The Rabalais Law Firm's La. Estates Blog

Secrets to Avoiding Estate Tax & Probate

 

Our firm is proud to announce the opening of two new offices in Mandeville and New Orleans. We will be serving new clients in those areas starting on November 15, 2010. To kick off our grand opening, we will be hosting a seminar on Secrets to Avoiding Estate Tax & Probate in 2 locations:

Metairie – Tuesday November 16, 2010
10:30-11:30 a.m. or 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Four Points Sheraton
6401 Veterans Memorial Blvd.
Metairie, LA 70003

Covington – Wednesday November 17, 2010
10:30-11:30 a.m. or 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Courtyard Marriott
101 Northpark Blvd.
Covington, LA 70433

At this one-time free event, you will learn how to:

• Avoid federal estate tax in 2011 and beyond.
• Avoid the delays, lawyer fees, court costs, and public nature of a Louisiana probate
• Leave a legacy of values to your family.
• Choose between a Living Trust and a Last Will

We have several outstanding testimonials from satisfied clients. I will mention a few in this post but you can always check our website, www.EstatePlanninginLouisiana.com to view more.

"My husband and I both admire Mr. Rabalais, not only as a very knowledgeable, prompt estate lawyer, but a true Christian, compassionalte person. He handled Lynn's estate and my Will i na very calm and clear manner, not to speak of very good advice to those of us not accustomed to estate matters. I highly recommend him to any one, and have done so many times."                           -Joanne Brassett 

"I attended Paul Rabalais' estate planning seminar several years ago and I procrastinated about making an appointment. I was very impressed with Mr. Rabalais' knowledge of the law, but I was fearful that the process would be confusing and time-consuming. I recently had Mr. Rabalais create a will, power of attorney, and a living will for me. He and his staff were extremely knowledgeable, kind and professional and he gently guided me through the process thoroughly explaining each action. For a wonderful peace of mind, I would highly recommend the Rabalais Law Firm to you."
                                                   -Elizabeth Ginn

There are three ways to register for this free event:

1. Call Toll Free at (866) 491-3884
2. Register Online at www.EstatePlanninginLouisiana.com or register on this blog
3. www.facebook.com/RabalaisLawFirm

Registration is required. Seating is limited. Please arrive 10 minutes early. Refreshments will be served.

To Register for the New Orleans location please fill out the form below:

Person Information
First Name *
Last Name *
Email *
Phone 1 *
Time Attending *
Number of Guests *

To Register for the Covington location please fill out the form below:

Person Information
First Name *
Last Name *
Email *
Phone 1 *
Time Attending *
Number of Guests *

This will be a very special event that won't be offered again. I encourage everyone who can to please attend and learn how to protect your family's legacy. We are expecting a full house so please register quickly. I look forward to see you there.

Free Upcoming Webinar: Revocable Living Trusts in Louisiana

Most people in Louisiana use their Last Will and Testament ("Will") to provide for the disposition of their estate. However, even if you have a Will, there will be a court-supervised succession procedure which must take place after you die (other states refer to this procedure as "Probate"). Your assets cannot be transferred to your heirs any other way. The following will occur when a succession takes place after you die:

1. A randomly appointed civil court judge will confirm your executor. This first step often takes weeks if not months to process through our judicial system. Your estate will be frozen from the moment you die until your executor is confirmed. After being confirmed, your executor will be required to open estate accounts at various financial institutions and transfer all of your funds to your estate accounts while your succession is pending. The failure of your executor to do this may cause your executor to be assessed with a 20% penalty by the judge.
2. Your executor will be required to work with a law firm to have prepared a formal, customized detailed listing of all of your assets (and their exact date of death values) and debts as they existed on the date of your death, including investment account numbers, bank account numbers, mortgage and credit card account information.
3. Your entire Louisiana succession record, including your Will, your list of assets and liabilities, any claims filed against your estate, and all of your heirs, will be public record and posted on the internet for anyone in the world to view.
4. If you are married and your Will does not take advantage of estate tax laws f or 2011 and beyond, your family may pay additional estate tax at the rate of 55% of the value of your estate.
5. If you are married, two successions will be necessary: one immediately after the death of the first spouse and one after the death of the surviving spouse.
6. If you own real estate in more than one state, there will a court-supervised probate required after you die in each state that you own real estate.
7. Your estate will be required to pay thousands (if not tens of thousands or more) in rising court costs and attorney costs. Your executor will be paid a fee of 2.5% of your gross estate which is subject to income tax. 

