Category: Estate Planning

Vanilla

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Dec 01, 2025

Over the next two decades, $124 trillion will transfer from baby boomers to younger generations. Your clients are part of this colossal shift, and they want help navigating it. Research confirms this: 93% of clients want estate planning advice from their advisor. Beyond the legal structures of estate planning, legacy planning is increasingly a key component of a comprehensive financial plan. Where estate planning focuses on wills, trusts, and tax strategies, legacy planning adds another dimension, addressing personal values, family dynamics, charitable intentions, and the stories your clients want to pass down.  Legacy planning: Estate planning plus intent Your clients...

Vanilla

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Nov 11, 2025

Choosing the wrong power of attorney (POA) can leave families scrambling during a crisis. Each state has its own rules governing these documents, and understanding which POA is suitable for a situation matters more than most people realize. In this guide, we break down the six main types of POAs for individuals, families, caregivers, financial advisors, and estate planners who need clarity on this essential part of estate planning. 1. General power of attorney A general power of attorney is a legal document that gives one person (called the agent or attorney-in-fact) broad authority over another person’s (called the principal)...

Jennifer Raess JD, CFP®, CLU®

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Nov 05, 2025

The IRS has released its inflation-adjusted numbers for 2026, confirming key updates for estate, gift, and income tax planning. These changes, combined with provisions from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), will reshape how advisors approach gifting, deductions, and trust taxation. Now is the time for advisors to revisit clients’ estate strategies to prepare for 2026. Here's a snapshot of the key changes advisors need to know: 2026 Changes at a Glance Category 2025 2026 Lifetime estate & gift exemption $13.99M/person $27.98M/married couple $15M/person $30M/married couple Annual gift exclusion $19,000/ $38,000 if gift splitting $19,000/ $38,000 if gift splitting...

Jennifer Raess JD, CFP®, CLU®

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Oct 28, 2025

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law in July 2025, introduces some significant charitable giving changes starting in 2026. It expands opportunities for everyday donors while tightening limits for high-income taxpayers. With year-end approaching, advisors should review these shifts now to help clients maximize charitable impact and tax benefits before the new rules take effect in 2026. The impact of these changes will vary depending on whether clients itemize their deductions, making it important to tailor charitable strategies accordingly. New rule for non-itemizing individuals Starting in 2026, taxpayers who take the standard deduction can claim an "above-the-line"...

Vanilla

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Oct 08, 2025

By nature, the practice of estate planning has a level of seriousness and substantiality that few other advisor-client conversations will ever reach. When you bring technology into that process, you want to make sure it reflects the importance of the topic at hand.  Choosing an estate planning software that brings the appropriate credibility and accuracy is no small task, and it’s easy to get lost in the details when comparing solutions.  To help cut through the noise, we built the Buyer’s Guide to Estate Planning Platforms for Advisory Firms, which walks through the criteria to consider when choosing a solution...

Sarah D. McDaniel, CFA

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Oct 01, 2025

The Federal Reserve's September 2025 rate cut may create planning opportunities The Federal Reserve's recent quarter-point reduction to 4.00%-4.25% represents the first rate cut of 2025 with Fed projections indicating additional cuts may follow later this year. While these monetary policy shifts primarily target economic conditions, they create significant ripple effects throughout the estate planning landscape that may warrant immediate attention. Why interest rates drive estate planning effectiveness Estate planning isn't a "set it and forget it" process. The effectiveness of wealth transfer strategies fluctuates dramatically based on prevailing interest rate environments, making periodic reviews essential—particularly during periods of monetary...

Vanilla

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Sep 29, 2025

Many families worry about what will happen to wealth after it passes to the next generation. There may be concerns about poor financial decision-making, personal debts, unstable relationships, or even exposure to lawsuits.  In some cases, some traditional estate planning strategies may not offer enough protection if beneficiaries are financially vulnerable. In these situations, there are additional legal structures that can be used to help protect wealth from being misused, mismanaged, or lost to credits when it passes to future generations.  This article will offer a detailed overview of one of the most effective tools for balancing long-term support with...

Vanilla

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Sep 25, 2025

Estate planning is one of the most impactful ways advisors can help clients protect their families, preserve wealth, and ensure their intentions are honored. Yet, despite its importance, we’ve seen time and again that estate plans—even carefully drafted ones—often contain blind spots. At Vanilla, we’ve abstracted over 45,000 estate planning documents. This vantage point provides a unique window into the recurring mistakes and oversights that surface in client plans. For advisors, understanding these pitfalls is critical not just for catching errors, but also for building trust and proactively guiding clients through difficult conversations. Below are the most common mistakes we...

Vanilla

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Sep 09, 2025

As an advisor, you probably know how rare it is to retain AUM after the death of the primary wealthholder.  You may also know that there’s a proven way to decrease the likelihood of getting fired when the relationship passes to a surviving spouse or the next generation: estate planning.  Advisors who engage their clients and clients’ families in estate planning are more likely to retain assets as they transfer to a surviving spouse or next generation.  If wading into the waters of estate planning with clients seems intimidating, we have practical advice for navigating these conversations and processes. Here,...