GF593 Unit 10 Unmarried Partners Estate Plan Report Example

Course	GF593 Estate Planning
Unit	Unit 10
Paper type	Estate plan report
Length	About 970 words, 6 pages double-spaced
Format	APA 7 student paper
School	Purdue University Global
Program	MS in Finance
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for GF593 Unit 10

Nineteen Years, No Marriage, No Plan: A Unit 10 Estate Plan Report for Two Unmarried Partners

[Student Name]

Purdue University Global

GF593: Estate Planning

Unit 10 Estate Plan Report

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

The couple, their families, their assets and every amount are composite and illustrative; the statute, tax rules for 2025 and 2026 and sources cited are real; this report is coursework, not legal advice.

What this part is doingOpening on the legal gap that drives the whole report shows why each later recommendation is necessary.

Executive Summary

Lewis Hart, 66, and Joan Ellery, 63, own $3,053,000 between them. They want the survivor to be secure for life, and after both deaths they want Joan's estate to go to her daughter, Kim, and Lewis's to be shared between Kim and his brother's two sons. Today almost none of that would happen. If Lewis died first, his brother Carl would inherit the house, and Joan would have to leave. If Joan died first, Lewis would keep only their small joint account. The plan below gives each of them a will, gives Lewis a revocable trust that lets Joan stay in the house for life, aligns six beneficiary forms and adds incapacity documents for both.

Inventory and Current Destination

1. House in Knoxville, $540,000. Lewis's sole name since 2004. No will, so it passes by intestacy to Carl.

2. Lewis's 401(k), $880,000. Names Joan. Passes to Joan.

3. Lewis's brokerage account, $620,000. Sole name, no transfer on death. Intestacy: Carl.

4. Lewis's life policy, $150,000. Names Carl.

5. Lewis's car, $30,000. Intestacy: Carl.

6. Joan's IRA, $410,000. Names Kim.

7. Joan's brokerage account, $260,000. Sole name. Her 2008 will leaves everything to Kim.

8. Joan's group life, $100,000. Names Kim.

9. Joint checking, $38,000. Joint with right of survivorship. Passes to the survivor.

10. Household furnishings, $25,000. Bought together over the years, with no record of who owns what.

What Each Order of Death Produces

If Lewis dies first. Joan receives the 401(k) and the checking account, $918,000. Carl receives the house, the brokerage account, the car and the policy, $1,340,000. Under Tennessee's intestacy statute, an estate with no spouse, children or parents passes to the decedent's siblings, and an unmarried partner has no share at all (Tenn. Code Ann. § 31-2-104, 2025). Joan would have no right to remain in the home she has lived in for nineteen years.

If Joan dies first. Kim receives $770,000. Lewis receives the $38,000 checking account and nothing else.

Neither partner's wishes depend on how much they own; both depend on who happens to die first, because the law treats nineteen years together as two strangers sharing a house.

What this part is doingThe highlighted sentence states the core problem in one line, which is what the executive reader needs to carry away.

Taxes and Benefits That Differ for Unmarried Couples

1. Estate tax. No unlimited marital deduction is available, but neither estate comes within a fifth of the 2026 federal exclusion of $15,000,000, and Tennessee no longer has an inheritance tax. Taxes do not drive this plan.

2. Retirement accounts. Joan cannot roll Lewis's 401(k) into her own account the way a spouse could. Because she is not more than ten years younger than Lewis, she still qualifies as an eligible designated beneficiary and can take withdrawals over her life expectancy (Internal Revenue Service, 2025).

3. Social Security. A partner who is not married to the worker receives no survivor benefit (Social Security Administration, 2025). If Lewis dies first, Joan's household income falls by his entire benefit.

4. Medical decisions. Without a written appointment, a hospital may turn first to Carl or Kim as relatives rather than to the partner who lives with the patient.

Couples who live together without marrying tend to hold less wealth than married couples, which makes it more important that the wealth they do have reaches the people they choose (Vespa & Painter, 2011).

Recommendations

1. Lewis's revocable trust. Lewis deeds the house and transfers the brokerage account to a revocable trust. At his death the trust lets Joan live in the house for life, pays its taxes and insurance, and pays her the brokerage income. At Joan's death, or if she moves out permanently, the trust divides equally between Kim and Carl's two sons. This keeps Lewis's wishes for the remainder while protecting Joan.

What this part is doingChoosing a life interest in trust over a joint deed, and explaining why, shows the report weighed the alternatives.

2. Why not a joint deed. Adding Joan to the deed as a joint owner with survivorship would also protect her, but she would then own the house outright at his death and could leave it entirely to Kim, cutting out Carl's sons. Adding her would also be a gift of about half the value, which requires a gift tax return.

3. Wills for both. Lewis signs a pour-over will into his trust. Joan replaces her 2008 will with one that leaves her estate to Kim but gives Lewis the household furnishings.

4. Joan's forms. Joan names Lewis as beneficiary of her $100,000 group life, so he can carry the house costs if she dies first. Her IRA continues to name Kim, and her brokerage account receives a transfer on death registration to Kim.

5. Incapacity documents. Each signs a durable financial power of attorney, a health care agent appointment and a HIPAA authorization naming the other first.

6. A written agreement. A short cohabitation agreement records how household costs are shared and who owns the furnishings, which prevents disputes with Kim or Carl later.

