surge was in 2012, when wealthy people were worried that Congress was about to lower the threshold of the estate tax. Today, everyone is worried.

Top priorities are creating a living will stating your wishes if you become incapacitated, designating a surrogate or a proxy to make medical decisions on your behalf, granting power of attorney to someone who can make legal and financial decisions and preparing advance directives, such as “Do Not Resuscitate” orders.

An estate plan, including a last will and testament (and often trusts) that detail what you want to happen to assets and who will be guardian to minor children upon your death, spares your family the fights, legal costs and hours in court that can result when there is no estate plan.

The coronavirus has created a new problem for families. In the past, a health care surrogate would be in the hospital with you, talking to healthcare providers and making decisions on your behalf. However, now there are no visitors allowed in hospitals and patients are completely isolated. Estate planning attorneys are recommending that specific language be added to any end of life documents that authorize a surrogate to give instructions by phone, email or during an online conference.

Any prior documents that may have prohibited intubation need to be revised, since intubation is part of treatment for COVID-19 and not necessarily just an end-of-life stage.

Attorneys are finding ways to ensure that documents are properly witnessed and signed. In some states, remote signings are being permitted, while other states, Florida in particular, still require two in-person witnesses, when a will or other estate planning documents are being signed.

There are many stories of people who have put off having their wills prepared, figuring out succession plans that usually take years to plan and people coming to terms with what they want to happen to their assets.

Equally concerning are seniors in nursing homes who have not reviewed their wills in many years and are not able to make changes now. Older adults and relatives are struggling with awkward and urgent circumstances, when they are confined to nursing homes or senior communities with no visitors.

Reference: InsuranceNews.net (April 3, 2020) “Surge on wills: Fearing death by coronavirus, people ask lawyers to write their last wishes”