Note From The Editor June 2012Note From The Editor June 2012
Beginning this month, we’re raising the bar. Our goal was always to give you the most significant developments in trusts and estates law and practice. Now, we’re going one step further and giving you a state-of-the-art tool to get you better equipped and informed: WealthManagement.com. It’s our new website—the dynamic digital resource housing everything you need to know about all things wealth management-related. In addition to providing access to all of our Trusts & Estates articles and e-newsletters, WealthManagement.com will give you easy access to client communication ideas, practice management insight, current and pending estate-planning and tax legislation and investing news. Our advanced search capabilities will allow you to cut through the chaos and get straight to the topic you’re looking for. Another bonus? You’ll be able to access content and blogs from our sister publication, REP. The site’s easy-to-use interface is designed around “day-in-the-life” wealth management activities and key topics. And, as part of our goal of making trusts and estates information more easily accessible, we’ve redesigned our print magazine. So check out our new website and magazine, and let me know your thoughts.
Moving on to this month’s issue, we highlight our Committee Report on Retirement Benefits. In her article, “How to Annuitize an IRA” (p. 37), Natalie B. Choate discusses turning a client’s individual retirement account into a stream of guaranteed retirement income and how to overcome the challenges of taking this action under the minimum distribution rules. Christopher R. Hoyt warns of the increasing tax rates on income in respect of a decedent in his article, “2013: The Year the Hammer Falls on IRD” (p. 41). In “Creditor Protection for IRAs” (p. 49), Michelle Ward and Mark Merric explain how to get better asset protection, while still receiving the benefits of tax-free compounding over a beneficiary’s life in an IRA. Finally, we learn about the use of annuities in retirement planning in “A Reliable Income Stream” (p. 54), by Lena S. Rizkallah and John Koehler.
