The number “725” may not bear significance to many, but to the Academy it’s been the unintended record-breaking number of days that (prior to our 28th Annual Fall Summit) we had been withheld from reuniting with our Members in-person due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A streak we were happy to end just a few short […]

Benjamin Franklin opined that “in this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” Estate planning attorneys can add dealing with real estate and difficult clients to their list of certainties. Most estate planning attorneys agree that a client’s two biggest assets are their home and an Individual Retirement Account / retirement plan. Because real estate plays a role in even relatively modest estates, an estate planning practitioner needs to consider all issues […]

A year ago today, my wife and I were in the process of moving into our new house. As many of you know, buying a house is one of the biggest decisions a person can make. The decision is so big, that many huge decisions are sucked up into its wake. What school district will […]

Knowing and understanding the complexities of the Internal Revenue Code (“Code”) allows estate planning practitioners to provide advice regarding potential tax consequences of a transaction while creating inventive ways to avoid or reduce that taxation. One example of that creative planning led to the enactment of the “Kiddie Tax” which was born with the overhaul […]

On Halloween, October 31, we celebrate ghosts and scary things. The spirits of the deceased are remembered on November 1 and 2, All Saints Day and All Souls Day, respectively, also known as the Day of the Dead celebration. Yet, you might not know this October 30 is the 22nd annual Create a Great Funeral Day. […]

With age comes wisdom and often, vulnerability. While aging is inevitable, it’s often hard to face as previously routine tasks become more difficult or require the assistance of another. Suddenly, keeping up with the latest technology overwhelms an individual who abandons the project in frustration. Minds become addled and scam artists more creative making recognizing […]

Whether motivated by a passion to pursue more meaningful work, increased confidence in the economy, or plain old burnout, many people are ready to leave both pandemic restrictions and their current jobs behind in 2021, according to several surveys. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4 million Americans quit their jobs in July […]

Sometimes even the best-laid plans do not work out. Most everyone has certain goals in mind for their estate plan, including detailed disposition of their assets upon death. Often, these goals reflect long-standing plans to reward a beneficiary for their devotion to the business or even to follow through on a promise to gift a […]

I love the old Trained Flea story! In case you haven’t heard it before, it’s the story about the guy who caught a flea and put the flea in a big, tall jar with a lid on it. The flea wanted out so he jumped and he jumped. And each time he jumped, he repeatedly hit his […]

The ongoing global pandemic and recent September 11 anniversary provide us with a great opportunity to re-evaluate our goals. At the outset of the pandemic, we were forced to make drastic changes to our everyday lives. Even now, countless health care workers continue to endure long hours in overrun hospitals with insufficient supplies struggling to […]