As we all know, working in the estate-planning field often involves spending long hours at the office and juggling various commitments. It can be challenging to just get our work done and carve out some time with our families, let alone make the time to help others in our communities. But, there are estate-planning practitioners out there who do take that extra step of reaching out to others, and we would like to acknowledge them. That’s why wealthmanagement.com is proud to announce the inaugural “Trusts & Estates Practitioners With Heart Awards,” an editorial program designed to honor estate-planning professionals who exemplify the highest standards of professionalism and are active in charitable giving and mentoring.
If a wealth management practitioner you know deserves consideration for his/her efforts on behalf of others, please fill out our nomination form (http://wealthmanagement.com/estate-planning/trusts-estates-practitioners-heart-awards). We’ll recognize the winners in Trusts & Estates’ October Charitable Giving Supplement. The deadline for nominations is June 15. Trusts & Estates’ editors, in consultation with the members of our Philanthropy Committee, will pick the winners.
Also exploring the “human” side of our practice is this month’s Special Report on the Fiduciary Professions. In “The Moral Core of Trusteeship” (p. 49), Hartley Goldstone, Rev. Scotty McLennan and Keith Whitaker discuss developing fiduciary character and the need to understand the moral reality of a trusteeship. Our report also deals with some timely issues that fiduciaries need to be on top of. “Game Change” (p. 53), by Scott Goldberger and John Anzivino, explains how fiduciaries can minimize income taxes under the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. And, finally, with the U.S. Supreme Court expected to issue rulings on two cases regarding same-sex marriages, George D. Karibjanian, in “DOMA Perils and Pitfalls” (p. 45), discusses the challenges facing fiduciaries administering trusts with a same-sex spouse beneficiary.
