A qualified terminable interest property (QTIP) trust is a flexible estate planning vehicle that allows the trust “grantor” to provide for a surviving spouse, yet maintain a significant measure of control over principal (and income) distributions, both during the life of the surviving spouse and at his or her death. The QTIP trust is one of the most commonly used estate planning tools for high net-worth individuals who have children from an earlier marriage. Properly drafted, the QTIP trust can allow the surviving spouse to continue his or her lifestyle and yet leave significant assets to children and grandchildren.
QTIP trusts offer a number of significant advantages, depending upon the person’s circumstances. They include:
Nothing in this world is free, including the creation of a QTIP trust. There are some limitations and/or disadvantages, including the following:
The proper crafting of a QTIP trust requires the careful weighing of multiple factors, together with skilled drafting of the required legal language to accomplish the goals of the original grantor. Careful thought must be given, so as not to run into complex Department of Treasury rules. QTIP trusts are not for everyone, but they can be extraordinarily powerful in some estate planning situations. It pays to retain a skilled estate planning attorney to maneuver through the maze of regulations.
The attorneys at Romano & Sumner have more than 20 years of combined experience providing expert legal assistance to clients in all types of estate planning issues, including those related to the creation of QTIP trusts. We have broad experience in helping you protect and preserve your hard-earned wealth. At Romano & Sumner, we provide customized service; we know that each situation is unique. We never use a cookie cutter approach. We listen before we suggest a solution to your needs and issues. We pride ourselves not only on our professionalism but upon our client service. We return phone calls within one business day. We keep clients informed. We complete the work within the allotted time frame. Call us at 281–242–0995 or complete our online contact form.
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