Our depth of experience in pension and profit-sharing law and employee benefits issues gives us the unique ability to understand the delicate aspects of coordinating an estate plan with retirement benefits. Retirement plans are the ideal asset to pass to heirs since the benefits can continue to grow income-tax-free while the children take distributions over their respective life expectancies. However, since retirement plans are subject to both estate and income taxes, improper planning can result in a signifcant erosion of this asset. Very often we will suggest that life insurance be used to pay the estate tax in order to "free up" the retirement assets and allow them to pass to your children and grandchildren.

Since most of our clients have significant retirement accumulations, we have developed techniques that enable the client to take advantage of the estate tax exemption and shelter the maximum amount from estate tax while simultaneously achieving the longest possible stretch-out of the retirement benefits to the surviving spouse and then to descendants.