Archive for the ‘Trust Administration’ category

What You Need to Know About Being a Trustee – Video Update

May 17, 2020

Trust law in Connecticut was changed recently so we updated our Trusts and Trust Administration Video.

If you are named as a Trustee in the Will of a relative or friend, there are a number of duties, and related traps, you need to be aware of. Your responsibilities will be many.  It’s easy to get overwhelmed or miss something important. Watch the video below to learn about the duties of a Trustee and common problems Trustees face.

Help others find our informative videos. If you find this video helpful, please “like” it and share it with your friends.
An update of our video on Estate Settlement is in the works. Stay tuned. If you subscribe here: YouTube channel, you’ll be notified as soon as it’s posted.
If you are a trustee who has been struggling to manage a trust, or if you have any basic questions, please contact us. We are here to help.
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Posted by Richard S. Land, Attorney, Chipman Mazzucco  Emerson LLC, Attorneys at Law, Danbury, CT, 06810, 203-744-1929 x29, rsl@danburylaw.com.

Let’s Talk About Estate Planning (Ounce of Prevention Episode 2)

May 17, 2020

On March 5, 2020, Attorney Timothy Herring, the head of Chipman Mazzucco Emerson’s litigation practice area, launched the Ounce of Prevention podcast. The first episode is entitled What Does a Litigator Actually Do?  Listen to the first episode here: Episode One: What Does a Litigator Actually Do?

Liz Hartery

On March 31, 2020, Attorney Liz Hartery, of Chipman Mazzucco Emerson’s estate planning and probate group, appeared as a guest on Tim’s second episode entitled Let’s Talk About Your Estate Planning.  Listen to Liz’s comments on estate planning here: Episode Two: Let’s Talk About Your Estate Plan.

Estate plans are so much more than just a Will. Tim and Liz have a light-hearted discussion covering a number of estate planning options and techniques including living trusts, living wills, how to deal with difficult family issues, and what people need to know about pet trusts.

Subscribe to the Ounce of Prevention podcast. In each episode, Tim will focus on a specific legal issue and how it could impact your everyday life.

The goal of the podcast is to educate and inspire our listeners to harness the law to make life just a little bit easier.

For more information about topics mentioned in the podcast, contact Tim Herring at 203-744-1929 x19 or tmh@danburylaw.com. Visit our website at https://www.danburylaw.com/ to learn more.

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Richard Land

Posted by Richard S. Land, Attorney, Chipman Mazzucco  Emerson LLC, Attorneys at Law, Danbury, CT, 06810, 203-744-1929 x29, rsl@danburylaw.com.

Estate Settlement and Trust Administration Seminar

August 6, 2015

LocationEthan Allen Hotel, 21 Lake Ave Ext, Danbury, CT 06811

Date:  September 24, 2015

Time:  7:00 to 9:00 (Doors open at 6:30)

Register here:  Seminar Registration.  Or, call 203-744-1929 for reservations.  For more contact information, go to the end of this post.

No admission charge.  Our seminars are always strictly educational.

Description

We will cover the topics listed below.  Each listed Part corresponds to a Part in our Estate Settlement and Trust Administration video which you can see on YouTube here:  Estate Settlement and Trust Administration Video.

To get the most out of the seminar, attendees should view the whole video before attending.  We understand that time may not permit that, however, and we are structuring the program to make certain it will be well worth your time even if you do not view the video.

Send Us Your Questions

If you think of a question before the seminar, let us know right away before you forget.  If the question is appropriate for a group educational program, we will try to answer it during the program.  Send your questions here: rsl@danburylaw.com (Richard S. Land) or here ksg@danburylaw.com (Kasey S. Galner).

 Seminar Topics

Part 1:  Introduction.  Estate settlement steps starting with the probate application and the inventory.

