Estate
Why Receiving an Inheritance Changes Your Estate Plan
A well-designed estate plan can help anticipate and mitigate these risks by providing structure, guidance, and protection around inherited wealth.
June 19, 2026
A well-designed estate plan can help anticipate and mitigate these risks by providing structure, guidance, and protection around inherited wealth.
Among the numerous types of trusts aimed at fulfilling different estate planning purposes, an inheritor’s trust is specially designed to help protect an inheritance.
State-level estate and inheritance taxes (often referred to collectively as death taxes) can significantly impact how much ultimately passes to a person’s loved ones, making it essential to understand state death tax rules when creating a comprehensive estate plan.
Different countries have different rules about who inherits, how much they inherit, and the taxes and formalities involved. Extra planning steps are often required both at home and abroad to harmonize your plan across borders and avoid any unexpected inheritance or tax issues.
You love your children and want to ensure that they are always taken care of. However, when leaving money and property to minor children, even the best intentions can lead to big problems.
Parents generally try to treat all their children fairly. We often assume that fairness means leaving an equal inheritance to each child. However, “fair” does not always mean “equal.”
While a house can be a generous gift that might seem like a windfall, the financial and practical realities of owning a home can quickly turn that gift into a burden for heirs who are not fully prepared.
The initial mix of excitement and grief when receiving an inheritance can lead to impulsive financial decisions. One of the most important steps you can take is to resist the urge to immediately make significant decisions.
Simultaneous death laws, such as the Uniform Simultaneous Death Act (USDA), enacted in 1940 and updated in 1993, were created to resolve legal uncertainties when two or more people die at the same time or close in time to each other and the order of death is unclear.
Higher levels of education are positively correlated with better life outcomes, including improved health, longer lifespans, and higher incomes.[1] However, education costs across all levels have risen significantly, pushing a good education out of reach for many families and saddling students with debt that can take decades to pay off. From primary school to postgraduate studies, you can invest in a loved one’s education and maximize their potential through your estate plan.