Blog Author: Stephen C. Hartnett, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Director of Education,American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.Often, people think they’ll have a warning before death and they’ll be able to plan once they get the warning. They think of life almost like a traffic signal. They think they are born with a green light. When they get old or get a serious illness it turns yellow. When death is imminent, the light turns red and they die. They think they’ll plan once the light turns … [Read more...]
How Will You Age in Place and Be Able to Die at Home?
Blog Author: Stephen C. Hartnett, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Director of Education,American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.More and more Americans are dying at home rather than in hospitals. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, in 2017 29.8% of deaths by natural causes occurred in hospitals while 30.7% occurred at home. The percentage of people dying in hospitals has been declining for several decades. While in 1912 two-thirds of people died at home, this evened out in the … [Read more...]
Preparing for Coronavirus
Blog Author: Stephen C. Hartnett, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Director of Education,American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.There’s a new virus that’s emerging, novel “coronavirus,” also called “COVID-19.” It first appeared in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019. Here’s a link to the WHO’s site for the latest global information. At this point, the virus has infected near 100,000 people in 81 countries.There are hundreds of … [Read more...]
Estate Planning Conference Discusses SECURE Act and More
Blog Author: Stephen C. Hartnett, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Director of Education,American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.The Heckerling conference in Estate Planning is the country’s largest professional gathering in Estate Planning. The conference examines many areas of interest to Estate Planning and Elder Law professionals. It pays particular attention to items of current interest.As the SECURE Act passed in late-December 2019, it was discussed in many sessions. The SECURE Act … [Read more...]
Planning for the SECURE Act
Blog Author: Stephen C. Hartnett, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Director of Education,American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.The “Secure Act” was part of a larger law that passed with (rare) bipartisan support in late-December 2019. It is effective January 1, 2020, for most purposes. This is a series of articles on the Secure Act. The first article looked at the basics of the Secure Act. This second article examines planning strategies for dealing with the Secure Act.As laid out in the … [Read more...]
The SECURE Act and What It Means for You
Blog Author: Stephen C. Hartnett, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Director of Education,American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.The “Secure Act” was part of a larger law that passed with (rare) bipartisan support in late-December 2019. It is effective January 1, 2020, for most purposes. This is a series of articles on the Secure Act. This first article looks at the basics of the Secure Act.What does it do?The Secure Act does many things, but here are a few of the biggest changes. First … [Read more...]
Reasons an Estate Plan Could Be Challenged: Part 3 – Fraud
Blog Author: Stephen C. Hartnett, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Director of Education,American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.This week I’m sharing a blog from the office of Mike Wakshull, a forensic document examiner. I’ll be sharing blogs from Mike Wakshull in this space from time to time.Now, here’s the blog from Mike Wakshull:Blog Author: Mike Wakshull, MS, CQE, CISA, PMPYou see an unfamiliar signature on a will or trust that was allegedly signed by a deceased relative. You … [Read more...]
Reasons an Estate Plan Could Be Challenged: Part 2 – Undue Influence
Blog Author: Stephen C. Hartnett, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Director of Education,American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.Estate Planning is critical to making sure your wishes are carried out. This series focuses on how an Estate Plan could be challenged. This series will show the importance of doing Estate Planning in the right way. The first article in the series looked at formal requirements. This second article focuses on undue influence.Undue influence consists of someone … [Read more...]
Reasons an Estate Plan Could Be Challenged: Part 1 – Formal Requirements
Blog Author: Stephen C. Hartnett, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Director of Education,American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.Estate Planning is essential for many reasons, which are set forth in prior articles. Links to these articles are set forth at the end of this article. This series will focus on how an Estate Plan could be challenged. This series will show the importance of doing Estate Planning in the right way. This article will focus on the formalities of an Estate … [Read more...]
Tax Planning for 2020
Blog Author: Stephen C. Hartnett, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Director of Education,American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.As 2019 has drawn to a close and a new decade dawns, we need to think of…tax planning! Some years Congress tweaks the laws more than other years. This was a relatively quiet year for changes. Still, even in a quiet year, some things change due to inflation increases, etc.Estate Tax PlanningApplicable Exclusion rises from $11.4 million in 2019 to $11.58 million … [Read more...]
