This Just In...

Registration for the 48th Annual Conference in now OPEN!  See details.

Message from the President

Joseph V. Falanga, CPA, AEP®, TEP
Schonbraun McCann Group

Dear Colleagues,

Summer is in full swing and I wish you well during the many vacations, outings and activities that make up this fabulous season! As quickly as summer arrived, so will fall, and at NAEPC we'll be turning our thoughts to two very important events for the association—National Estate Planning Awareness Week and the 48th Annual Conference.

National Estate Planning Awareness Week, named in 2008 by House Resolution 1499, is scheduled for October 17-23, 2011. I encourage you to begin thinking about making this annual event, and its accompanying resource, www.estateplanninganswers.org, known to your clients, colleagues, friends, and family. NAEPC and The NAEPC Education Foundation will be offering special webinar programs up to and during the week, which we hope you will participate in. You'll hear more about this exciting event in the months to come!

The NAEPC and The NAEPC Education Foundation 48th Annual Conference is scheduled from November 16-18, 2011—don't miss your chance to network with professionals from across the country, obtain two full days of continuing education credit, and experience the history and charm of San Antonio. More information about the conference appears elsewhere within this newsletter and on the "conferences" page of www.naepc.org. Be sure to register by September 30, 2011 to obtain the early bird discount!

In closing, I encourage you to share your thoughts, comments and suggestions with me as the year progresses. We need your input to continue to grow and thrive during the coming years. Do feel free to reach out to me directly at any time.

The NAEPC Education Foundation was formed in 2005 with the following mission:

• to educate the public regarding the benefits of the multi-disciplinary team concept of estate planning as espoused by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils
• to develop educational programs regarding estate planning for estate planning professionals
• to develop and promote a community outreach program for the general public
• to hold educational conferences, seminars, forums, and meetings regarding estate planning

• expanded council offerings for National Estate Planning Awareness Week
• additional estate planning day programs hosted by affiliated local councils across the country
• an extensive fundraising and awareness campaign
• more educational offerings through distance-based education programs

New Benefits, Programs & Services!

LegacyQuest, LLC
As an estate planner, you know the importance of getting your client's financial affairs in order. However, there is another side to the planning process, beyond wills, trusts, or keys to the safe deposit box. It's the personal story… one's personal legacy. It's how you want to be remembered. Legacy Planner, created by LegacyQuest, is a comprehensive, step-by-step system, providing the guidance and support needed to discover, preserve and grow one's own legacy. Legacy Planner can be an additional tool for you to incorporate into your clients planning process. It fills the gap of the financial aspects of planning by sharing with loved ones personal information, life story, memories, letters, photographs, genealogy and much more. Legacy planner makes a great gift for you and your family and a great gift for your valued clients and is available in a high-quality bound scrapbook version with interactive digital CD, or CD alone. The bound version can be customized with your company name, logo and personal message on the cover. As a NAEPC member you will receive a 15% discount on all orders.

The ABA Checklist for Family Heirs: A Guide to Family History, Financial Plans and Final Wishes
One of the kindest things you can do for your family is to spare them needless frustrations and stressful decisions at the time of your death. Many people live together for 50 years without discussing their wishes regarding life support, organ donations, funeral or memorial services, and burial or cremation. Without meaning to do so, they leave many distressing decisions for their loved ones. You can make your own death easier on your family and significant others by simply deciding on and recording your own preferences and this book is designed to help you every step of the way. The ABA Checklist for Family Heirs is a wonderful tool for anyone needing assistance in organizing information for heirs. The book, which comes complete with a CD of documents that can be modified according to your needs, includes the following checklists: personal history; family history; insurance; benefits for survivors; banking and savings; investments; real estate; debts; wills and trusts; and final wishes. These records can be of great interest and value to you during your lifetime and can provide a sense of great freedom. The greatest satisfaction will be in knowing that if anything happens to you, you will be providing an invaluable resource for your heirs with your notes, your wishes, and the information in this book. NAEPC members are eligible for an additional 10% discount off of the bulk discount pricing.

