Summer has arrived in Idaho - hot and dry, finally, after a wet winter, both in snow and rain. Mary Ann and I are traveling this weekend to Alaska to enjoy a small ship(60 passengers) cruise in the fjords of southeastern Alaska. I reflect upon the year 2008 now over half gone, and appreciate all the opportunities for client consulting and for being involved in tax education activities.
On the education side, I have thoroughly enjoyed participating as an author and presenter for WesternCPE in its "resort conferences". Mary Ann and I both look forward to being in Maui in mid-November for WesternCPE, where I will present two (2) courses: (1) Family Wealth Preservation Through FLPs, LLCs, S Corporations and Valuation Discounts, and (2) Hot Topics in Estate Planning. Check out the conference details at the website: www.westerncpe.com.
In addition, I am participating in several webcast programs presented by CPElink, and this group's website is www.cpelink.com. These webcasts seem to be an excellent way for CPAs and other tax advisors to keep up-to-date in a cost efficient and low impact way. The CPElink programs are interactive and qualify for the CPA continuing education requirements. My initial course, 2 hours in length, is "CPA Practice Development Opportunities in Estate Planning." Here I will focus on the CPA as the "trusted advisor" who is well suited to working closely with clients and their families on estate planning. In an uncertain and down economy and with confusion continuing over the future of the Federal estate tax, existing plans should be reviewed and updated with new plans being most important for wealth preservation. I will cover a number of actual case studies and review the top 12 estate and wealth planning issues involved in estate planning. My webcast presentation is set for August 26th, from 9:00 - 11:00 am(PDT). Visit the website - www.cpelink.com - for more information! Also, on September 25th and October 7th I will be webcasting two (2) more courses, one on Valuation Planning and the other on the Effective Uses of Pass-Through Entities - both these courses are 4 credit hours, and the details again are on the website.
Well, now we are off to Alaska, returning July 27th. Then I will develop another newsletter, this one discussing two (2) significant FLP gift tax cases decided in the Tax Court recently, namely, Astleford and Holman. I hope each of my readers enjoys his or her summer!
Owen Fiore