Part 2: A continuation of estate settlement steps including problems relating to real estate, tangible personal property and estate and income taxes.  The importance of identifying problems early.  A description of our estate settlement letter and estate settlement checklists.  A discussion of the importance of post mortem tax planning.

Part 3:  Accounting requirements and fees and costs including the fees of the Probate Court, Executor fees and attorneys.

Part 4:  A description of trust administration, the duties of a trustee and the related risks.

Part 5:  The most common problems related to being a trustee including accounting, investing and self-dealing.

Part 6:  A continuation of a description of the Trustee’s most common problems including personal liability for contracts entered into as trustee and claims based on a trustee’s negligence and torts including claims related to contaminated property.  Trustee compensation is also discussed.

SEMINAR LOCATION AND TIME

The seminar will be on September 24, 2015, at the Ethan Allen Hotel, 21 Lake Ave Ext, Danbury, CT 06811 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The doors will open at 6:30. Refreshments will be served.

These seminars are always well attended and space is limited. If you wish to attend, or if others you know are interested in attending, to reserve space call us (203-744-1929) or send an e-mail message to me (Richard Land at rsl@danburylaw.com) or Kasey Galner (at ksg@danburylaw.com) or Deb Jewell (at doj@danburylaw.com) containing your name, number attending, telephone number and e-mail address.

You may also register here: Seminar Registration.

 Posted on 8/6/2015 by Richard S. Land, Member, Chipman, Mazzucco, Land & Pennarola, LLC.

We frequently post articles relating to estate planning, estate settlement and elder law issues to this blog. We also post notices about our client seminars here. When we do, we send out notices to clients and friends of the firm. If you would like to get our notices, please join our mailing list by clicking below.

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Trusts and Trust Administration Video Finished

November 23, 2013

Our  video/slideshow presentation on Trusts and Trust Administration  has been completed and posted to YouTube.

The video (in 3 Parts) covers trust administration including a Trustee’s duties, risks that Trustees face, applicable rules and regulations, common problems Trustees face, and Trustee compensation.

You can view the video here:

We hope you find our Trusts and Trust Administration video informative.

 If you have any questions, please contact us.

 Posted on 11/23/2013 by Richard S. Land, Member, Chipman, Mazzucco, Land & Pennarola, LLC.

Notice: To comply with U.S. Treasury Department rules and regulations, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction, tax strategy or other activity.

We frequently post articles relating to estate planning, estate settlement and elder law issues to this blog. We also post notices about our client seminars here. When we do, we send out notices to clients and friends of the firm. If you would like to get our notices, please join our mailing list by clicking below.

Estate and Trust Administration Video Finished

November 10, 2013

Parts 4, 5 and 6 Posted to YouTube

The trust administration portions (Parts 4, 5 and 6) of our  video/slideshow presentation on Estate Settlement and Trust Administration in Connecticut  have been completed and posted to YouTube.

The videos cover trust administration including a Trustee’s duties, risks that Trustees face, applicable rules and regulations, common problems Trustees face, and Trustee compensation.

You can view Parts 4, 5 and 6 here:

Estate and Trust Administration Part 4 (Trusts):  What is a trust?  What is trust administration? What are the rules that apply to trust administration?  What does a Trustee do?  What risks are Trustees exposed to?  What are the Trustee’s duties?

Estate and Trust Administration Part 5 (Trusts):  Part 5 covers common problems faced by trustees while administering a trust including issues relating to accounting, investments and self-dealing.

Estate and Trust Administration Part 6 (Trusts):  Part 6 (the final Part) continues coverage of common problems faced by trustees while administering a trust including potential claims related to contracts that a trustee makes while administering a trust, claims based on a trustee’s negligence and other torts, claims based on environmental contamination of trust real property, and claims related to improper payments and distributions. This Part also includes a brief discussion on Trustee compensation.

To view the complete video starting with Part 1 click on the image below:

We hope you find our Estate Settlement and Trust Administration videos informative.

 If you have any questions, please contact us.