Action Table

1. Lewis, within 60 days: sign the revocable trust and pour-over will; deed the house to the trust; retitle the brokerage account.

2. Joan, within 60 days: sign a new will; change the group life beneficiary; add the brokerage registration.

3. Both, within 60 days: sign powers of attorney, health care appointments and HIPAA authorizations; sign the cohabitation agreement.

4. Both, every two years: review all beneficiary forms, the trust and the account titles together.

With these steps, the survivor is secure in either order of death, and each partner's estate reaches the people each of them chose.

References

Internal Revenue Service. (2025). Distributions from individual retirement arrangements (Publication 590-B). https://www.irs.gov/publications/p590b

Social Security Administration. (2025). Survivors benefits. https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/survivors/

Tenn. Code Ann. § 31-2-104 (2025).

Vespa, J., & Painter, M. A. (2011). Cohabitation history, marriage, and wealth accumulation. Demography, 48(3), 983-1004. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-011-0043-2

What the GF593 Unit 10 assignment asks for

The closing GF593 report asks you to bring the course together into one plan a family could carry out. Open with a short executive summary that states the problem and the recommendation. Inventory every asset with its title, its beneficiary form and where it would go today. Then test the plan against each order of death, because the result often depends on who dies first. Identify the taxes, benefits and default rules that apply to this family's situation, including any that differ from those for married couples. Recommend specific documents and changes, and explain any alternative you rejected. Address incapacity as well as death. Close with an action table that names who does what and by when, and a review schedule. Cite the state's intestacy statute, IRS Publication 590-B, the Social Security survivor rules and research relevant to the household in APA 7.

How the GF 593 Unit 10 example is put together

The executive summary states both partners' wishes and what would actually happen. A ten-line inventory follows, from Lewis's $540,000 house in his sole name to the $25,000 of furnishings nobody can attribute. The order-of-death section shows Carl receiving $1,340,000 if Lewis dies first, citing Tennessee's intestacy statute, and Lewis keeping only $38,000 if Joan dies first. The highlighted sentence states the core problem. A section on taxes and benefits notes that estate tax does not apply, that Joan remains an eligible designated beneficiary under Publication 590-B and that Social Security pays no survivor benefit to an unmarried partner. Vespa and Painter's study of cohabitation and wealth adds context. Six recommendations follow, including the trust with a life interest, the rejected joint deed, new wills, Joan's forms, incapacity documents and a cohabitation agreement. A dated action table closes the report.

GF593 Unit 10 rubric: what earns full points

This GF593 capstone is graded on whether the plan actually delivers each client's wishes in every order of death. Instructors expect a complete inventory with titles and forms, because every recommendation should trace to a line in it. The order-of-death analysis carries significant weight; a plan that works only if one partner dies first has not solved the problem. Accuracy about rules that differ for unmarried couples, including intestacy, retirement account options, Social Security and medical decision-making, shows command of the course material. A recommendation scores well once it names the document and explains the alternative it beat, such as why a joint deed would undercut the remainder plan. Incapacity documents should not be forgotten in a death-focused report. The action table is scored on clarity of owner and deadline. Tennessee's statute, IRS guidance, the Social Security Administration and a Demography study, in APA 7, support the report.

Common GF593 Unit 10 mistakes, and how to avoid them

Comprehensive GF593 Unit 10 reports often list good documents without testing them against both orders of death. For unmarried partners, many writers assume rules that apply only to spouses, such as a spousal rollover or survivor benefits. Others overlook that a partner has no default right to make medical decisions or to inherit. Some recommend adding the partner to the deed without noticing that it changes who receives the house after both deaths. Tax sections are often long even when no tax applies; one honest paragraph is enough. Household items bought together are rarely addressed, though they cause real disputes. Action tables sometimes lack dates or names. Before you submit, check that every recommendation answers a gap shown in the inventory, that both partners' wishes are met whichever of them dies first, and that each step names who signs it and by when.

Get a GF593 Unit 10 example written to your instructions

Because the Unit 10 report pulls the term together, earlier work from your section helps as much as the family case and rubric. Titles, documents and designations are reconciled into one plan, and every action names who does it and by when. A first sample costs nothing and arrives within 24-48h. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.

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GF593 Unit 10 questions, answered

Where can I find a free GF593 Unit 10 sample paper?

This page carries a full GF593 Unit 10 estate plan report for an unmarried Tennessee couple, with a ten-asset inventory, both orders of death, a trust giving the survivor a life interest in the house, an action table and APA 7 references.

What does an unmarried partner inherit without a will in Tennessee?

Nothing. Tennessee's intestacy statute passes property to a spouse, children, parents and then siblings, and an unmarried partner is not among them. In the sample, Lewis's brother would inherit the house and brokerage account if Lewis died first.

Can an unmarried partner roll over an inherited 401(k)?

No. Only a spouse can treat the account as his or her own. Joan is not more than ten years younger than Lewis, so she still qualifies as an eligible designated beneficiary and can take withdrawals over her life expectancy.

Why not simply add Joan to the deed?

A joint deed with survivorship would protect her, but she would then own the house outright and could leave it entirely to her daughter, cutting out Lewis's nephews. It would also be a gift of about half the value, requiring a gift tax return.

How long should the GF593 Unit 10 estate plan report be?

Long enough to cover the inventory, both orders of death, the recommendations and an action table. The sample runs about ten pages and keeps the tax discussion to one short section because no estate tax applies to this couple.