Asset protection is one of the most important planning tools for America’s aging population, especially in our current tumultuous economy. One new tool in protecting your assets is the Irrevocable Pure Grantor Trust — AKA, the iPug™.
iPug™ trusts are not based on any state statute, but are instead grounded in century-old and well established common law. This means more stability in courts and more peace of mind for those who opt to use an iPug™ trust. In fact, the iPug™ is beneficial for nearly all Americans. This is because the iPug™ is taxed as a grantor trust, meaning the taxes are passed through to the grantor — the trust itself is not individually taxed. This is beneficial for anyone with assets valued at less than $5 million — i.e., over 99% of Americans.
There are three types of iPug™ trusts:
(1) the income-only version,
(2) the control-only version, and
(3) the third-party version.
In the income-only version, the grantor of the trust gives up the rights to the assets he or she puts in the trust — these assets are only available to the beneficiaries. However, the grantor retains the rights to any income the trust accumulates. One downside to this version of the trust is that creditors also have access to this profit, though they do not have access to the any other assets within the trust.
The control-only version of the trust gives the grantor full control over all assets and all income of the trust. Creditors cannot reach any of the assets therein, and the grantor can distribute the assets to anyone he or she chooses — the only exception being the actual grantor.
Finally, the third-party version is where grantors create the trust for the benefit of a third-party. Usually, this involves adult children creating the trust for their parents for their parents’ lifetime. This version is primarily used when parents have already transferred assets to children but are afraid or concerned that if they need them, they might not have access to the asset. This version is created and the parents are named as the beneficiaries of the trust. Further, assets within the trust are protected from the children’s creditors and are not affected by divorce.