Our Family of Companies
western & southern financial group logo
western & southern life logo
columbus life logo
eagle realty group logo
fort washington logo
gerber life logo
integrity life logo
lafayette life logo
national integrity life logo
touchstone investments logo
w&s financial group distributors logo

Help Preserve the Legacy You Leave Tomorrow

Updated
Share:
senior couple meets with lafayette life advisor at home to learn how to preserve their financial legacy

The choices you make today will determine the legacy you leave tomorrow for those you care about most. With thoughtful planning focused on your needs, you can help ensure that you make every dollar count for you and your loved ones. 

Giving More of What You Save

As part of your estate planning strategy, capital preservation will help you maximize the value of the assets you want to pass on to the next generation. It can also help minimize the amount of taxes you – or they – pay on those assets. 

Traditional Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and qualified retirement plans – 401(k)s, profit-sharing plans, etc. – as well as savings accounts, certificates of deposit and investments are efficient for building your wealth. However, when you pass away, what’s in these accounts may be subject to income tax when the funds are distributed to your beneficiaries.

The federal government requires a minimum distribution from IRAs each year starting at age 72.

Your financial representative can offer a variety of solutions to help maximize the inheritance you leave by transferring capital from one asset to another, creating a favorable after-tax outcome. This could include using the required minimum distribution to fund a life insurance policy – which generally passes tax-free to beneficiaries – to help preserve the legacy you intend for your loved ones to enjoy. 

Protecting a Lifetime of Savings

You’ve worked a lifetime to save enough to live comfortably during retirement and leave a legacy for your family and perhaps your favorite charity. All of your assets in which you have an interest, with a few exceptions, are included in your estate for estate tax purposes.

Estate taxes and other transfer costs – including debts, additional taxes, final expenses and administrative fees – generally must be paid before the balance of the estate is distributed to your heirs. These taxes and expenses can take a big bite out of the assets you’ve accumulated. 

DC: Wealth preservation strategies can help reduce this financial burden and protect more of what you’ve worked so hard to save during your lifetime.

Wealth preservation strategies can help reduce financial burden and protect savings.

Your financial representative the information and tools needed to create an estate plan that may be right for you. Together, you can explore the option of using life insurance proceeds to help provide the liquidity needed to pay administrative costs and estate taxes in a timely manner so your loved ones do not need to sell estate assets to raise the necessary cash to pay the tax bill. 

Charitable Giving

We all want to leave the world a little better than we found it. Charitable giving has been on the rise in the United States since the 1970s according to an analysis by Giving USA Foundation. Increasingly business owners and individuals alike want to make their community a better place to work and live while advancing a charitable cause, reducing income and estate taxes, and increasing cash flow.

Your financial representative can help you explore ways to make charitable contributions while helping to maximize your tax deductions. Public charities and foundations are among popular options. We can also help identify the options for what to give, including: cash; publicly traded securities; real estate; and tangible and intangible assets.

There are also a wide range of choices for how to give, including an outright gift of cash or property during life; testamentary gift (upon death); gift annuity (contract between donor and charity); pooled income fund where the charity creates and pays income into a trust fund that is paid to the charity when the last owner passes away; and a charitable trust created by the donor with either the trust income or the remainder interest goes to the charity.

Live More & Worry Less

Live More & Worry Less

We have financial professionals ready to assist you on your retirement journey.

Other Topics

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES
Information provided is general and educational in nature, and all products or services discussed may not be provided by Western & Southern Financial Group or its member companies (“the Company”). The information is not intended to be, and should not be construed as, legal or tax advice. The Company does not provide legal or tax advice. Laws of a specific state or laws relevant to a particular situation may affect the applicability, accuracy, or completeness of this information. Federal and state laws and regulations are complex and are subject to change. The Company makes no warranties with regard to the information or results obtained by its use. The Company disclaims any liability arising out of your use of, or reliance on, the information. Consult an attorney or tax advisor regarding your specific legal or tax situation.