Estate Planning with Fexingo: Wills, Trusts, and Passing Wealth to Future Generations

This episode of Estate Planning with Fexingo explains how a Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT) can lock in today's low interest rates for decades. Lucas and Luna walk through a concrete example: a couple transferring $5 million into a SLAT when the applicable federal rate is just 2.4 percent. They show how the trust can leverage that low rate to minimize gift taxes, provide income to the non-gra...

Episode 28 of Estate Planning with Fexingo dives into the self-settled asset protection trust (SAP Trust) — a powerful but often misunderstood tool for high-earning professionals. Lucas and Luna explain how a surgeon in Texas used a Nevada SAP Trust to shield $2 million in personal assets from a malpractice judgment, while still retaining access to the trust income. They break down the three key r...

Lucas and Luna explore how spousal IRAs allow non-working or lower-earning spouses to build retirement savings in their own name, leveraging the working spouse's income. They walk through the contribution limits, income thresholds, and the key difference between traditional and Roth spousal IRAs. The hosts also discuss how this strategy fits into broader estate planning by ensuring both spouses ha...

Lucas and Luna explore the charitable remainder trust (CRT) — a powerful estate planning tool that lets you donate appreciated assets, avoid capital gains tax, and receive a steady income stream. Using a concrete example of a donor with $500,000 in Apple stock, they walk through how a CRT works, the two main types (CRAT vs. CRUT), and why it's particularly attractive in mid-2026 with the S&P 500 n...

Lucas and Luna explain how a Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT) works as an estate planning tool for couples with assets over $5 million. They walk through a case study of a tech executive in 2026, showing how a SLAT can freeze estate tax liability while preserving spousal access to the gifted assets. The hosts discuss the key features: grantor trust status, Crummey withdrawal powers, and the ri...

In this episode of Estate Planning with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into the Grantor Retained Income Trust (GRIT), a powerful but lesser-known strategy for transferring wealth while retaining income. They walk through a concrete example: a 65-year-old founder with $5 million in closely held stock who wants to pass appreciation to heirs without triggering gift tax. Lucas explains how the GRIT work...

Episode 23 of Estate Planning with Fexingo tackles the Spousal IRA — a largely overlooked retirement strategy for couples where one spouse does not have earned income. Lucas walks through the specific IRS rules: a working spouse can contribute to a separate IRA in the non-working spouse's name, up to the full annual limit, as long as combined earned income covers both contributions. The episode an...

In Episode 22 of Estate Planning with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive deep into the Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) — a powerful estate planning tool that removes life insurance proceeds from your taxable estate. Using a concrete example of a $2 million policy, they walk through how the trust owns the policy, pays premiums via Crummey powers, and distributes tax-free cash to beneficiaries. Th...

Episode 21 of Estate Planning with Fexingo dives into the dynasty trust—a powerful tool designed to pass wealth across multiple generations while minimizing estate taxes and protecting assets from creditors. Lucas and Luna explore how the trust works, the rule against perpetuities and its repeal in many states, and a concrete example: a $5 million trust established in 2025 that could grow to $50 m...

Hosts Lucas and Luna explore the silo trust, an estate-planning tool that isolates assets for each beneficiary, shielding them from divorces, lawsuits, and poor financial decisions. They break down a real-world example: a $10 million estate divided into five separate trusts, one per child, with spendthrift provisions preventing creditors from accessing the funds. Lucas explains how silo trusts dif...

Lucas and Luna explore how no-contest clauses in wills and trusts can reduce family disputes over inheritances. They dissect a 2023 Florida case where a disinherited heir challenged a will containing an in terrorem clause and lost her bequest of $200,000. They explain the legal mechanics of in terrorem clauses, state variations, and strategic considerations for estate planners. Lucas provides data...

Episode 18 of Estate Planning with Fexingo dives into the Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT), a powerful estate-planning tool that lets you transfer appreciation on assets to heirs with minimal gift tax. Hosts Lucas and Luna walk through how a GRAT works, using the example of a $10 million stock portfolio expected to grow at 8 percent annually. They explain the 'zeroed-out' GRAT strategy popula...

