You've made it to the end of your working life, and now it's time to reap the benefits of all of your hard work. In addition to getting help with your investing from sources like The Motley Fool's Rule Your Retirement newsletter, it's important to make sure that your estate planning is consistent with your goals you've set for yourself and your loved ones.
The following questions address topics that often arise for retired people:
1. Do I want to make any gifts to loved ones or charities?
2. Are my will and other estate-planning documents still accurate?
Gifts
Retirees who have done a good job of saving for retirement may have excess funds that they wish to share. If you want to make a gift, there are some rules you need to follow to avoid problems.
In 2006, you can make gifts of up to $12,000 each to any individual you wish without any other requirements. If you are married, you and your spouse can choose to give up to $24,000. Should you choose to make bigger gifts to individuals, you will need to file a gift-tax return with the IRS. Gifts for education or medical expenses can be larger as long as payments are made directly to the school or medical provider rather than to the individual.
Gifts to charity have no limitations and may give you a valuable tax deduction. In addition to simple gifts, there are other options available for charitable gifts that allow you to get a regular income payment back from the charity. Most charities have specialists who can help you structure a gift that will help both you and your charity.
Updating your documents
Even if you already have good estate-planning documents in place, you also need to make sure that you update them for changing circumstances. People you may have asked to play an active role with settling your estate may no longer be available to help. You may also have wished to leave something for a person who has died or whose condition makes your gift unnecessary or inadvisable. In general, it's a good idea to review your documents every five years or so, or more often if a major event occurs that has a significant impact on your planning.
Conclusion
Although it's easy to procrastinate over estate planning, it forms an essential part of your overall financial plan. By paying attention to your needs throughout your life, you can rest assured that you have planned for any contingency in a responsible way.
Are you at a different place in your life from what you're read here? No problem -- our series addresses estate-planning needs for a variety of life stages. Just go back to the beginning and let the links take you where you want to go.
Robert Brokamp of our Rule Your Retirement service had an estate plan before graduating from junior high school. If you need help planning your retirement, take Rule Your Retirement for afree trial run today.
Fool contributor Dan Caplinger welcomes your comments.
