Product Description

Many estate planners find middle-class estates to be challenging. The category often encompasses a broad and disparate range of individuals, including young families with children, younger individuals with emerging wealth, recent empty-nesters, and elderly individuals concerned about long-term care. Each of these groups requires a different approach to estate planning. This program focuses on identifying the specific needs of the most common categories of middle-class estates and details the key estate planning strategies that best serve those needs.

In today’s world, planning for the middle-class estate requires an attorney to wear many hats as an estate planning attorney, a trust attorney, a real estate attorney, an estate administration attorney, a corporate attorney, a tax attorney, and even sometimes a litigation attorney. As the Supreme Judicial Court stated in Gibney v. Hossack, SJC 13436 (April 10, 2024): “Death is not the end; there remains litigation over the estate.” (Citations omitted.) This timely program reviews the multidisciplinary approach needed to plan for the middle-class estate which may be an estate of up to $4,000,000 in Massachusetts and up to $14,000,000. for a federal estate for deaths occurring on or after January 1, 2026.

Learn how to skillfully craft an estate plan tailored to your client’s individual situation, while utilizing the latest in tax minimization and asset protection strategies. Get an in-depth look at how to add value and form a relationship with your clients that transcends the “one-off” nature common to middle-class estate planning. Emerge with expert tools and a deep understanding of the key issues facing your clients. 

Agenda & Materials

• 1:00 - 1:05 pm

  Welcome and Introduction

  on demand video Add to Cart

  Leo J. Cushing, Esq., Cushing & Dolan, PC , Waltham
  
• 1:05 - 1:35 pm

  Middle Class Estates: Estate Planning Foundational Strategies & Building Blocks

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  Luke C. Bean, Esq., Rico, Murphy, Diamond & Bean LLP , Natick
  
• 1:35 - 2:00 pm

  Middle Class Estates: Tax Minimization Techniques

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  Leo J. Cushing, Esq., Cushing & Dolan, PC , Waltham
  
• 2:00 - 2:20 pm

  How to use a Joint Revocable Trust to Fully Utilize the Decedent’s Estate Tax Exemption and Obtain a Double Step up on Death of the First Spouse to Die with General Powers of Appointment

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  Leo J. Cushing, Esq., Cushing & Dolan, PC , Waltham
  
• 2:20 - 2:50 pm

  Changing domicile; using an LLC to hold Massachusetts real estate; Massachusetts only QTIP Trusts and handling non-Massachusetts real estate

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  Leo J. Cushing, Esq., Cushing & Dolan, PC , Waltham
  
• 2:50 - 3:00 pm

  Break
• 3:00 - 3:40 pm

  Retirement Assets: How to Ensure Tax Efficiency and Plan for Qualified Assets in the post-SECURE World

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  Luke C. Bean, Esq., Rico, Murphy, Diamond & Bean LLP , Natick
  
• 3:40 - 4:10 pm

  Working with the Elderly Client and Protecting Assets from the Cost of Long-Term Care

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  Lisa M. Neeley, Esq., Rubin Rudman LLP , Boston
  
• 4:10 - 4:50 pm

  Recent Updates in Asset Protection Planning for Massachusetts Trusts and Estate Recovery Issues

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  Lisa M. Neeley, Esq., Rubin Rudman LLP , Boston
  
• 4:50 - 5:00 pm

  "Ask the Experts" Q&A Session and Key Takeaways

  Panel
  

Chair

Faculty