 Posted on 11/10/2013 by Richard S. Land, Member, Chipman, Mazzucco, Land & Pennarola, LLC.

Notice: To comply with U.S. Treasury Department rules and regulations, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction, tax strategy or other activity.

We frequently post articles relating to estate planning, estate settlement and elder law issues to this blog. We also post notices about our client seminars here. When we do, we send out notices to clients and friends of the firm. If you would like to get our notices, please join our mailing list by clicking below.

Estate Settlement and Trust Administration Video Posted to YouTube

June 5, 2013

 New Video: Estate Settlement and Trust  Administration in Connecticut

Parts One and Two of our video/slideshow presentation on Estate Settlement and Trust Administration in Connecticut  have been posted to YouTube.  They discuss estate settlement up to preparation of the final account.

Additional parts will be posted in the future dealing with fiduciary accounting, expenses involved in estate settlement and trust administration, and important principles of trust administration.

Go directly to the YouTube Playlist. Click on the image below:

Web-Playlist-Image

You can view Part I separately (13 minutes) here:

Estate and Trust Administration in Connecticut Part 1

Connecticut Estate and Trust Administration Part 1

You can view Part 2 separately (15 minutes) here:

Estate and Trust Administration in Connecticut Part 2

Connecticut Estate and Trust Administration   Part 2

We hope you find our Estate Settlement video informative.  Stayed tuned for the rest of the videos in the series.

 If you have any questions, please contact us.
 
 

Notice: To comply with U.S. Treasury Department rules and regulations, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction, tax strategy or other activity.

 

We frequently post articles relating to estate planning, estate settlement and elder law issues to this blog. We also post notices about our client seminars here. When we do, we send out notices to clients and friends of the firm. If you would like to get our notices, please join our mailing list by clicking below.

 
     
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Basic Estate Planning Video Updated to Reflect ATRA

February 24, 2013

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (“ATRA” effective January 1, 2013) will change everything about estate tax planning.  We recently updated our Basic Estate Planning Video to reflect ATRA and posted it to YouTube.

Background

April 30, 2013 (Updated April 20, 2015)

We offer seminars to our clients, their advisors, and other friends of the firm, every year.  One of the most popular has been our Basic Estate Planning Seminar.  On March 14, 2013, we offered our Basic Estate Planning seminar at the Maron Hotel, Danbury, Connecticut.  The seminar covered the topics mentioned below.

Those who could not attend the seminar may be interested in taking a look at the Basic Estate Planning video that we recently finished updating to reflect the recently enacted American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (effective January 1, 2013).

The presentation is in 15 parts.  Click on the red  “Basic Estate Planning after ATRA (15 Parts)”  heading below and then click “Play All” under “Basic Estate Planning” at the top of the YouTube page.

Basic Estate Planning after ATRA (15 Parts)

We describe each of the parts below with an individual link to each one. 

Part 1:  Introduction.  Wills and probate property vs. nonprobate property.

Part 2: Beneficiaries, mistakes with nonprobate property, trust basics, guardian appointments, life insurance beneficiary designations, and estate taxes.

Part 3:  Wills, the estate taxation of life insurance death benefits, tax issues and asset protection issues relating to Wills, and disclaimer Wills.

Part 4: Formula marital deduction Wills, exemption trusts, risk of disinheriting the surviving spouse as estate tax exemptions increase, the portable estate tax exemption, and asset protection bypass trusts.  

Part 5:  Formula marital deduction Wills (and exemption trusts) vs. disclaimer Wills (and disclaimer trusts), and common estate planning mistakes.

Part 6:  Common estate planning mistakes continued, the duties of an Executor, the duties of the Trustee, the duties of a guardian, planning for post-death cash needs, and the generation skipping tax.

Part 7: Retirement plan accounts (IRAs, 401(k) plans, 403(b) accounts, etc.), estate taxation on retirement plan accounts, the risk of a circular tax on tax problem at death of account owner, life insurance and irrevocable life insurance trusts as a solution.

