Estate planning offers protection and security for you and your family. Having well-crafted documents can help ensure your loved ones will be equipped to handle your estate matters smoothly without any disagreements or uncertainties. Nevertheless, numerous estate plans contain avoidable errors that only serve to complicate matters or even spark conflicts. Here is a list of common mistakes to avoid. 1. Identify your beneficiaries correctly. Too often, problems arise when a bequest to “John Smith” or “my niece Mary” goes astray. Our world is full of John Smiths and Marys, and problems can arise if bequests are identified too vaguely. Problems also arise if… read more »
Cannon Teleconference: Assorted Ethics-Based and Related Legal Conundrums for Estate Planning Professionals
The world of estate planning and trust administration is fraught with a variety of landmines, and only the diligent can detect and avoid them consistently. An estate planning professional’s behavior and performance may be judged unethical or even illegal in a given circumstance even if he or she is exceptionally knowledgeable about the substantive law. In this teleconference, we will delve into the following issues and concerns to which both lawyers and fiduciaries would be well-advised to pay close attention: Duty to File Amended Tax Returns Recognizing and Steering Clear of Tax Return Preparer Penalties Hazards for a Lawyer in… read more »
