How Do I Pass On More Of What I’ve Built?Pass On More Of What You’ve Built.
Decide who and what you want to provide for, then make every policy, account and beneficiary form say the same thing.
The Short Answer
Start with the people and causes you want to provide for, then check that every account and policy names them. Maartin reviews your beneficiary designations, the life insurance you own and your long-term care risk, then writes a legacy map your attorney can review. Life insurance paid to a beneficiary generally isn’t counted as taxable income.
Source: IRS.gov
Three IRS Numbers Worth Knowing
- 10 Years
- An adult child who inherits your IRA generally must empty it by the end of the 10th year after your death.
- $15 Million
- The federal estate tax basic exclusion amount for 2026. Your attorney and CPA apply it to your estate.
- $19,000
- The annual gift tax exclusion per person receiving a gift in 2026.
Sound Familiar?
What Families Want To Get Right.
Legacy planning starts with people and ends with paperwork. Maartin plans around both.
- Providing For The People You LoveChildren, grandchildren, a spouse who may outlive you, or a cause that has mattered to you for decades.
- Forms Signed Long AgoBeneficiary forms on older accounts may still name someone from an earlier chapter of your life.
- Life Insurance Nobody Has ReviewedA policy bought for a mortgage or young children may no longer match what you want it to do.
- A Family Business Or PropertyHanding a company or a home to the next generation takes planning with your attorney and CPA.
- Taxes On What Heirs ReceiveAn inherited IRA comes with its own withdrawal clock, and taxable withdrawals count as your heirs’ income.
- Keeping The Family ClearInstructions written down and shared leave less for your family to guess at later.
The Beneficiary Check
Every Form, Checked Against Your Wishes.
Each account and policy names the person or organization who receives it. Maartin goes through every form with you, and your attorney confirms how they fit your will or trust.
- Every 401(k), 403(b) and IRA, including old ones from past jobs
- Each life insurance policy, personal and through work
- A contingent beneficiary on each form, in case your first choice dies before you
- Names updated after a marriage, divorce, death or new grandchild
- Bank accounts with a payable-on-death beneficiary
- Gifts to a cause you care about, named the way the organization asks
What Heirs Receive
How The IRS Treats What You Pass On.
Different assets reach your family under different tax rules. Your CPA confirms how each one applies to you.
Life Insurance
Proceeds paid to a beneficiary because of the insured person’s death generally aren’t included in gross income. Interest paid on those proceeds is taxable.
Inherited IRAs
Taxable withdrawals count as your heirs’ income. A spouse named as sole beneficiary can roll the account into their own IRA, while an adult child generally follows a 10-year rule.
Long-Term Care
Medicare doesn’t pay for long-term care, and a long stay in care can draw down what you meant to pass on, so Maartin plans how it would be paid for. See the options.
Working With Maartin
How A Legacy Review Goes.
- 01
Name The People And Causes
Start with who and what you want to provide for, and when.
- 02
Gather Every Beneficiary Form
Accounts and policies come together on one list, so you can see who receives what today.
- 03
Compare Coverage Options
Maartin compares the life insurance you own with other options, and looks at how a long stay in care would be paid for.
- 04
A Plan Your Attorney Can Review
You leave with a written legacy map and a list of beneficiary updates to make, ready for your attorney to check against your will or trust.
Services That Connect
Services For Your Legacy.
Life Insurance
Term, whole and universal life explained: how much coverage a family needs and how a policy passes on wealth.
Read MoreLong-Term Care Planning
How California families plan for care at home or in a facility, and how each option protects savings.
Read MoreTax-Efficient Retirement Income
Which account you draw from, and when, planned alongside your CPA with your heirs in mind.
Read MoreQuestions
Common Questions
How often should I review my beneficiary designations?
Any time your family changes: a marriage, a divorce, a death, a birth or a new grandchild. Maartin also checks them whenever you open, roll over or replace an account or a policy.
Is life insurance taxable to my beneficiaries?
Generally, life insurance proceeds paid to a beneficiary because of the insured person’s death aren’t included in gross income and don’t have to be reported. Any interest paid on the proceeds is taxable. Your CPA can confirm how this applies to your policies.
What happens to my IRA when my children inherit it?
Taxable withdrawals count as their income. An adult child generally must empty the account by the end of the 10th year after your death, while a spouse named as sole beneficiary has more choices. That difference shapes how Maartin and your attorney name each beneficiary.
Does Medicare pay for long-term care?
Medicare doesn’t pay for long-term care, and most health insurance doesn’t either. Families plan for it with savings, private long-term care insurance or life insurance with long-term care benefits. Maartin compares those options with you.
Does Maartin write wills or trusts?
Your attorney drafts wills and trusts. Maartin works alongside your attorney and CPA on the insurance, beneficiary and income side, and writes your legacy map so your attorney can review it.
Sources
- Life insurance proceeds paid to a beneficiary are generally not included in gross income; interest is taxable
- A designated beneficiary who is not an eligible designated beneficiary (for example, most adult children) follows the 10-year rule
- 2026 federal estate tax basic exclusion amount is $15,000,000
- Medicare doesn't pay for long-term care; most health insurance doesn't either
Planning Your Legacy?
Leave More To
The People You Love.
Bring your policies and beneficiary forms, and leave with a written legacy map and the updates to make.
Book A Legacy ReviewRead The Questions Families Ask FirstVisit The Office On Arlington Avenue