Part 8: Retirement plan accounts and related income tax issues, effects of beneficiary designations on deferral periods, spouse as beneficiary and tax deferred rollovers, required minimum distributions, and tax treatment of inherited IRAs, and the five year payout rule.

Part 9: Revocable living trusts, the living trust as a Will substitute, probate avoidance, planning for incapacity, and establishing a revocable living trust.

Part 10:  Comparison of revocable living trust plan with non-living-trust plan, treatment of lifetime issues, powers of attorney as an alternative to the revocable living trust, and what it means to avoid probate.

Part 11:  Comparison continued, avoiding ancillary probate in other states where real property is located, creditors’ claims and safe harbors for the Executor, and income and estate taxes.

Part 12:  Comparison (continued), accounting requirements, releases from liability, continuing trusts and continuing probate court jurisdiction, reasons for considering revocable living trusts, management during incapacity, and real property in other jurisdictions.

Part 13:  Reasons for considering a revocable living trust (continued), controversial estate plans, probate notice requirements, disruption of support for third parties, probate and related delays, simplifying estate settlement for survivors, nonreasons for considering revocable living trusts, the living trust as tax neutral, and probate court fees.


Part 14: Gift planning, gift and estate tax exemptions, exclusions for small gifts, gifts to education funds (529 plans), exclusions for qualified tuition and medical costs, gift tax marital deductions,  gifts to U.S. citizen spouse, and gifts to noncitizen spouse.

Part 15: Gifts of life insurance policies, incidents of ownership, irrevocable trusts as owner, three year rule relating to transfers of life insurance policies, and sophisticated gift techniques (qualified personal residence trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, valuations for gift tax purposes, gifts to charities and charitable trusts).

 Posted on 2/24/2013 by Richard S. Land, Member, Chipman, Mazzucco, Land & Pennarola, LLC.

 

Notice: To comply with U.S. Treasury Department rules and regulations, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction, tax strategy or other activity.

We frequently post articles relating to estate planning, estate settlement and elder law issues to this blog. We also post notices about our client seminars here. When we do, we send out notices to clients and friends of the firm. If you would like to get our notices, please join our mailing list by clicking below.

Join Email List

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Video of July Basic Estate Planning Seminar Posted to YouTube

October 8, 2012

The video of our July Basic Estate Planning Seminar has been posted to YouTube.  You can access it below.

The question and answer sections were the focus of this seminar.

Richard S. Land, attorney and member of Chipman Mazzucco, made  the presentation in five parts, each part building on the preceding one and followed by a question and answer session.

Part One (and the Part One Q&A): Will basics; consequences of not having a Will, the difference between probate property and nonprobate property; trusts; guardians; and executors.

Part Two (and the Part Two Q&A): federal and Connecticut estate taxes and estate tax “exemptions”; the “portable” estate tax “exemption”; “exemption” increases and decreases; the estate tax marital deduction; assets included in an estate for estate tax purposes; life insurance as part of the estate for estate tax purposes; 529 education plan accounts; and Will and trust provisions designed to save estate taxes including the differences between trusts created by a surviving spouse’s disclaimer and trusts established under a formula provision included in the Will.

Part Three (and the Part Three Q&A): common mistakes made in estate planning; jointly owned assets; things to consider when selecting Executors, Trustees and Guardians; retirement plan accounts (IRAs, 401(k), 403(b), etc.); how rules relating to required minimum distributions from retirement accounts affect the drafting of Wills, trusts and beneficiary designations; and life insurance and irrevocable life insurance trusts to provide estate liquidity.

Part Four (and the Part Four Q&A): revocable living trusts; incapacity planning; probate avoidance; the probate process; controversial estate plans and other reasons to use a revocable trust; and nonreasons for using revocable living trusts.

