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b'Over the years I\\u2019ve been accumulating checklists to make sure all the bases are covered when counseling clients.\\xa0 Lists in areas as diverse as insurance planning, improper document storage, identity protection and more.\\xa0 I\\u2019ve officially put together these checklists into a very organized system and I thought I would share some of the items from the list to help you accomplish some of the important things in your life that you need to do financially in order to succeed.

These lists are important because all too often we are called in as advisors when decisions have already been made.\\xa0 The trusts have been executed, insurance has been issued, or individuals have died and it\\u2019s at a point in time when we have to move into a reactive damage control mode to minimize attorney\\u2019s fees, taxes, probate charges, etc.

As you can imagine, bringing a financial advisor in at the end of the process is very inefficient.\\xa0 I want to make this point clearly \\u2013 you need to engage your financial advisor early in the process- not after everything has been done, much as you want to bring in an architect before a single brick has been laid. You don\\u2019t bring the architect in at the end, you bring them in at the beginning so they can plan and organize everything correctly for you.

Let\\u2019s begin with some of the most common mistakes:
The Checklist
#1 INEFFECTIVE BENEFICIARY DESIGNATIONS

After they\\u2019ve made their Trusts, many people never revisit beneficiary designations they made perhaps 20-30 years ago. This can be problematic \\u2013 in cases such as when an ex-spouse receives death benefits on a life insurance policy or where minors are named. For example, if a minor is an intended beneficiary, should consider naming a trust or custodian as beneficiary to avoid potential court interference.

Also take care when naming a trust or estate as the beneficiary of an IRA, 401(k) or other qualified plan so as not to jeopardize the option to stretch payments over the beneficiary\\u2019s life expectancy.

#2 IMPROPER INDIVIDUAL OWNERSHIP OF LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES

Many times, we see situations such as where the husband has a spouse, child or other family member own a life insurance policy on the husband\\u2019s life - to avoid inclusion of death benefits in the insured\\u2019s estate and the cost of executing a trust. While this is okay in some situations, there are potential pitfalls \\u2013 such as:

Out-of-Order Deaths where the policy owner (not the husband) dies first and a will or intestacy laws (where there is no will) typically deem the insured as the new policy owner.

Creditors: Trusts provide more substantial creditor protection than individually owned policies in most instances.

Unintended Gifting: This problem usually occurs when there are three parties involved: the insured, the owner and the beneficiary. For example, a son may own an insurance policy on his mom\\u2019s life for the benefit of the son and his two siblings\\u2026 but, under this arrangement, death benefits may be deemed as gifts made by the son to his siblings \\u2013 which is not what you want.

#3 IGNORING TRUST FORMALITIES

Often, in life insurance trusts, the grantor pays the premium on a life insurance policy owned by the trust and intends that contribution to qualify as an annual exclusion gift (subject to annual gifting limitations). However, if beneficiaries are not properly alerted to their right to withdraw amounts contributed or if the grantor pays the premium directly to the insurance company, such amounts may not qualify for the annual gift exclusion and you may end up paying a gift tax. So make sure your advisor does not ignore trust formalities.

#4 INCOMPLETE BUSINESS SUCCESSION PLANNING

Proper business succession planning extends beyond the creation of a plan document. You must also update the document periodically, ensure that it is part of a comprehensive estate plan, and considers proper ownership of life insurance.

#5 TAX ONLY MENTALITY'