Estate Planning: What is Hillary and Bill Clinton’s Estate Worth?

• According to a July 25, 2016 article in Money Magazine, Hillary and Bill Clinton have a “detailed” estate plan.
• A detailed estate plan can help to guarantee that your wealth and fortune goes to the people you intend it to go to when you die.
• The article suggests that the Clinton’s currently hold “investments valued at between $10 million and $50.1 million.”
• Disclosure forms show that , in 2015, Hillary “took home more than $5 million in royalties from her book Hard Choices, and $1.48 million in honorarium payments for speaking engagements, while Bill earned about $5.25 million in honorarium payments.”
• With such a large estate, they are smart to consult an estate planning attorney!
• To read the details about the Clinton’s estate, click here.

Do I need a trust?

• Does everyone need a trust?
• Years ago, when all you could leave free of estate tax was $600,000, setting up a family trust and a marital trust made a lot of sense and gave you financial flexibility.
• Now, because of the tax act signed by President Obama in January of 2011, tax planning has gotten a lot easier.
• Each person can leave $5.45 million free of estate tax, and married couples can leave $10.9 million free of estate tax.
• So, if my estate is worth less than $5.25 million, why do I need a trust?
• Why not just leave the money outright to your chosen beneficiaries?
• There can be some advantages to leaving money in a Florida trust.
• For example, when you leave money in a trust, you get to also leave instructions to your trustee on how to distribute, or NOT distribute, money to your chosen beneficiaries.
• It is a good idea to speak with a Palm Beach estate attorney before assuming that creating a trust is not worth it.