Part Five (and the Part Five Q&A): gift planning; gift tax exemptions; exclusions from taxable gifts; the marital deduction; gifts of life insurance and irrevocable life insurance trusts; proposals for estate tax reform and changes to estate tax exemptions and tax brackets; Roth IRA conversions; making gifts of interests in a home or vacation home; large gifts in 2012 to take advantage of 2012 (current) large exemptions.

Each part is a slightly condensed version of the more detailed slideshow type presentation you can find here:

The slideshow presentation is more detailed and  includes more subjects relevant to planning for New York residents but has no Q&A. 

We hope you find this information helpful.

Posted on 10/8/2012 by Richard S. Land, Member,  Chipman, Mazzucco, Land & Pennarola, LLC.

 We frequently post articles relating to estate planning, estate settlement and elder law issues to this blog. We also post notices about our client seminars here. When we do, we send out notices to clients and friends of the firm. If you would like to get our notices, please join our mailing list by clicking below. 

 
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Notice: To comply with U.S. Treasury Department rules and regulations, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction, tax strategy or other activity.

Basic Estate Planning Seminar With Extended Q&A Format

July 5, 2012

LocationMatrix Corporate Center, Sunset Vista Room, Fourth Floor, 39 Old Ridgebury Road, Danbury, CT

Directions:  Directions to Chipman MazzuccoDon’t rely on your GPS.  Please read and follow these directions.

Date:  July 26, 2012

Time:  5:30 to 7:30 pm (Doors open at 5:00)

Register here:  Seminar Registration.  Or, call 203-744-1929 for reservations.  For more contact information, go to the end of this post.  

No admission charge.  Our seminars are always strictly educational.

Description

We will cover the topics listed below.  Each listed Part corresponds to a Part in our Basic Estate Planning Video which you can see on YouTube here:  Basic Estate Planning Video.  If you would like to have the video on DVD, please let us know and we will send you one.

The Seminar will have four sections.  Each section will summarize topics covered in the video.  Q&A will follow each section.

To get the most out of the seminar, attendees should view the whole video before attending.  We understand that time may not permit that, however, and we are structuring the program to make certain it will be well worth your time even if you do not view the video.

Send Us Your Questions

If you think of a question before the seminar, let us know right away before you forget.  If the question is appropriate for a group educational program, we will try to answer it during the program.  Send your questions here: rsl@danburylaw.com (Richard S. Land) or here ksg@danburylaw.com (Kasey S. Galner).

 Seminar Topics

Part 1:  Introduction.  Wills and probate property vs. nonprobate property.

Part 2: Beneficiaries, mistakes with nonprobate property, trust basics, guardian appointments, life insurance beneficiary designations, and estate taxes.

Part 3:  Wills, the estate taxation of life insurance death benefits, tax issues and asset protection issues relating to Wills, and disclaimer Wills.

Part 4: Formula marital deduction Wills, exemption trusts, risk of disinheriting the surviving spouse as estate tax exemptions increase, the portable estate tax exemption, and asset protection bypass trusts.

Part 5:  Formula marital deduction Wills (and exemption trusts) vs. disclaimer Wills (and disclaimer trusts), and common estate planning mistakes.

Part 6:  Common estate planning mistakes continued, the duties of an Executor, the duties of the Trustee, the duties of a guardian, planning for post-death cash needs, and the generation skipping tax.

Part 7: Retirement plan accounts (IRAs, 401(k) plans, 403(b) accounts, etc.), estate taxation on retirement plan accounts, the risk of a circular tax on tax problem at death of account owner, life insurance and irrevocable life insurance trusts as a solution.

Part 8: Retirement plan accounts and related income tax issues, effects of beneficiary designations on deferral periods, spouse as beneficiary and tax deferred rollovers, required minimum distributions, and tax treatment of inherited IRAs, and the five year payout rule.

Part 9: Revocable living trusts, the living trust as a Will substitute, probate avoidance, planning for incapacity, and establishing a revocable living trust.

