| Course | BUSI 354 Estate Planning (BUSI354) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 6 |
| Assignment | Discussion Board Forum 5 |
| Paper type | Discussion thread with one reply |
| Length | about 562 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 6 in Liberty's published BUSI 354 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUSI 354 Week 6
Discussion Board Forum 5: The Marital Deduction
BUSI 354 Estate Planning, Discussion Board Forum 5 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, and the exemption figure is the federal amount for 2026.
For most married couples, portability has made the bypass trust unnecessary as a tax tool, but trusts still serve purposes that portability cannot.
Dalton and Langdon (2017) explain that the unlimited marital deduction lets one spouse leave any amount to the other free of estate tax, deferring the tax until the second death. Before portability, that created a trap: if everything passed to the survivor, the first spouse's exemption went unused, and the couple could shelter only one exemption's worth of wealth. The traditional answer was a credit shelter or bypass trust, which held assets up to the first spouse's exemption for the survivor's benefit without including them in the survivor's estate. Portability now lets the survivor add the deceased spouse's unused exclusion amount to his or her own, so a couple can shelter two exemptions, about $30 million in 2026, without a trust.
Estate taxes once shaped family behavior. Joulfaian (2006) found evidence that higher estate taxes were associated with lower wealth accumulation over time, consistent with the tax influencing how much people saved and kept. When exemptions were small, planners built trusts for nearly every married client, and many older estate plans still require a bypass trust to be funded at the first death. For a couple far below the exemption, that structure can now cost more than it saves, because assets in the bypass trust do not receive a second basis step-up when the survivor dies. With an exemption this large, the habit of building a bypass trust for every couple has outlived its tax reason.
Trusts still matter in several situations. In a blended family, a QTIP trust provides for the surviving spouse while guaranteeing that the remainder passes to the first spouse's children. A trust can protect assets from a surviving spouse's creditors or a later remarriage. Portability also does not shelter growth: assets in a bypass trust grow outside the survivor's estate, while assets passing outright and appreciating could push a very large estate over the limit, and the generation-skipping exemption is not portable at all.
Scripture describes marriage as two becoming one flesh (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Genesis 2:24). The marital deduction treats a married couple much the same way, and a good plan provides for the survivor first, then for the children, in that order.
Reply to Andre
Andre, your thread recommended that a couple with a $4 million estate skip trusts entirely and rely on portability, and for tax purposes I agree that their estate is well within two exemptions. Dalton and Langdon (2017) also note one requirement that is easy to miss.
Portability is not automatic. The executor must elect it on a federal estate tax return filed after the first spouse's death, even though no tax is owed. Many grieving families skip the return because nothing is due, and they lose the election without realizing it. The IRS has allowed a simplified late election for up to five years in some cases, but relying on relief is risky. The plan should tell the survivor to file, and the planner should calendar the deadline, nine months after death with a possible extension, as soon as the first spouse dies.
Proverbs commends the prudent who see danger and take refuge (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Proverbs 22:3). Would you add a letter of instruction to the couple's plan reminding the survivor to file the return?
References
Dalton, M. A., & Langdon, T. P. (2017). Estate planning (8th ed.). Money Education.
English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)
Joulfaian, D. (2006). The behavioral response of wealth accumulation to estate taxation: Time series evidence. National Tax Journal, 59(2), 253-268. https://doi.org/10.17310/ntj.2006.2.04
What the BUSI 354 Week 6 instructions ask
Chapter 9 of Dalton and Langdon, on the marital deduction, is the reading for Module/Week 6, along with a presentation, Quiz 6 and Forum 5. Students build on the chapter's material in their answer to the prompt, and analyzing a question it raises, then reply to a classmate's thread. Since no minimum length appears in the guide, the sample writes a thread of several full paragraphs on gifting, supported by Dalton and Langdon, one study and a verse, and a reply of roughly two hundred words. The thread and reply share 50 points. The marital deduction chapter is technical, so threads that explain the rules accurately before analyzing them earn more credit than threads that move straight to opinion.
How this BUSI 354 Week 6 example is built
Rules come first in the thread, then the analysis. It explains how the unlimited marital deduction defers estate tax until the second death, why couples once needed a bypass trust to avoid wasting the first spouse's exemption, and how portability changed that. A study on estate taxes and wealth accumulation shows that the tax once shaped behavior strongly, which helps explain why planning habits have outlived their tax purpose. The thread then lists the non-tax reasons a bypass or marital trust still makes sense. Genesis provides the biblical frame for the unity of marriage. The reply adds the procedural point that makes portability work, the timely election.
BUSI 354 Week 6 grading rubric: where the points go
Instructors grade the thread on how accurately and thoroughly it elaborates on the marital deduction chapter and how well it analyzes the question, while the reply is judged on what it adds. Correct use of terms, unlimited marital deduction, credit shelter trust, QTIP, portability and the deceased spouse's unused exclusion amount, shows mastery. Analysis appears in distinguishing tax reasons from non-tax reasons and in matching the tool to the client. The reply should add a point the classmate missed, such as the filing requirement for portability. Current figures, APA citations and Scripture that fits the subject complete a strong forum. A reply that points out a missed deadline or filing step shows practical command of the chapter.
BUSI 354 Week 6 help: mistakes that cost points
Explain the marital deduction and the exemption in your own words before analyzing them, using Dalton and Langdon's terms. Use the current exemption figure, since it changed under recent law. Ask what portability does and does not do: it carries over the unused exemption, but it does not shelter growth after the first death or carry over the generation-skipping exemption. Consider non-tax reasons for trusts, especially in second marriages. Look for research on how transfer taxes affect behavior. Choose Scripture about marriage or provision for a spouse. In the reply, check whether the classmate's plan has a procedural gap. If your classmate's plan relies on portability, check whether anyone will be responsible for filing the return after the first death.
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- BUSI 354 Week 2: Forum 2 Thread and Reply
- BUSI 354 Week 3: Forum 3 Thread and Reply
- BUSI 354 Week 4: Forum 4 Thread and Reply
- BUSI 354 Week 5: Client Interview Analysis
- BUSI 354 Week 7: Forum 6 Thread and Reply
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BUSI 354 Week 6 questions, answered
What is BUSI 354 Discussion Board Forum 5 about?
It accompanies Dalton and Langdon's marital deduction chapter in Module/Week 6, so threads analyze the marital deduction, bypass trusts and portability, plus a reply to a classmate.
Where can I find a free BUSI 354 Week 6 sample paper?
See below for a complete BUSI 354 Week 6 forum thread on portability versus a bypass trust, with a reply on electing portability.
What is portability of the estate tax exemption?
A surviving spouse's ability to use the deceased spouse's unused exclusion amount, which requires an election on a timely filed federal estate tax return.
Do married couples still need a bypass trust?
For tax reasons most couples under the exemption do not, but bypass and marital trusts remain useful for blended families, creditor protection and estates expected to grow after the first death.
What else is due in BUSI 354 Module/Week 6?
Quiz 6 is due with the forum, after chapter 9 of Dalton and Langdon and a single presentation. The marital deduction chapter supplies the quiz questions.
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