Several of our Members’ personal and professional lives were disrupted by the recent Hurricane Sandy. Shortly after the storm, the Academy’s Director of Member Services, Susan Russel, conducted a conference call discussing the steps to take in case of a disaster or emergency. Preparation is key in these situations, so I wanted to share the […]

As you all know, the election is finally over! However, the result is that the situation in Washington is little changed. President Obama has been reelected, with an electoral vote of 332 to 206, and a popular vote of 51% for President Obama and 48% for Governor Romney. The Democrats have a slightly larger majority […]

Acting as the health care proxy for a loved one who has been in the ICU for 5 days is stressful. No news here. But a new study finds that a surrogate’s confidence in their decisions can actually be increased and their stress decreased — if the patient and the surrogate had talked about treatment […]

If there was ever a case that showed the need for clarity and naming the proper people as fiduciaries, the Zsa Zsa Gabor story is it. She is still alive, but unable to communicate her wishes or manage her own financial affairs. As you may have guessed by now, her estate planning documents are under […]

While it may be nice that your client gave money to a charity, they must provide contemporaneous proof if it was over $250. In other words, submitting a cancelled check just doesn’t cut it. It’s not enough to prove that the client actually made the gift. What the client needs to substantiate their charitable gifts: […]

For those of us who can’t predict the future, it can be difficult to help a client choose a life insurance policy to suit their lifestyle. The difficulty comes in knowing what resources one’s spouse and family might need in order to maintain their current lifestyle in the unfortunate event of an unforeseen tragedy. To […]

Search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t just a valuable investment for your firm’s website. You can increase web traffic by optimizing your social media accounts as well. Implementing a few of the following simple SEO techniques on your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube accounts can have a big impact on your rankings and traffic: Use […]

Earlier this year, I was appointed to the national Planned Giving Advisory Council of the Carter Center. Recently, I gave a presentation at the Carter Center in Atlanta. The Carter Center is guided by a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering. It seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom […]

I was registered to participate in a triathlon this weekend.  Unfortunately, Houston’s great September weather disappeared Friday.  The heavy rains on Friday continued into Saturday night and caused a cancellation of the cycling portion of the event.  The event then became what they called an aquathlon (swim/run).For those considering either a triathlon or aquathlon, I […]

A recent decision by the Third Circuit held that pooled trusts are available to those over the age of 65, and that Congress intended the charity to retain 100 percent of the trust residual on the death of the special needs beneficiary. The case involved a possible clash between state and federal law, as it […]