• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
  • Services
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration & Probate
  • Elder Law
    • Coping With Alzheimer’s
    • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
    • Guardianship & Conservatorship
    • Hospice Care
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Veterans Benefits
  • Seminars
  • Areas We Serve
    • Ballwin
    • Chesterfield
    • Clayton
    • Creve Couer
    • Des Peres
    • Edwardsville
    • Fenton
    • Glen Carbon
    • Glendale
    • Kirkwood
    • Maryland Heights
    • Oakland
    • Sappington
    • St. Louis
    • Sunset Hills
    • Valley Park
    • Webster Groves
  • Resources
    • Asset Protection Worksheet
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Chesterfield Elder Law
      • Fenton Elder Law
      • Kirkwood Elder Law
      • Sunset Hills Elder Law
      • St. Louis Elder Law
      • St. Peters Elder Law
      • Webster Groves Elder Law
    • FREE Estate Planning Seminars
    • FREE Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Estate Planning
      • Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Trust Administration & Probate
    • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
    • Medicaid Resources
    • Multimedia
    • Newsletters
    • Presentations
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Probate Checklist
    • Probate Resources
    • Retirement Planning Checklist
    • Special Reports
      • Advanced Estate Planning
      • Basic Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning For Niches
      • Trust Administration
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Amen, Gantner & Capriano | Your Estate Matters, L.L.C.

St. Louis Estate Planning & Elder Law Attorneys

Logo
CONNECT WITH US TODAY (314) 966-8077
ATTEND A FREE WEBINAR
Home / Estate Planning / Inheritance Planning: Educational Gifts Show You Care

Inheritance Planning: Educational Gifts Show You Care

June 17, 2011

Estate Planning Tagged With: elder law, Estate Planning, Estate Tax

One of the most enjoyable things you can do is to give a gift to someone you love. When you see family members light up and look at you with a genuine feeling of gratitude after you have given that carefully selected gift the meaning of the phrase “it is better to give than to receive” really hits home. This is something that you may want to keep in mind when you’re planning your estate.

There is only one thing potentially stopping you from giving gifts to your loved ones while you are still alive to enjoy the experience rather than giving them the entire inheritances after you pass away. This would be the gift tax. The gift tax is unified with the estate tax, and there is a unified gift/estate tax exclusion that stands at $5 million right now. But if you used all of that exemption to give gifts while you are still alive none of your estate would be exempt from the estate tax. However there are some gift tax exemptions that do not impact the unified exclusion and one of these provides for tax-free educational gifts.

Educational gifts really show that you care. It is a very comforting feeling to know that you can go to the school of your choice and have your family pay the tuition, and this freedom can motivate you to scholastic achievement. When you “teach a person to fish” rather than giving them the fish you’re saying that you trust them and expect them to achieve great things on their own. Letting your school-aged heirs know that they can go to any school of their choosing without regard for the costs involved is a gift of immeasurable value.

Plus, when you give these gifts you’re reducing the value of your estate for estate tax purposes. So educational gift giving winds up being a win-win for everyone involved that will strengthen the long-term impact that your family has on the community as your loved ones gain the education that they need to make a difference.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Paul Gantner
Latest posts by Paul Gantner (see all)
  • Staying Current is Especially Important in the Pandemic - November 17, 2020
  • Staying Current is Especially Important in the Pandemic - October 1, 2020
  • How Will You Age in Place and Be Able to Die at Home? - August 16, 2020

Filed Under: Estate Planning Tagged With: elder law, Estate Planning, Estate Tax

Other Articles You May Find Useful

Updating Your Plan: Powers of Attorney
Updating Your Plan: Your Trust or Will
Tax Planning for 2021
Updating Your Plan: Beneficiary Designations
What the 2020 Election Could Mean for Your Estate Plan
Preparing for the Unexpected…and the Eventual

Primary Sidebar

Download our free Estate Planning Worksheet

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • youtube

Blog Subscription

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Where We Are

Amen, Gantner & Capriano
10733 Sunset Office Drive, Suite 425
St. Louis, MO 63127

See Larger MapGet directions

Office Hours

Monday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday8:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Map

map for Amen, Gantner & Capriano Your Estate Matters office
  • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
  • About The American Academy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

Footer

Connect to us

  • Facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • youtube
footer-logo

© 2021 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.

Amen, Gantner & Capriano,
Your Estate Matters, LLC

Attorney Advertisement