By Joseph J. Strazzeri, Esq. At industry conferences you hear it all the time. The first day is all about friends connecting and sharing their successes since they last saw each other. Over dinner and wine, or maybe the next day, you start to hear the challenges they are facing such as fewer clients, lower compensation, more hours, and administrative team breakdowns. Practitioners that have been in the business more than half-a-dozen years have seen these ups and downs of market driven forces, and they no longer try to address the symptoms, but rather the underlying cause. Understanding that the…
Estate Analyst—Clark v. Rameker: No Bankruptcy Exemption for Inherited IRA
By Robert L. Moshman, Esq. It is not often that the Supreme Court provides a clear rule on any aspect of financial planning (or even graces our niche with a passing reference), so these occasions call for special attention. On June 12, 2014, the Supreme Court’s decision in Clark v. Rameker clarified that an inherited IRA is not a protected retirement fund for bankruptcy purposes. Here, we analyze the decision and its impact on planning issues and review the applicable rules and caveats that apply to inherited IRAs. Note: The following discussion of IRAs is about traditional tax-deferred IRAs only…
BREAKING NEWS: Supreme Court Decision on IRA Bankruptcy Case!
A Supreme Court Decision was made in an Inherited IRA bankruptcy case (Clark v. Raemaker), which brought to light the importance for estate planners and clients to utilize a standalone IRA beneficiary trust to better protect IRA assets! As a result of this exciting news, we are pleased to bring to you a very special, limited-time offer… Get 25% off ALL of Our IRA Inheritance Trust® Products! PLUS, we have a very special Bundle Package that allows you to purchase all of our products at an even greater discount (and the option for a monthly payment plan). You will want…
The 2014 Stanley Cup Champs Pass by UEP
We break the usual estate planning-related content of our blog to bring you some urgent and important news. Our beloved Los Angeles Kings and 2014 Stanley Cup Champions passed by our office earlier today during a parade through the South Bay. Our President, Phil Kavesh, captured this perfect photo opportunity of this momentous occasion. GO! KINGS! GO!
Top 10 Things Every Advisor Needs to Know About Inherited IRAs
By Michael J. Jones, CPA | Volume 2, Issue 6 (June 2014) In my practice, I’m seeing an increase in inherited Individual Retirement Accounts. That’s alerted me to an ever-increasing need for practitioners to review not only how IRAs fit into clients’ financial planning, but also to review and advise them properly regarding the beneficiary form and other key issues. Here are some things advisors and their clients need to keep in mind. An IRA is a ticking tax bomb. Unlike other assets, the income tax basis in an IRA inheritor’s hands will not be its fair market value upon death….
Recent IRA Developments
By Robert S. Keebler, CPA, MST, AEP (Distinguished), CGMA | Volume 2, Issue 6 (June 2014) Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) are one of the most popular retirement saving vehicles available today. Many of your clients, if not all, will have either (if not both) a Traditional IRA or a Roth IRA. The rules concerning IRAs are vast and continually being further defined. In this article, I will discuss some of the more important IRA developments over the past six months or so. Bobrow v. Commissioner In Bobrow v. Commissioner, TC Memo 2014-21, the court interpreted the “limit of one IRA to IRA…
Recent IRA Developments
By Robert S. Keebler, CPA, MST, AEP (Distinguished), CGMA | Volume 2, Issue 6 (June 2014) Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) are one of the most popular retirement saving vehicles available today. Many of your clients, if not all, will have either (if not both) a Traditional IRA or a Roth IRA. The rules concerning IRAs are vast and continually being further defined. In this article, I will discuss some of the more important IRA developments over the past six months or so. Bobrow v. Commissioner In Bobrow v. Commissioner, TC Memo 2014-21, the court interpreted the “limit of one IRA to IRA…
Asset Protection Philosophy 101 by Steve Oshins
As featured in WealthCounsel Quarterly Newsletter. To subscribe to WealthCounsel’s free newsletter, click here. Asset protection has become a necessary part of every estate planner’s practice. As we see case law develop, it seems that every time a new decision is issued there are numerous blogs and comments made about the case at conferences, whether positive or negative. The litigators generally claim that the new case spells the end of the technique that was used and failed to work in this particular case. They will often claim that a technique “doesn’t work” based on one bad case. The asset protection…
The Top 20 Seminar Marketing Mistakes People Make (Part 1 of 2)
By Philip J. Kavesh, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation), CFP®, ChFC, California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law | Volume 2, Issue 6 (June 2014) Marketing – – particularly seminar marketing – – has come up quite a bit in recent weeks. From those attending our May Ultimate Level event, to list serve discussions, to people randomly contacting me. It prompted me to take a break from the usual practice-building topic and put together an article on seminar marketing. Over the years, seminar presentations sure have evolved, from overhead transparencies, to slide carousel projectors to laptops and…
Estate Planning for the Middle Class: Overcoming Myths with Reality
By Matthew D. Blattmachr, CFP®, Trust Officer, Alaska Trust Company | Volume 2, Issue 5 (May 2014) Here are a few common misconceptions (or objections) people have about estate planning and trusts – – and how to overcome them. Myth #1: Estate Planning is only important for the very wealthy. Reality: Every client needs some kind of estate plan, because everyone has an estate. The size of your estate does not dictate whether or not you need a plan, but rather what plan you need. If clients don’t create a specific plan, then the state is more than happy to…