William Byrnes' Tax, Wealth, and Risk Intelligence

The traditional private annuity is a transaction used by some wealth managers for clients whose circumstances permit.  Generally a private annuity transaction occurs where the grantor transfers assets to a third party who pays the grantor an annuity, usually for the life of the grantor.

When a trust is involved with a traditional private annuity, the common transaction may look like this:  “The owner of highly appreciated commercial real estate transfers the property to an irrevocable trust in exchange for the trust’s promise to pay an annuity for life. The present value of the annuity equals the fair market value (‘FMV‘) of the property. The trust then sells the property to a third party for a sale price equal to its FMV.”  For additional introductory discussion on private annuity contracts see AUS Main Private Annuity. 

Planning Concept:  Some wealth managers have recently begun to structure private annuities for their clients slightly differently than the traditional methods.  For a discussion and analysis, please see AdvisorFYI