"National Estate Planning Awareness Week"

On September 12, 2008, the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils and the NAEPC Foundation issued a Press Release entitled "National Estate Planning Awareness Week Declared" announcing "the third full week in October of each calendar year to be National Estate Planning Awareness Week."

Designating such a week for public education about effective estate planning is consistent with the mission statement of NAEPC, as noted in the Press Release:

The National Association of Estate Planners & Councils and The NAEPC Foundation work together to provide continuing education for our 26,000 local council member professionals from all the disciplines involved in estate planning and to encourage multi-disciplinary cooperation so all the professionals (law, accounting, life insurance professional, trust administration and financial planning) review the plan to be sure that no aspect has been neglected. * * *

A problem recognized by NAEPC is that "[e]state planning is consistently identified as a tool lacking in the majority of American households."

More specifically, the Press Release noted a 2004 survey from Lawyers.com finding that:

58 percent of Americans lack a basic will, generally considered to be the first document in an individual's estate plan.

In addition, 69 percent lack a living will or medical directive (both documents communicate an individuals wishes for medical life support if that person is terminally ill or permanently unconscious).

Only one-in-five, or 21%, have created a trust as a part of his/her estate plan.

Most Americans cite insufficient assets or not being old enough as their reason for not creating an estate plan. * * *

See also: EE&F Law Blog posting "Surveys Show Most Lack Last Will" (07/03/08).

In response, NAEPC devised an annual Estate Planning Awareness Week, with locally focused Estate Planning Days, for promotion by the hundreds of its affiliated estate planning councils located throughout the United States.

In an effort to combat this often-missed but critically important process, these two organizations have teamed up to encourage their network of 200+ affiliated local estate planning councils to present publicly-focused Estate Planning Day programs between October 20, 2008 and October 26, 2008. * * *

The Press Release urges consumers to "[c]heck with your local estate planning council to see if it will be hosting such a program this year. * * *

Searching NAEPC's website reveals these fourteen regional estate planning councils in Pennsylvania:

• Berks County Estate Planning Council
  
• Bucks County Estate Planning Council
  
• The Estate Planning Council of Central Pennsylvania, Inc.
  
• Chester County Estate Planning Council
  
• Delaware County Estate Planning Council
  
• Estate Planning Council of Erie
  
• Estate Planning Council of Lehigh Valley
  
• Montgomery County Estate Planning Council of PA
  
• Northcentral Pennsylvania Estate Planning Council
  
• Estate Planning Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania
  
• Philadelphia Estate Planning Council
  
• Estate Planning Council of Pittsburgh
  
• Susquehanna Valley Estate Planning Council
  
• York County Estate Planning Council

There are other local, independent estate planning councils in Pennsylvania not affiliated with NAEPC that perform much the same mission among member professionals and in their communities.

All estate planning councils in Pennsylvania -- whether or not affiliated with NAEPC -- have been listed in the sidebar of this Blog since its inception.

NAEPC's approach for the initial, annual National Estate Planning Awareness Week, including a locally-designated Estate Planning Day, is explained in its planning materials.

We provide materials for use by our 200+ local estate planning councils in holding an informative Estate Planning Day program for their community.

We anticipate many more estate planning councils joining the ranks of the councils, which annually hold such a program, when we all celebrate Estate Planning Awareness Week on October 20 through 26, 2008.

We sincerely hope that the public will become aware of estate planning and, before it is too late, seek guidance from professionals who are educated, licensed, experienced and credentialed.

Look for such a program in your area, or, better yet, as a professional, plan one!

Pittsburgh EPC's 3rd "Estate Planning Council Day"

The Third Annual Pittsburgh Estate Planning Council Day for estate planning professionals will be held on Wednesday, October 24, 2007, from 1:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M., at The Duquesne Club, in Pittsburgh, PA.

The event is described on the EPC-Pittsburgh website:

EPC Day offers individuals involved in Estate Planning a unique opportunity to experience nationally recognized speakers, engage in continuing education study through breakout sessions, and engage in interdiciplanary networking with leading industry professionals.

Attendees include a diverse array of professionals such as attorneys, CPAs, trust officers, financial planners, insurance professionals, and representatives from various charitable organizations.

