| Course | BUSI 354 Estate Planning (BUSI354) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 3 |
| Assignment | Discussion Board Forum 3 |
| Paper type | Discussion thread with one reply |
| Length | about 567 words (thread and replies). Course guide: a thread that elaborates on the textbook material and analyzes the question posed in the prompt, plus a reply to a classmate's thread |
| Format | APA 7 citations and reference list |
| Points | 50 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 3 in Liberty's published BUSI 354 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUSI 354 Week 3
Discussion Board Forum 3: Trusts and Their Uses
BUSI 354 Estate Planning, Discussion Board Forum 3 Thread and Reply
Thread by [Student Name]
The forum prompt and the classmate's thread are composites; the textbook, research and Scripture cited are real.
For most heirs under 30, a substantial inheritance should be left in trust with staged distributions rather than outright.
Dalton and Langdon (2017) explain that a trust separates legal ownership, held by the trustee, from beneficial enjoyment, held by the beneficiary, and that the grantor's instructions in the trust document govern how and when the property is used. That separation lets a parent decide not only who receives an inheritance but when and how. A design I would recommend for a young heir has three features: distributions of one-third of the principal at ages 25, 30 and 35; discretionary distributions before then for health, education, maintenance and support; and a spendthrift clause that keeps the heir from pledging future distributions and protects the trust from the heir's creditors.
The reason for caution is that sudden wealth changes behavior. Holtz-Eakin et al. (1993) examined federal tax records and found that people who received large inheritances were significantly more likely to leave the labor force than those who received small ones, and that those who kept working tended to have slower earnings growth. The effect was strong enough to support what the authors called the Carnegie conjecture, Andrew Carnegie's belief that large bequests deaden the talents of heirs. A trust cannot make an heir wise, but it can give wisdom time to arrive.
Staged distributions let a young adult receive money gradually, learn to manage it and make early mistakes with smaller sums. A trustee who knows the family can also say yes to good uses, such as graduate school or a first home, without releasing everything at once. Choosing that trustee matters as much as the trust's terms. A sibling may be too close to say no; a corporate trustee may be too distant to know the heir. Many families name a trusted relative together with a professional co-trustee, so judgment and administration are both covered.
Scripture warns that an inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Proverbs 20:21). A staged trust honors both the parent's love and that warning. It also keeps the parent's provision from becoming the heir's burden, a sum too large to manage before the heir has learned to work, save and give.
Reply to Morgan
Morgan, your thread recommended an incentive trust that pays the heir only after graduating from college and matching each dollar the heir earns, and I can see the appeal of rewarding the behavior a parent values. Dalton and Langdon (2017) note that grantors have wide latitude to set conditions.
Rigid conditions carry risks over decades, though. An heir who becomes disabled, chooses ministry or caregiving, or works in a low-paid but valuable field could be penalized by an earnings match. Conditions written today cannot foresee every life, and a trust may last fifty years after the grantor's death. Some states also allow beneficiaries to ask a court to modify conditions that no longer serve the trust's purpose, which can lead to costly litigation within the family. A discretionary standard with a letter of wishes explaining the parent's values might guide a trustee better than a formula.
In the parable of the prodigal son, the father gave the inheritance early and saw it wasted, yet he also welcomed the son home with grace (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Luke 15:11-24). How might a trust leave room for that kind of grace?
References
Dalton, M. A., & Langdon, T. P. (2017). Estate planning (8th ed.). Money Education.
English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)
Holtz-Eakin, D., Joulfaian, D., & Rosen, H. S. (1993). The Carnegie conjecture: Some empirical evidence. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 108(2), 413-435. https://doi.org/10.2307/2118337
What the BUSI 354 Week 3 instructions ask
For Module/Week 3, students read chapter 5 of Dalton and Langdon on trusts, plus pages 420 to 447 of chapter 11, a presentation and a website, then complete Quiz 3 and Forum 3. As in every BUSI 354 forum, the thread expands on a point from the reading and analyzes it, and a single reply to a classmate follows. With no word count or source minimum in the guide, a thread of several developed paragraphs supported by the textbook, an outside source and Scripture, and a reply near 200 words, fits what a 50-point forum asks. Trusts give students many design choices to analyze, so threads that recommend a specific design stand out.
How this BUSI 354 Week 3 example is built
The thread recommends a specific design rather than discussing trusts in general: a trust with distributions in stages at ages such as 25, 30 and 35, a spendthrift clause and a trustee with discretion for health, education and support. It explains each feature with Dalton and Langdon's terms. The Carnegie conjecture study provides evidence that large sudden inheritances can change heirs' behavior. Proverbs supplies the biblical principle. The reply engages a classmate's preference for incentive trusts that pay only when heirs meet conditions, granting their appeal while explaining the risks of rigid conditions, and closes with a question about flexibility.
BUSI 354 Week 3 grading rubric: where the points go
Instructors grade the thread on how well it elaborates on the trusts chapter and analyzes the question, and the reply on its contribution to the classmate's thinking. Precise use of trust terms, such as grantor, trustee, beneficiary, spendthrift provision and discretionary distribution, demonstrates mastery of the reading. Analysis appears in the reasons for a design choice and in attention to the heir's circumstances. Research evidence on how inheritances affect recipients strengthens the argument. The reply should test the classmate's design against a weakness the classmate did not address. Citations in current APA format and thoughtful use of Scripture complete a strong post.
BUSI 354 Week 3 help: mistakes that cost points
Choose a specific planning situation, such as a young heir, a spendthrift or a beneficiary with special needs, and design a trust for it. Use Dalton and Langdon's terms to explain each provision and what it accomplishes. Look for research on how inheritances affect recipients or on trust design in law reviews or economics journals. Consider the heir's perspective as well as the grantor's. Pick Scripture that speaks to inheritance or wisdom with wealth and connect it to the design. In the reply, ask what could go wrong with the classmate's design over decades. Cite the textbook in both the thread and the reply. Consider who will serve as trustee, since the best trust design fails with the wrong trustee, and say why your choice fits the family.
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BUSI 354 Week 3 questions, answered
What is BUSI 354 Discussion Board Forum 3 about?
It accompanies Dalton and Langdon's trusts chapter in Module/Week 3, so threads analyze how trusts are structured and used, followed by a reply to a classmate.
Where can I find a free BUSI 354 Week 3 sample paper?
Scroll down for a complete BUSI 354 Week 3 forum thread on leaving a young heir's inheritance in trust, with a reply on incentive trusts.
What is a spendthrift clause?
A trust provision that prevents a beneficiary from assigning future distributions and generally keeps the beneficiary's creditors from reaching trust assets before they are distributed.
Do large inheritances make heirs stop working?
A study of federal estate tax and income tax records found that heirs who received large inheritances were significantly more likely to leave the labor force than those who received small ones.
What else is due in BUSI 354 Module/Week 3?
Quiz 3 is due with the forum, after chapter 5 and pages 420 to 447 of chapter 11 in Dalton and Langdon, a presentation and a website.
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