Part 10:  Comparison of revocable living trust plan with non-living-trust plan, treatment of lifetime issues, powers of attorney as an alternative to the revocable living trust, and what it means to avoid probate.

Part 11:  Comparison continued, avoiding ancillary probate in other states where real property is located, creditors’ claims and safe harbors for the Executor, and income and estate taxes.

Part 12:  Comparison (continued), accounting requirements, releases from liability, continuing trusts and continuing probate court jurisdiction, reasons for considering revocable living trusts, management during incapacity, and real property in other jurisdictions.

Part 13:  Reasons for considering a revocable living trust (continued), controversial estate plans, probate notice requirements, disruption of support for third parties, probate and related delays, simplifying estate settlement for survivors, nonreasons for considering revocable living trusts, the living trust as tax neutral, and probate court fees.

Part 14: Gift planning, gift and estate tax exemptions, exclusions for small gifts, gifts to education funds (529 plans), exclusions for qualified tuition and medical costs, gift tax marital deductions,  gifts to U.S. citizen spouse, and gifts to noncitizen spouse.

Part 15: Gifts of life insurance policies, incidents of ownership, irrevocable trusts as owner, three year rule relating to transfers of life insurance policies, and sophisticated gift techniques (qualified personal residence trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, valuations for gift tax purposes, gifts to charities and charitable trusts).

SEMINAR LOCATION AND TIME

The seminar will be on July 26, 2012, at the Matrix Corporate Center, Sunset Vista Room, Fourth Floor, 39 Old Ridgebury Road, Danbury, Connecticut from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The doors will open at 5:00. Refreshments will be served.

These seminars are always well attended and space is limited. If you wish to attend, or if others you know are interested in attending, to reserve space call us (203-744-1929) or send an e-mail message to me (Richard Land at rsl@danburylaw.com) or Kasey Galner (at ksg@danburylaw.com) or Lynn D’Ostilio (at lsd@danburylaw.com) containing your name, number attending, telephone number and e-mail address.

You may also register here: Seminar Registration.

 Posted on 7/4/2012 by Richard S. Land, Member, Chipman, Mazzucco, Land & Pennarola, LLC.

Notice: To comply with U.S. Treasury Department rules and regulations, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction, tax strategy or other activity.

We frequently post articles relating to estate planning, estate settlement and elder law issues to this blog. We also post notices about our client seminars here. When we do, we send out notices to clients and friends of the firm. If you would like to get our notices, please join our mailing list by clicking below.

Planning Question and Answer Sessions. Please Take This Survey!

May 15, 2012

When Do You Want an Estate Planning Q&A Session?  Please take this survey.

 May 15, 2012.

We recently published a Basic Estate Planning video on YouTube and DVD.  We hope that you will have a chance to see it if you have not already done so.

You can see the YouTube version here:  Basic Estate Planning Screencast on YouTube

We are scheduling group meetings so that interested parties can ask questions related to the subjects in the video.  There will be no charge or obligation. 

Location: Chipman Mazzucco, Attorneys, Matrix Corporate Center, 39 Old Ridgebury Road, Suite D-2, Danbury, Ct. o6810.

We ask you to click on the link below to complete this survey so that we know what will be convenient for you.  It will take only one minute.

Survey Link

 
Thank you for participating in the survey.  It will be a great help to us in our efforts to help you.
 
 
Posted on 5/15/2012 by Richard S. Land, Member, Chipman, Mazzucco, Land & Pennarola, LLC.

Notice: To comply with U.S. Treasury Department rules and regulations, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction, tax strategy or other activity.

We frequently post articles relating to estate planning, estate settlement and elder law issues to this blog. We also post notices about our client seminars here. When we do, we send out notices to clients and friends of the firm. If you would like to get our notices, please join our mailing list by clicking below.

     
  Join Email List  
     

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