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by Steven J. Oshins, J.D., AEP (Distinguished)
 Trust decanting is the act of distributing assets from one trust to a new trust with different terms. Just as one can decant wine by pouring it from its original bottle into a new bottle, leaving the unwanted sentiment in the original bottle, one can pour the assets from one trust into a new trust, leaving the unwanted terms in the original trust.
For many years, practitioners have struggled to find ways to change the terms of an irrevocable trust. However, through common law and through the decanting statutes that have been enacted in many jurisdictions, it is now possible to modify an irrevocable trust. The rationale for allowing such a modification is that a trustee who has the power to distribute the trust property to or for the benefit of one or more beneficiaries should be able to make the distribution to them in trust and dictate the terms of that trust. Decanting is essentially a "do-over".
Following are ten reasons to consider decanting an irrevocable trust...
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by Robert S. Keebler, CPA, MST, AEP (Distinguished)
As we near the end of 2013, year-end tax planning again takes center stage. In the last two newsletters we covered two of the most important year-end planning strategies in detail-loss harvesting and Roth IRA conversions.
In this newsletter we summarize a number of other strategies that may produce substantial tax savings.
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ROBERT KEEBLER'S CAPITAL GAINS HARVESTING CALCULATORFor just $99, you can get a simple and easy-to-use calculator that allows you to input appropriate information and then provides concise output for quick analysis, providing printable graphical comparisons of Harvesting ROI to a baseline (10-year treasury note) and graphic comparison of doing no planning, gain harvesting and converting to cash. >>MORE INFO
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FEATURED PRODUCTS TO HELP YOU HELP OTHERS
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by Philip J. Kavesh, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), CFP®, ChFC, CA State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law 
I've found that the best way to ensure a successful new year is to start off with a big stride in the right direction, by holding a firm "kick-off" meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to establish clearly defined goals for the year, outline the implementation process and get everyone on board, excited and motivated! It also provides an action checklist that you and your firm can periodically refer back to during the year, so you stay on track toward actually achieving your goals.
Here are the steps that I follow to put together the Firm Kick-Off Meeting...
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by Kristina Schneider & Megan DeLaGarza, Executive Assistants
 It's hard to believe that it's already December. What this time of year typically means for us is that we are usually preparing Phil's calendar for the next year so that we can maximize the best uses of his time, while also making sure that we don't overlook important items that need to get onto his calendar. Here are some tips for laying out the 2014 calendar for your boss so that he or she can kick-start 2014 in the right direction.
Calendar the Basics
The first thing you will want to do is to calendar out the basic items that you know need to make it onto the calendar. This may include, but is not limited to...
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