In Episode 17, Lucas and Luna dive into the Domestic Asset Protection Trust (DAPT), a powerful but misunderstood estate planning tool. They explain how a DAPT allows you to be both the grantor and a beneficiary while shielding assets from future creditors, using the real-world example of a Delaware-based trust for a tech founder. The hosts clarify the key differences from offshore trusts, discuss...

Lucas and Luna explore the Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT), an estate planning strategy that lets you transfer your home to heirs at a deep tax discount while retaining the right to live in it for a set number of years. They walk through a concrete example: a $2 million primary residence transferred via a 10-year QPRT, freezing the taxable value at today's lower price. When the term expi...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the often-overlooked durable power of attorney for finances—a document that lets someone manage your money if you become incapacitated. They discuss a real case from the 2023 California wildfires where a family lost control of a $2.4 million property portfolio because the sole trustee was hospitalized without a POA. The hosts break down why a DPOA is differe...

Episode 14 of Estate Planning with Fexingo: Lucas and Luna dive into the family limited liability company (LLC) as an estate-planning tool. They explain how transferring business or investment assets into a family LLC can protect heirs from creditors, lawsuits, and divorce settlements. Using the real-world example of the Pritzkers, who avoided billions in estate tax with family entities, they brea...

In this episode of Estate Planning with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna break down the Qualified Terminable Interest Property trust, or QTIP trust. Using a concrete example of a $15 million estate in a second marriage, they explain how a QTIP lets the surviving spouse receive income for life while the principal ultimately goes to children from the first marriage. Lucas walks through the IRS requirements,...

Episode 12 of Estate Planning with Fexingo dives into the Crummey power, a legal mechanism that allows you to gift up to $19,000 per beneficiary per year into an irrevocable trust without triggering gift taxes. Lucas and Luna explain the 1968 IRS case that created this strategy, how the 30-day withdrawal right works, and why annual Crummey notices are critical. They also discuss common pitfalls li...

Episode 11 of Estate Planning with Fexingo explores irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs). Lucas and Luna break down how an ILIT removes death benefits from your taxable estate, prevents estate tax on the payout, and keeps proceeds controlled by a trustee — not directly by beneficiaries. They walk through a concrete example: a $2 million policy inside an ILIT saves over $800,000 in federal est...

Episode 10 of Estate Planning with Fexingo digs into a strategy that flies under most radar: fractional gifting. Lucas and Luna walk through a concrete example—a family gifting $18,000 in Amazon stock to each of three children—and show how using minority discounts and valuation adjustments can reduce the taxable gift by 30% or more. They explain the IRS's Section 2704 rules, the difference between...

Episode 9 of Estate Planning with Fexingo dives into one of the most overlooked decisions in estate planning: who should serve as trustee of your trust. Lucas and Luna break down the types of trustees—individual family members, professional trustees, and corporate trust departments—and weigh the trade-offs in cost, expertise, and family dynamics. They use the real-world example of the Vanderbilt f...

Episode 8 of Estate Planning with Fexingo explores the trust protector—an independent third party who can modify an irrevocable trust when laws or family circumstances change. Lucas and Luna walk through a real-world case: a $5 million dynasty trust in Illinois that was saved from a $200,000 annual tax bill when the state changed its generation-skipping transfer tax in 2024. They explain what a tr...

Lucas and Luna dig into a costly mistake most Americans make: assuming their will controls retirement accounts and life insurance. They walk through the 2026 Supreme Court case Clark v. Rameker, where a $450,000 IRA went to an ex-spouse because the beneficiary form was never updated after a divorce. They explain why beneficiary designations override wills in all 50 states, how the SECURE Act chang...

Episode 6 of Estate Planning with Fexingo dives into the revocable living trust—often called the 'starter trust' for families who aren't ultra-wealthy but want to avoid probate. Lucas and Luna break down the actual timeline: probate in California averages 9–12 months while a living trust can pass assets in 4–6 weeks. They walk through the $3,000-to-$5,000 setup cost versus the $10,000+ in executor...

In this episode of Estate Planning with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore the Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT), a powerful tool that provides lifetime income while funding a future charity. Lucas explains how a CRT works—donating appreciated assets into an irrevocable trust, receiving a charitable deduction, and collecting annual payments for life. He cites a real-world case: a retiree avoids capita...