Attend a Free Webinar: "How To Avoid Probate, Estate Tax, and Delays by Using a Revocable Living Trust in Louisiana"

Click here to register for this Friday's free webinar

 

On Friday, July 30, 2010, starting at 1:00pm and ending at 2:00pn CST, I'll teach you everything you need to know about avoiding probate and estate taxes for Louisiana residents. You will discover:

1. The differences between a Last Will and Testament and a Revocable Living Trust;
2. The differences between a revocable and irrevocable trust;
3. What happens in a Louisiana Succession from start to finish - how long it takes and how much it costs;
4. The benefits and pitfalls of using a revocable living trust in Louisiana;
5. How you can keep your IRAs, annuities, life insurance, vehicles, and bank accounts in your name and avoid the Louisiana Probate;
6. How you can save $1,300 when you form and fund your revocable living trust;
7. Who is the ideal candidate and who can benefit the most from a revocable living trust; and
8. What are the estate tax consequences of using a revocable living trust in 2010 and beyond.

Click here to register for this Friday's free webinar

 

P.S. Register now. Space is limited. This webinar will not be recorded. It is a live event. See you on the webinar! Forward this webinar email invitation to your family and friends that are also interested in protecting their estates.

Comments From Last Webinar - Don't Miss Tomorrow's

Read what Thomas Welch had to say about our last webinar - don't miss tomorrow's Louisiana Estate Planning webinar! Register at www.RabalaisWebinars.com

Paul

Yours was my first webinar event. Wasn't sure what to expect. I liked the event, and expecially the ability to TYPE in questions. In an audience event (like the Over 50 event at RiverCente...r), I never ask a question. I liked that you had a event plan and followed through. I have been at training events where instructor let audience questions determine the direction/content of the event. I don't think this 'by chance structure' is good. Though estate planning is not a 'do it yourself' task, it clearly helps to be as informed as you can, so that meetings with professionals are productive and efficient.Thanks,

Thomas Welch
Electrical Engineer, retired

Important Webinar This Thursday, June 10, 2010

I'll be hosting a webinar this Thursday, June 10, 2010 on important estate planning issues for all Louisiana residents. It is designed for the layperson. I have a set agenda but I will also be answering questions typed in from the webinar attendees. The webinar is free. During the webinar you will discover tons of critical info, including:

1. How to proctect your surviving family members by utilizing our Will-based estate plan;
2. How to avoid Louisiana Succession by utilizing our Revocable Living Trust-based estate plan; and
3. How to protect your assets from long term care nursing home costs by utilizing our Medicaid Trust-based estate plan.

You'll find out about our crazy estate tax scenario, and much more. To register for the webinar and find out more, simply log on to www.RabalaisWebinars.com

See you on the webinar!

Paul

Don't Miss This Upcoming Louisiana Estate Planning Webinar

I'm hosting a webinar on Thursday, May 13, 2010, to teach all you intersted people in Louisiana how to protect your estate for yourself and your family. Feel free to join us. You'll be glad you did. The following is the email invitation I sent out to our closest friends and clients:

Free 2010 Louisiana Estate Planning Live Webinar

Date of Webinar: Thursday, May 13, 2010    Start Time: 12:30pm CST

Perhaps you are concerned about protecting your estate for yourself and your family in light of so many legislative changes in recent years. Or perhaps you've been thinking for some time about creating or updating your important estate plans for your family, but you didn't know how to get started. If so, you won't want to miss this timely and important Louisiana estate planning webinar. We'll cover all the basics.

Now Is the Time to Put Your Affairs in Order - Click Here For Webinar Registration

If your Last Will was prepared a few years ago, or if you've never had a Will or Trust prepared for you, then attending this webinar may be the most important thing you do this year for your family. Here's why:

0. Our estate tax laws are in a state of chaos right now;
0. The court-supervised process of transferring your estate to your heirs (probate/succession) is time-consuming, expensive, and public;
0. Louisiana laws regarding estates have changed every year;
0. Your family circumstances may warrant changes to your existing estate plan; and
0. Louisiana estate planning laws are completely different than all other states' laws.

What is a Webinar? Register Now - Space is Limited!