• NAEPC Journal of Estate & Tax Planning
• A Parent's Guide to Wills & Trusts
• Acquire Seminar Marketing
• Amicus Creative Media
• BVR's Guide to Business Valuation Issues in Estate & Gift Tax edited by Linda Trugman, CPA/ABV, CBA, ASA, MBA
• BVR's Training Packs - webinar recordings & transcripts
• Business Week magazine
• CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business
• Civicom audio recording & conference calling
• DocuBank
• Estate++
• EstatePlanningBinders.com, high quality binders & index tabs for your clients
• Estate Planning Smarts by Deborah L. Jacobs
• Evaluation Services, Inc.

• Family Business magazine
• Family Foundation Advisor
• Florida Domicile Handbook
• Heart2Hearts: Workbook and Deck of Cards
• Journal of Taxation of Investments
• Klark Proposal Software
• Konica/Minolta
• Midwest Transaction Group
• My Estate Planning Organizer
• National Center for Family Philanthropy
• Private Wealth magazine
• Robert Keebler's Exclusive Roth IRA Conversion Decision Chart
• Robert Keebler's Health Care Surtax Chart
• Trusts & Estates magazine, $129 subscription
• Wealth Transfer Planning software
• Wealth Management Business magazine

The first program is a "can't miss"...

Wednesday, July 13, 2011 ~ 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm ET

Estate and Financial Planning for Individuals with
$5 Million or Less with Jonathan Blattmachr

This presentation will focus on estate and related financial planning for individuals whose wealth is $5 million or less. It will discuss opportunities for effectively "freezing" the wealth below the current $5 million estate tax exemption. It will explore what property is best transferred for estate tax and asset protection purposes and how some individuals can benefit from property transferred without causing the asset to be included in the transferor's gross estate. Comments about elder law planning also will be made. Attendees will learn:

• Selected estate and financial planning opportunities for persons with wealth less than $5 million
• The current estate tax exemption and conflicts that can arise in such planning
• Tax and non-tax issues that can arise
• Specific planning suggestions that include life insurance and non-life insurance "solutions."

Jonathan Blattmachr is a Principal of Eagle River Advisors, a boutique advisory firm dedicated to developing and implementing innovative wealth and gift and estate tax planning strategies on behalf of high net worth individuals and families. Mr. Blattmachr brings over 35 years of experience in trusts and estates law. He is a retired member of Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy and the Alaska, California and New York Bars. Mr. Blattmachr has been recognized as one of the country's most creative trusts and estates lawyers. He writes and lectures extensively on estate and trust taxation and charitable giving and has authored or co-authored five books and over 400 articles on estate planning topics. He has served as a lecturer-in-law of the Columbia University School of Law and is an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University Law School in its Masters in Tax Program (LLM).

REGISTER HERE or call 800-392-6900 Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET

About the series...

• The registration fee of $39.99 for NAEPC members covers the cost of the PACE and CPE certificates for the registered participant. There is an additional $5 fee for CFP® credit. You must participate in the live event to get the PACE, CPE and CFP® credit.
• All you need to participate in an audio/web conference is a computer with internet access to view the live presentation. For the audio portion, you have the option of listening to the program through your computer's speakers (VOIP) or through the telephone. The presenter's material can also be accessed separately, prior to the program, on the Society's website. If you prefer not to view the web presentation, you have the option to listen only over the phone.
• This program will be archived and accessible online about a week after the live event.

ADDITIONAL SCHEDULED PROGRAMS

Wednesday, August 24, 2011, 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm ET -Topic: Planning with Retirement Assets in Non-traditional Unions with John Oliver, CLU, ChFC, MBA

Wednesday, September 14, 2011, 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm ET - Topic: Special Needs Trusts with Bernard A. Krooks

Wednesday, November 2, 2011, 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm ET - Topic: Self-settled Trusts with Steven J. Oshins, Esq.

Subscription Options

You are receiving this message because of your affiliation with NAEPC or because your local estate planning council asked for its members to be included, no more frequently than six times per year. To unsubscribe from messages like this one, please use the link at the bottom of this message to remove your address from our distribution list.

If you want to receive more frequent and timely communication about the NAEPC and its educational programming and member benefits, please be sure to subscribe for more frequent communications.