We’ve got a lot of exciting things going on at The Ultimate Estate Planner, Inc. First, we are excited to welcome Melissa Towle to our team. She started with us on August 11th and will be helping us out with receptionist duties, order fulfillment, customer service, teleconference administration, and much more. We are happy to have her with us! One of Melissa’s major roles for us for the next few months is to help cover the duties of our Director of Operations, Megan DeLaGarza, while she is out on maternity leave. Megan’s last day is today, August 12th. All of…
Watch a Complimentary Webinar on Recent Updates for Inherited IRAs
Robert Keebler, CPA, MST, AEP (Distinguished), CGMA, and Michael J. Jones, CPA recently presented a webinar for Trusts & Estates Magazine, discussing recent updates on Inherited IRAs. The update includes a discussion of the recent Supreme Court decision in Clark v. Rameker case. Trusts & Estates has generously agreed to allow us to share a complimentary link to the archived webinar. To view this On-Demand Webinar, click here.
Farewell and Best Wishes, Sally!
It is with great sadness that we must wish our team member, Sally Kashanchi, farewell today. Today is her last day with us before she heads out into the world to further her education and continue to grow in her career opportunities. All of us wish her the best in all of her future endeavors and will miss all of our fun times with her! We will be slightly short-handed for one week before we will announce the addition to another team member! Stay tuned!
Why Offshore Trusts Do Make Sense (A Brief Story)
By Jeffrey M. Verdon, J.D. Advising your clients on establishing and funding an offshore asset protection trust (APT) can be challenging. After all, what client wants to spend tens of thousands of dollars to take preventative steps against something they just don’t expect to happen? It is a lot like the decision a person goes through when buying a life insurance policy. I have never met a widow who thought her husband was over insured, but convincing the insured to purchase a policy can be a challenge. So it is with the offshore APT – the client must be sued…
Some Magical Aspects of Life Insurance
By Jonathan G. Blattmachr & Matthew D. Blattmachr Life insurance is one of the least understood financial products in the world. In just a few minutes of study, one can reasonably grasp the concept of equity interests in a business (e.g., common stock, preferred stock), bonds and other forms of debt. Even more complicated financial products, such as derivatives and options can be readily understood. However, even some people who have spent a career in the life insurance industry do not really understand the financial aspects of this product. Indeed, after finishing a lecture on how life insurance “works,” a…
A Monthly Meeting You’re Not Allowed to Miss
By Philip J. Kavesh, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation), CFP®, ChFC, California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law In an earlier article I talked about the importance of setting goals for the year and clearly communicating them in a motivational way to your associate attorneys and staff at an annual “kickoff” meeting in January. As a follow-up to that meeting, you should also be holding a once a month firm meeting to continue the momentum towards achieving your goals. This monthly firm meeting is a very important one that you simply cannot miss (nor can anyone else)….
Tax Alpha®: What Sophisticated Counselors & Advisors Needs to Know—Part 1 of 2
By Robert S. Keebler, CPA, MST, AEP (Distinguished), CGMA In the world of finance, “Alpha” is often referred to as the value a money manager generates by exceeding a particular benchmark. In the world of financial planning, Tax Alpha® is best defined as the value financial advisors add by reducing the tax burden on portfolio income – “After all, it is what you keep not what you earn that counts.” A thorough knowledge of the intersection between tax and finance will allow an advisor to substantially reduce a client’s overall tax burden. The heart of Tax Alpha® for most clients…
More Clients, Better Clients
By Joseph J. Strazzeri, Esq. Quality referrals are the lifeblood of a growing practice. New clients tend to come from one of four sources: 1) current clients, 2) other advisors, 3) educational events, and 4) the internet. For the practitioner that does the technical work and markets the firm, it is critical to understand whether you want more clients and/or better clients, and to have a plan on how to obtain them – because there is only so much time in a month. Time management and a team-driven, repeatable process offer not only a great business solution but a quality…
Standalone IRA Trust vs. Living Trust?
We often receive the question from our law firm clients, as well as estate planning professionals, about why the standalone IRA Beneficiary Trust, also known as either the IRA Inheritance Trust®, Retirement Beneficiary Trust, or Standalone Retirement Trust (“SRT”), is a better option than using the Living Trust. There are both technical and practical reasons why a standalone trust is a preferable planning option. Our President and estate planning attorney, Philip Kavesh, who drafted the IRA Inheritance Trust® and, with the help of Keebler & Associates, LLP, received the IRS’ stamp of approval through a Private Letter Ruling back in…
Happy Anniversary, Kristina!
On July 23, 2004, what has now evolved into The Ultimate Estate Planner, Inc. began. Our Executive Director, Kristina Schneider, began working for our President, Philip Kavesh. Fresh from graduating with her Bachelors degree from Pepperdine University just a couple of months prior, Kristina’s first assignment was to hop on a plane to Denver with Phil to attend the WealthCounsel’s National Conference. Phil had not one, but two, speaking engagements. One was on utilizing seminars to market your law practice and the second was to effectively advertise his brand new 2-day “Missing Link” Boot Camp program. It was this assignment alone…