Join me on Thursday, May 13, 2010, starting at 12:30pm CST and ending at 1:30pm CST  for a free webinar from the comfort of your home. Please join the webinar at least five minutes before the scheduled start time. A webinar is a presentation that is delivered over the internet and the phone. Attending a webinar is like attending any seminar apart from the place that the event takes place. Once you have logged in you can sit back and listen to the presentation on your phone (or on your computer speakers) while watching it on your screen. During this free webinar, you will discover answers to the following questions:

0. How can my family avoid taxes when I die?
0. Since I live in Louisiana , should I have a Will or a revocable living trust?
0. Is it true that probate will cost your estate 5% to 10% of its value ?
0. What is the difference between a revocable trust and an irrevocable trust?
0. How do I protect my estate if I become incapacitated?
0. What will my family go through when there is a probate when I die? 
0. How can I protect the value of my home avoid depleting my life savings if I have to live in a nursing home ?
0. How do I protect my children's inheritance from their past and future divorces?  
0. What is the best way to arrange my affairs to keep things simple for me and my family in the future? 

This webinar is customized for the lay person  or family that lives in Louisiana and wants to avoid legal, tax, and financial problems before or after death. If you want to protect your family and avoid leaving them with legal, accounting, tax, and financial problems, along with unnecessary delays, you won't want to miss this webinar. Don't Procrastinate! To register for the webinar, simply click on the link below.

Click Here For Immediate Webinar Registration

P.S. Forward this webinar invitation email to any other individuals you know who would want to understand how to take the necessary legal actions to protect their estate and their family. With so much confusion out there, they will thank you.

P.P.S. Because there is so much information in our webinar, the recorded webinar cannot be emailed to you or posted on a website due to the size of the file. To get this valuable information, you must register and attend this live event. 

Life After 50 Expo a Hit

Despite forecasts for storms and possible tornadoes, the skies cleared and thousands of people showed up today at the River Center for the annual Life After 50 Expo. I arrived at my Rabalais Law Firm booth a few minutes before 8:00am.

When the doors opened at 8:00am, a steady stream of folks came by the booth and said they would be attending my 9:45am Louisiana Estate Planning Seminar. I had a feeling there would be a good crowd at the Seminar. As I walked toward my seminar room about 9:30, I knew there was a problem. There was a huge line of people waiting at the door to go in. I peeked in the door and asked the Channel 2 worker how many chairs there were. She said there were about 70 chairs, but based on the number of people waiting outside the room, they had quickly ordered many more chairs.

Within minutes there were more than 120 people in the room. It was worse than Standing Room Only. I put on my mic, Sylivia Weatherspoon from WBRZ introduced me, and I was off and speaking. I spoke for about 20-25 minutes, then fielded about 20 awesome questions from the very interested crowd. I answered questions about forced heirship, Louisiana community property, Louisiana Inheritance tax, olographic Wills, Louisiana Durable Powers of Attorney, Revocable Living Trusts, and much more. 

I must say that I felt a little famous since hundreds of people were asking me to autograph my book, Estate Planning in Louisiana, for them.

Yesterday, I told Laura that this was the last year I would do the Expo because it takes away from my family time. But based on the level of interest I saw today, I don't think I can pass this up again.

Our rep from The Advocate visited us at our booth as we were packing up. She told us we had 123 people at our seminar. The next largest crowd for a seminar was 70. Thanks to all my employees, and to WBRZ, and The Advocate for making our Expo experience such a success.

Life After 50 Expo a Hit

For the second year in a row, I was an Exhibitor at the Life After 50 Expo yesterday at the Baton Rouge River Center. Thousands of people attended. It was another tremendous success.

Laura Bittel and I went to the River Center with our signs and banners for setup. It went pretty smooth. We had hundreds of living will forms so that people could sign their living will for free at the Expo.

Saturday morning came and a rush of people flooded the River Center. Stephanie called me on my cell to let me know she and Laura were stuck in traffic. I was in a bind for a moment because a Louisiana Living Will must be witnessed by two people and I was the only person in my booth. However, Laura and Steph showed up shortly after 8:00am.

