The term is often described as having originated in Renaissance Italy, where there allegedly existed the tradition of smashing a banker's bench if he defaulted on payment

This may be done for tax reasons or to control the property and its benefits if the settlor is absent, incapacitated, or deceased

This often happens when parents or grandparents are first in line to become the administrator but renounce their rights on the grounds that they are elderly, do not possess knowledge of estate law, or feel that someone else is better suited to the task

Estate planning or inheritance planning is the process of anticipating and arranging for the management of a person's estate or net worth during the person's life in preparation for future incapacity or death

If someone is already incapacitated, it is not possible for that person to execute a valid power, although in some jurisdictions, it may be possible for someone to have the capacity to execute a power of attorney even if they do not have the capacity to make the decisions that they are delegating

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A filing is required if the gross estate of the decedent, increased by the decedent’s adjusted taxable gifts and specific gift tax exemption, is valued at more than the filing threshold for the year of the decedent’s death, as shown in the table below