Vanilla Blog

Madison Eubanks

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Jul 26, 2024

Traditional estate planning advice revolves around moving as many assets as possible out of the estate to minimize estate tax liability. However, most people’s estates will never approach taxability, meaning they need a different approach to estate planning.  At the most foundational level, planning for non-taxable estates—those valued at less than $13.61 million—means ensuring clients have appropriate documents like wills, trusts, and powers of attorney in place.  However, just because a client isn’t subject to federal estate tax doesn’t mean they can ignore tax planning. In this blog, we’ll look at tax planning strategies for non-taxable estates where the owner...

Madison Eubanks

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Jul 26, 2024

Whether or not you’re a financial planning professional, being on top of trends and facts about estate planning can help you make informed decisions with regards to finances.  In this article, we’ve rounded up 50 estate planning statistics from 2024 from Vanilla research and sources around the web that you’ll want to remember.  Why estate planning matters  Why is estate planning important, and why does it seem like more people are talking about it now?  Not having a plan can cause problems down the road Over a third (35%) of US adults say they or someone they know have experienced...

As summer heats up, so do the new features at Vanilla. This month, we’re excited to introduce several enhancements designed to streamline your estate planning processes and provide even greater value to your clients. Here’s a quick summary of what's new: V/AI for Estate Builder improvements: Estate Builder users now get automatic document summaries and can automatically import text into the client profile. Generation Skipping Transfer Tax - Direct skip calculations: We’ve expanded the power of our platform to support GSTT calculations for direct skips so that each client profile reflects comprehensive tax analysis. Additional distribution customizations: Now you can...

Amjad Hussain

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Jul 22, 2024

We think a lot about artificial intelligence at Vanilla. The promise of AI is enormous – arguably greater than any new technology to come along since the dawn of the internet – and yet it is in its infancy and carries some risk, especially if not approached carefully. At Vanilla, we are thrilled by the prospect of how AI can improve the everyday lives of our customers and their clients, making estate planning more efficient and delivering insights, but we are keenly aware that we operate in a sensitive space. The security of customer and client data is sacrosanct, and...

Madison Eubanks

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Jul 15, 2024

For families planning for individuals with disabilities or special needs, special considerations have to be made to ensure the person is cared for long-term. In some cases, specialized planning tools like qualified disability trusts can be used to achieve certain benefits like tax exemptions or federal aid eligibility.  At the most basic level, a qualified disability trust (also known as a QDisT or QDT) is a trust that qualifies for a federal tax exemption. It’s a financial planning tool that an individual with special needs or disabilities’ family or caregivers may use to provide for their needs.  Here, we’ll walk...

Simona Ondrejkova, CFP

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Jul 08, 2024

Clients who own a business often face an additional layer of complexity when it comes to estate planning. From determining the most effective strategy for passing on the business to minimizing taxes and maximizing wealth transfer for loved ones, navigating through countless estate planning strategies can be exhausting. The good news is that there are certain business structures, such as the family limited liability company (family LLC), that could make things easier for those who run a business that’s meant to stay in the family.  Here, we explain what a family limited liability company is, how it can help business...

Rachel Pettis

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Jun 18, 2024

Summer’s here and new features at Vanilla are hotter than New York City asphalt. This month we’re excited about: Executive Summary and an enhanced Estate Diagram for the Vanilla platform and PDF report Vanilla Essentials: key documents for your client’s loved ones Generation Skipping Transfer Tax available in Vanilla Estate Builder, Estate Diagram, and more ILITs now available as a modeling strategy in Vanilla Scenarios New fields present in Estate Builder powered by VAI for advanced trusts Give clients a personalized snapshot of their estate with Executive Summary Thanks to feedback from Vanilla customers, we have added an Executive Summary...

Madison Eubanks

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Jun 11, 2024

A beneficiary deemed owner trust (BDOT) is a specialized type of trust in which the beneficiary is considered to be the owner of the trust for income tax purposes. This structure is typically used to achieve income tax benefits.   In this article, we’ll discuss the requirements, benefits, and drawbacks of a beneficiary deemed owner trust, and when one could be a good option for clients.  What is a BDOT?  A BDOT is a sophisticated trust strategy where the beneficiary of the trust pays income taxes on the trust’s income. This is done through specific provisions in the trust document that...

Madison Eubanks

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Jun 05, 2024

For wealth management firms that want to offer their clients complete, holistic financial advice, estate planning services are an absolute must. The snag is that most firms have far more advisors than planners, and resources don’t allow central planning teams to work closely with every single client.  Because estate planning is an important part of the client experience, planners need to find ways to scale the practice to the advisor level. This doesn’t mean advisors need to become the final authority on all things related to estate planning, but rather that they need to know enough to open the door...

Simona Ondrejkova, CFP

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May 29, 2024

If you have clients who own a business, it’s important to be familiar with the buy-sell agreement. This type of contract can act as both a business succession tool and an estate planning tool.  Putting a buy-sell agreement in place can avoid potential threats to the continuation of the business that your clients have worked so hard to build or help avoid liquidity issues to ensure their loved ones are taken care of.  If a partner in a business dies or exits the business because of a disability or other reasons, a buy-sell agreement provides the method for transferring that...

Madison Eubanks

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May 22, 2024

Typically, we think of an estate plan as an arrangement to maximize wealth transfer and minimize taxes after a person passes away. However, there are some elements of estate planning that can take effect while a person is still living—like a Medicaid trust.  In this article, you’ll learn what trusts and Medicaid have to do with one another, the advantages and disadvantages of Medicaid trusts, as well as when it may be appropriate for your clients to set one up.  What is a Medicaid asset protection trust (MAPT)?  [embed]https://justvanilla.wistia.com/medias/prx1k9xyba[/embed] A Medicaid asset protection trust—also known as a Medicaid trust or...

As we embrace the vibrant spring season, Vanilla is excited to unveil even more new features and enhancements designed to simplify complex processes, provide intuitive planning tools, and foster deeper advisor-client conversations: Get estate planning answers fast with the full launch of VAI Chat, now generally available. VAI chat offers immediate AI-driven answers and insights, enabling users to efficiently navigate the complexities of estate planning. Streamline client assessments with the Estate Health Check, a quick and effective way for advisors to gather critical insights about a client's current estate situation without the need for exhaustive document reviews. Optimize wealth transfer...