EPC Day is an annual event committed to the expansion of estate planning knowledge and expertise, growing professional relationships, and, ultimately, enhancing the members by facilitating the highest educational and professional standards.

The keynote speaker will be Conrad Teitell, of Cummings & Lockwood, LLC, who is described by my friend, Attorney Bob Wolf, of Pittsburgh, as "nationally known and highly entertaining".

I agree, having heard prior presentations by him. One was held in Harrisburg last year. See: PA EE&F Law Blog, "Teitell to Talk in PA" (10/30/06).

This is the agenda for the sessions:

1:00 - 1:30 pm -- Registration

1:30 - 2:30 pm -- Break Out Sessions

• Topic 1: "Exit Strategies for Business Owners & Entrepreneurs" – Panel Discussion, by Bob Williams of Williams Coulson and Tom Oehmler, of Huntington National Bank
  

• Topic 2: "Business Valuation for Charitable Contributions" -- Presentation by Alex Kindler, CPA, of Horovitz, Rudoy & Roteman

• Topic 3: "Planning for a Client with a Disability" -- Presentation by Kathy Hendrickson, of Achieva Family Trust
  

• Topic 4: "Captive Insurance Companies and Other Advanced Asset Protection and Estate Planning Techniques" -- Presentation by Wesley Yang, Esq., of Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl, LLC
  

2:30 - 2:50 pm -- Refreshments

2:50 pm -- Welcome from President David Blumberg

3:00 - 5:00 pm -- Feature Presentation by Conrad Teitell on "Latest Charitable Giving Tax Strategies -- Avoiding Bad Heir Days and Near-Death Tax Experiences"

5:00 pm -- Adjournment

The brochure notes continuing education credit for various professionals, including:

• 3 CLE Credit Hours for Attorneys (approved)

• CFP Credit Hours for Certified Financial Planners (pending)

• 3 CPA Credit Hours for Accountants (approved)

• 2 CE Credit Hours for Insurance Advisors (pending)

The cost? $60 for EPC-Pittsburgh members; and $70 for non-members.

For these details and a registration form, see the descriptive brochure posted online (PDF, 2 pages).

Trust Talk in Selinsgrove

If you have not yet attended a presentation about the new Pennsylvania Uniform Trust Act since its effective date in early November, 2006, then I invite you to visit beautiful Selinsgrove, PA, on the evening of Thursday, April 26, 2007, and attend a PA UTA talk sponsored by the Susquehanna Valley Estate Planning Council as presented by . . . me.

The dinner session will be held at the Susquehanna Valley Country Club, located at One Country Club Road, Hummels Wharf, PA 17831 (570- 743-1714). Directions are available here.

A "social gathering" will begin at 5:30 pm; and dinner will be served at 6:00 pm. Then I will review the highlights of the PA UTA using a PowerPoint presentation refined in my speaking on the topic at previous seminars sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute & the York County Estate Planning Council.

I will also mention some of the adjustments in the PA UTA that likely will be introduced to the Legislature during this Session from the Joint State Government Commission, upon recommendations by its Decedents' Estate Advisory Committee. Such technical corrections would clarify a few unclear PA UTA provisions or correct some internal inconsistencies of the new Chapter 77, Probate, Estates & Fiduciaries Code. Such an anticipated "omnibus" corrective bill is in a drafting stage at the JSGC staff level.

The cost of the dinner & session -- for both members and first-time visitors -- is $20.00. Not a bad deal for a good meal & a topical talk too.

According to SVEPC's President, Marvin Rudnitsky, Esq., and JoLynn R. Weikel, a paralegal, both at the law firm Rudnitsky & Hackman, LLP, in Selinsgrove, PA, reservations can be accepted until Noon, on Tuesday, April 24th. Email requesting a reservation can be sent to Jolynn at: weikel@rudnitskyhackman.com.

I look forward to being there that evening with a fine group of Central Pennsylvania professional advisors & administrators.

"And when I asked the name of the river . . . and heard that it was called the Susquehanna, the beauty of the name seemed to be part and parcel of the beauty of the land . . . that was the name, as no other could be, for that shining river and desirable valley."

--Robert Louis Stevenson, 1879