Using a Corporate Trustee to Obtain Jurisdiction in a First-Tier Trust State

By Steven J. Oshins, Esq., AEP (Distinguished) There is a misconception that using a corporate trustee, such as a bank or trust company, is difficult and costly.  However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.  This misconception causes roughly 99% of estate planners to avoid using other states’ more favorable trust laws which therefore harms their clients and the families of their clients. There are only a handful of first-tier trust jurisdictions.  Trusts sitused in these jurisdictions can often avoid state income taxes on undistributed taxable income and are often better protected from creditors of the beneficiaries, including divorcing spouses….

Q&A with Phil: Quoting Fees, Charging for Initial Meetings & Having Paralegals Conduct Signing Meetings

By Philip J. Kavesh, J.D., LL.M. (Taxation), CFP®, ChFC, California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law Over the past few months, I’ve noticed that I frequently get the same questions from people and I thought that it’d be helpful to share some of these questions and answers with others in our newsletter.  (If you have any questions, either as follow-up to these below or otherwise pertaining to your practice, feel free to send me an e-mail and I’d be happy to help and perhaps feature the Q&A in a future newsletter). QUOTING FEES ON THE…