Asset Protection

Beware of Federal Super Creditors

Is there such a thing as bulletproof asset protection against federal claims? Many estate planners say and advise their clients to use or rely on certain...

Don't Be Foolish

In 2009, asset protection specialists watched a major Internal Revenue Service drive to flush out secret foreign bank accounts while a financial crisis...

Tax Law Update

Despite her sole discretion over a trust, a decedent did not possess at the time of her death a general power of appointment over property in the trust....

You Already May Be An Asset Protection Lawyer

The mere words asset protection make some lawyers wince.1 They think asset protection is dirty and those engaged in it are the ambulance chasers of the...

Florida Surprise

To stop individuals who are on the verge of filing for bankruptcy from moving their wealth to states with laws that might better help them keep their...

More Asset Protection Articles

Elder Law

Long-term Care Is Critical

Perhaps the greatest development in the world of elder care and special needs law during 2009 was the lack of any real development. With the national...

The Good and the Very Bad

Elder law experienced no cataclysms in 2008. But significant trends emerged and public benefits planning continued to mature. First, the good news: Medicaid...

A Senior Trust

Often, estate planners and elder law attorneys are faced with the challenge of trying to protect an aging client who's gradually descending into dementia...

Planning for Clients With Multiple Sclerosis

About eight months ago, my wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). We immediately started to learn everything we could about the disease, so...

Throw Mama From the Train

It just got harder to be old and anything short of wealthy. Chapter 2 of the new Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) focuses exclusively on long-term...

More Elder Law Articles

Practice Development

It's Personal

As estate-planning attorneys, we often find ourselves forced to act as family counselors for our clients despite our lack of formal training for this role...

Jenkens & Gilchrist: Another Shoe to Drop?

When Jenkens & Gilchrist, the 56-year-old national law firm based in Dallas, closed its doors for good in March of 2007, it also seemed to mark the end...

New Customers For Alternative Investments

A recent ruling by the Securities and Exchange Commission has made it easier for private foundations organized as not-for-profit corporations with at...

Practice Professionally

A lot of advisors, even the most reputable, groan when the word is uttered. Let's talk ethics, is like being told, Let's eat steamed broccoli. Sure, it's...

Lawyers' Group Protests The Appraiser Penalties

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA)1 imposes new penalties on appraisers that are deemed to have made substantial or gross valuation misstatements....

More Practice Development Articles

International Law

Is 2009 the Year That Bank Secrecy Died?

The IRS' success against UBS AG seems to be the famed butterfly in the rainforest that causes gigantic ripples across the world. The campaign against...

Gift Tax Cost Depends On Form and Substance

When it comes to the tax cost of a lifetime gift of property, estate planners often focus on the gift taxable value of the transferred asset and, to that...

Do Your Clients Still Have Hidden Foreign Accounts?

The events of the past year make it clear that the U.S. government has launched an unprecedented assault on taxpayers who hide their assets in offshore...

FBAR Problems And Proposed Solutions

The Internal Revenue Service's recent efforts to enforce the reporting of foreign bank accounts has created a lot of confusion for many people. This is...

What's a Fideicomiso?

Any professional who serves high-net-worth clients eventually comes face to face with a Mexican fideicomiso (pronounced fee-day-kah-mee-so)...

More International Law Articles

Ethics

Nailing the Lawyer For His Debtor-Client's Sins

So what exactly are fraud, fraudulent conveyance, deceit and fraudulent transfer and when are attorneys accountable? Being a trustee entails risk of personal...

DAF Kickbacks

An unethical practice is widespread among charities with donor-advised fund (DAF) programs. Financial advisors1 benefit financially from promoting and...

More Ethics Articles


Wealth Watch E-Letter

Fate of Famed Art Collection Unresolved

Tennessee Chancery Court temporarily blocks the sale by financially strapped college of a 50 percent interest to a Walmart heiress’ new museum...

The Shifting Sands of the Tax Burden

A U.S. Court of Appeals ruling underscores the importance of paying attention to the tax implications of selling or transferring property before a testator’s death...

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Tech E-Letter

Gsphere

Comprehensive analysis of investment diversification...

VestingPoint.com’s Retirement Calculator

Evaluate retirement projections with this online tool...

View Past Technology Review Newsletters


Past Issues

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Download The 2009 Findings from a Nationwide Survey of Estate Planning Attorneys

Podcasts

Advising the Wealthy: It's a Whole New Game

Charlie Ratner talks with estate-planning expert Lou Harrison, investment guru Michael Lewitt and retirement benefits specialist Mike Jones. Register for this timely podcast......

Webinars

Integrative Philanthropy

Times are tough - in fact, donors are more careful to integrate their philanthropy with their financial and estate planning. Robert F. Sharpe, Jr. and Marc D. Hoffman describe the current philanthropic/political landscape and review the techniques that donors of means are now increasingly using to optimize their giving.
Available On Demand!...

The Electronic Practice

Learn how to get the most out of your computer as you work with trusts and estates matters. Sponsored by Sungard -
Available On Demand!...

All Offense — How to Get More Affluent Clients
In Tough Times

A three-part webinar series hosted by Registered Rep. magazine and Presented by Matt Oechsli of The Oechsli Institute- Available On Demand!...

Press Releases

Findings from the Third Annual Industry Trends Survey

WealthCounsel, a nationwide organization of estate planning attorneys, and Trusts & Estates magazine today released the results of the Third Annual Industry Trends Survey which was released at the 44th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning educational conference....

2009 Events