Estate Planning for the GLBT Community Guidance and assistance with Living Trusts, Health Care Powers of Attorney, and Asset Distribution.
Money Magazine Recognizes American Academy! In the January 2009 issue of Money Magazine, Walecia Konrad’s article entitled “Keep It In The Family” focuses on making sure the wealth you’ve worked so hard to accumulate will go to the people you love. The article recommends the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys as a source to find an estate planning attorney who can tailor a plan for your situation and address your state rules. It also includes a useful estate planning checklist and valuable tips for putting together a proper estate plan that will safeguard your hard-earned assets from estate taxes, lawsuits and probate. This is the fourth time in 16 issues the American Academy has been recognized. Click here to find out why our American Academy membership is so important to our firm and the many families we provide guidance to each year.
Estate Planning Basics - A Crash Course in Safeguarding Your Legacy. Sterling & Tucker LLP, has recently published their fourth estate planning book entitled "Estate Planning Basics - A Crash Course in Safeguarding Your Legacy." The book was created to take confusing planning concepts and make them easy to understand.
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One of the top 25 in Hawaii Pacific Business News' "Women Who Mean Business 2008" has nominated Sterling & Tucker "as one of the 25 Largest women-owned businesses in the state of Hawaii.
Judith Lee Sterling Appointed to Board of Governors HONOLULU, HAWAII-The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys is pleased to announce that Judith Lee Sterling, Attorney at Law, Sterling & Tucker, LLP, has been appointed to the Academy's national Board of Governors.
Golden Years Retirement Specialists, Inc. Selected as One of The Most Dependable Wealth Managers™ of The Northwest and Hawaii Honolulu, HI, April 10, 2008: Golden Years Retirement Specialists, Inc. has been selected by Goldline Research as one of The Most Dependable™ Wealth Managers of The Northwest and Hawaii for 2008. The list of the Most Dependable™ Wealth Managers of The Northwest and Hawaii was published in the March 24th issue of Forbes Magazine.
American Academy Mentioned in Money Magazine! Robert Armstrong, President of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, was interviewed by Money Magazine senior writer Penelope Wang for her article " A Midlife Money Checkup" in the March 2008 Issue. The article was part of the Cover Story "A Boomer's Guide to Financial Freedom" that included multiple articles focusing on financial trends, aging well and other issues Baby Boomers are facing today. This is the third mention of the American Academy of Estate Planning by Money Magazine in the last seven issues. The "Midlife Money Checkup" is a nine-step test that highlights questions Boomer's should be asking themselves at this point in their lives. Mr. Armstrong's expertise in estate planning was highlighted in question five, "Is your estate plan in order?" Make sure you don't have to ask yourself that question by meeting with a qualified attorney.
American Academy Recommended by Nationally Syndicated Talk Show Host The John Tesh Radio Show recommended the Academy as a resource for finding an estate planning attorney. The segment focusing on money and finance originally aired in September 2007 and was repeated in December 2007. Mr. Tesh recommended that listeners go to the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorney’s website to find a qualified estate planning attorney in their area. The Academy website is also recommended on his site. The John Tesh Radio Show airs on 260 stations across the United States and Canada with an audience of over 8 million listeners. John Tesh is known as a popular television host, singer and syndicated talk show host.
American Academy Mentioned in Money Magazine The September issue of Money Magazine has an article entitled,"20 Timeless Money Rules." Rule 17, Exiting Gracefully, is particularly significant because it emphasizes the importance of putting together your estate plan. The recommendation of Money Magazine is that you search for a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys: "To find a lawyer, ask friends and colleagues for recommendations or get referrals online at the website of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys (aaepa.com)." The American Academy is an exclusive membership organization for law firms dedicated to estate planning. We are proud of our Academy membership and pleased to be the only law firm in the Hawaiian islands accepted into this prestigious organization. For more information about why our membership is so important to your family, click here.
Update on Hawaii MEDQuest (Medicaid) for 2007
The Federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services personnel have published updated amounts for important numbers that apply to the Medicaid system for 2007. If one spouse needs to qualify for Medicaid, the amount of countable assets that the at-home spouse can keep will increase on January 1, 2007 from $99,540 to $101,640. Countable assets for a single person qualifying for Medicaid, or of an ill spouse qualifying for Medicaid, will continue to be limited to $2000.
Sterling & Tucker Newsletter 'Imi a Loa'a Now Online This issue covers important estate planning and elder law related issues.
Sterling & Tucker Publishes Three New Estate Planning Related Books! Three new books co-authored by attorneys at Sterling & Tucker are now available to the public: Total Wealth Management, A Will is Not Enough in Hawaii, and Guiding Those Left Behind in Hawaii. Each of these publications offers not only a unique perspective, but valuable insight into different aspects of the estate planning field. Designed for those interested in learning more about how to better provide for their loved ones and maintain command over their finances, these books provide simple and accurate advice for controlling your future.
ESTATE PLANNING NEWS Planning Opportunities in a Down Market Every dark cloud has a silver lining, including uncertain economic times. This article examines unique estate planning opportunities that are available during a down economy. Tax savings by converting an IRA to a Roth IRA at a lower value, and transferring shares in a family business at diminished asset values are two strategies reviewed.
ESTATE PLANNING NEWS A Trust Can Help Protect You from a Financial Crisis This article examines how a trust can help expand the protection on your financial accounts, including those at banks, savings and loans, credit unions, and brokerages.
EDUCATIONAL ALERTS President Signs the Working Families Tax Relief Act and the American Jobs Creation Act President Bush signed into law the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004. It provides for approximately $146 billion in tax breaks aimed primarily at middle-income taxpayers and businesses of all sizes.
EDUCATIONAL FYIs Guardianship Court Lacks Authority to Compel Trustee to Pay Deceased Ward's Debts - Guardianship of GneiserPrior to establishment of a guardianship, a ward had signed and funded a revocable living trust. Prior to her death, the guardianship court had authorized the trustee to sell her home, and directed that the proceeds be held in the trustee's attorney's trust account. After the ward's death, the trustee sought and gained court approval to pay burial expenses, but when the trustee requested authority to pay the trustee's attorney (which would have exhausted the remaining proceeds), the guardianship court refused and directed instead that the trustee pay fees to the guardian and the guardian's attorney, plus previously unpaid court fees associated with the guardianship. The trustee appealed, and the Florida Court of Appeal reversed and remanded for further proceedings.
Critical New Privacy Regulations Impact You and Every Member of Your Family In April 2003 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued final regulations regarding the privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, commonly known as "HIPAA."