The folks at WBRZ and The Advocate were kind enough to allow me to present a seminar in the biggest room at the best time slot. At 9:00am, there was a room full of people to hear my presentation about Louisiana estate planning. I answered a few questions from the crowd about how often you should review your estate plan, how to leave an inheritance to a special education child, and how to leave a bequest to a church or charity. WBRZ's John Pastorek gave me a great introduction and got the crowd fired up (or at least as fired up as one can get for an estate planning presentation)!

During the presentation, I promised all of the attendees that they could go to my booth to get a free copy of my book, "Estate Planning in Louisiana," and to get their free living will signed. When I got back to the booth, there was a massive crowd of folks waiting for their book and living will.

Stephanie, Laura, and I worked through the crowd at our booth for the next three hours until it finally started to slow down. We saw many of our outstanding clients, and we met many new people some of which will no doubt call our office to come in to schedule their No Cost Initial Meeting. We answered hundreds of questions about estate planning.

It was a good day. If you have questions about estate planning, feel free to contact me at paul@rabalaislaw.com, and I'll see if I can help.

Luncheon Seminar for Louisiana State Employees

  Spoke today to about 70 employees of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. It was a lively audience with lots of questions and participation. Some of the many questions that I answered involved:

• revocable living trusts
• limited liability companies
• olographic wills
• power of attorney
• protecting assets with Medicaid Planning
• duties of an executor
• community property and separate property
• beneficiary designations

Thanks particularly to Mary Ginn, Human Resources Director, for asking me to speak. Thanks also to Mary for providing me with lunch and for the awesome Louisiana Department of Natural Resources brief case. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people interested in estate planning - so much so that most of the attendees purchased an autographed copy of my book, Estate Planning in Louisiana.

If you have a group of interested Louisiana residents, and you would like to have me as a speaker at your event, feel free to send me an e-mail at paul@rabalaislaw.com. It's always a pleasure and an honor to be invited to speak.

Paul Rabalais

Busy (But Exciting) Couple Of Weeks

It's been a hectic couple of weeks at our office lately.

• 4/5/08 - Seminar and Book Signing at Barnes and Noble. Lots of people showed up. In fact, Barnes and Noble had loaded up on books for the book signing, and they called today for another big shipment.
• Weekend of 4/5/08 and 4/6/08 - My five kids had a total of 16 ball games during the weekend. This doesn't have much to do with my office work, but I thought I'd add it because it was a record number of games for one weekend.
• 4/9/08 - First ever "Free Living Will Wednesday." We had a steady stream of folks come into the office to get their free Louisiana Living Will Declaration. It was a pleasure providing this free service. Several attendees, however, realized that they needed additional estate planning legal services so we'll be working with those folks in the upcoming days.
• 4/10/08 - Seminar at new Livingston Parish library. Good crowd. Lots of questions. In fact, one of the attendees came by the office the next day to have me help him settle his dad's revocable living trust that had been established many years ago.
• 4/13/08 - It's the birthday for my star paralegal, Stephanie Purdy. On 4/16/08, I'm taking the whole office out to lunch to celebrate.
• 4/14/08 - We enrolled over a dozen new members in our VIP Membership so our best clients (and their families) can get Preferred Client treatment for the rest of their lifetime. Ask us about our VIP Membership.
• 4/19/08 - The big Life After 50 Expo is coming up. I'll be presenting in the Main Exhibit room. I expect a lively audience. I'm giving away my book to the first 75 in attendance. Better get there early.
• 4/23/08 - New Medicaid Planning Seminars at our office (10:00am) and the Baton Rouge Garden Center (6:30pm). Brand new material based on newly issued Medicaid regulations. Seating is limited so make your reservation by calling Laura at 225-329-2450.

I heard a quote today that I liked, "If you want to make a difference, be different." There's not another business in the world that combines our attributes. You'll find our group courteous, exciting, friendly, progressive, hard-working, intelligent, professional , loyal, and committed.

You may the subject of estate planning is rather bland, but we've got some exciting and incredible stuff coming up that will do wonders for families in Louisiana. Stay tuned!

Paul Rabalais

Another Speaking Engagement Tonight

I spoke at the new Livingston Parish library this evening. They had a couple of my books on their shelf and they called and asked if I'd come speak to their community about estate planning.

The facility was awesome and the crowd was great. Many of the pre-seminar questions had to do with living wills, powers of an executor, benefits of trusts, tax consequences of trusts, estate tax, and probate avoidance.

All in all, it was a good evening.

Paul Rabalais