Vermont Estate Planning Blog

Many of us have the privilege of knowing a special someone who experiences life from a different vantage point – perhaps one with specific physical challenges or unique cognitive impairments.   One special person in my circle involved a man whose intellectual disability limited his ability to live independently, but whose special needs didn’t inhibit him from singing at the top of his lungs, dancing the polka merrily with his mother, or routinely asking for seconds and thirds of apple pie at family dinners.  He brought and received happiness, just as any other family member or friend.

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It’s tax season yet again – a time where we struggle to complete our income tax filings by the April 15 deadline.  However, this article will not address any last-minute income tax tips; rather, we will explore the world of a lesser-known tax -  the estate tax.

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The holidays have passed and you shared a lot of fun with family and friends.  Was it all smooth sailing?  Did everything remain calm and collective?  Perhaps you have learned some new tidbits about certain relatives that cause you to second-guess certain estate planning decisions you have made.  Did you joke that you might take someone out of your will and actually give it some consideration?  Well, before you do anything drastic, consider some alternatives.

To read more of this article:  http://vtelaw.com/index.aspx?TypeContent=ARTICLES&Art_Title=Disinheriting_Lindsay_(12_2010)&art_id=2222

This is a two part article on Executors.

So your uncle asks you to serve as Executor.  As his favorite nephew, you agree to take on the task.  After all, it sounds prestigious and powerful, and maybe a little fun.  Or perhaps, you simply feel an obligation to answer him in the affirmative.  On the other hand, maybe you didn’t get asked while he was alive – you simply found out this fact after his passing when the Will was discovered.  Now what do you do? 

To read more about this topic here is the link:  http://http://vtelaw.com/index.aspx?TypeContent=ARTICLES&Art_Title=Executor:__To_Be_or_Not_to_Be_(Part_1)&art_id=2205

The Plural of Executrix?

Before you answer, picture this scene.  You are sitting under a spotlight in the “hot seat,” surrounded by a crowd of onlookers masked by darkness and hearing the familiar voice of a day-time talk show host.  At the conclusion of the answer, you are then offered the following selections: (A) Executrixes; (B) Executri; (C) Executrices; or (D) Executors.  After making your selection, you then must declare it your “final answer.”

For the answer to this question and for the whole article please visit the link http://vtelaw.com/index.aspx?TypeContent=ARTICLES&Art_Title=The_Plural_of_Executrix__-_5_2010&art_id=1966

 Press Release 

  March 22, 2010 

Contact: Sarah Lemnah, CVAA

Development & Communications Director

802.865.0360 EXT 1029

sarah@cvaa.org                                                                                                                                                                                 

   Jarrett to Join CVAA Board of Directors                 

Essex Jct, VT-   Glenn Jarrett has joined CVAA's board of directors. CVAA helps seniors age with independence and dignity by providing information, services, education , support and advocacy to seniors and caregivers. Jarrett is the principal of Jarrett Law Office, PLC, in South Burlington, Vermont where he concentrates his practice on estate planning, elder law, Medicaid planning, special needs planning and probate and trust administration. In addition to being an attorney, Jarrett is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner. He is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Society of Financial Service Professionals, where he serves as immediate past-President of the Vermont Chapter. Jarrett has presented continuing legal education seminars on a variety of estate and elder law subjects. He is a member of the Chittenden County, Vermont and New York bar associations. He is vice chair and past chairman of the Burlington (Vermont) Development Review Board and is past chairman of the Burlington Zoning Board of Adjustment. He is a member of VERG, the Vermont Elder Resource Group. Jarrett earned his A.B. degree from Middlebury College with honors and his J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a senior editor of Georgetown's international law review. He has been a board member of several area non-profit organizations.

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Are the Kids Old Enough Yet?

 “Junior!” she exclaimed with a sharp tongue, as her son attempted to sneak a pre-dinner bite of the dessert she was making.  She only called him “Junior” when she demanded his attention, for he wasn’t even technically a junior.  And she had been doing this for over sixty years.  Yes, this scene actually describes a true story of an 85-year-old mother scolding her 62-year-old son! 

While the parent-child relationship does evolve over a lifetime, it does retain a certain character.  Parents may continue to command a certain respect, and children often continue to honor that position of authority.  However, in the world of estate planning, there may come a time where the children need to take a position of authority.  It may come when the parents are still living, but it will definitely arrive after the parents have passed.  And will those kids, the “juniors” of the world, be ready?

For more of this article here is the link http://vtelaw.com/index.aspx?TypeContent=ARTICLES&Art_Title=Are_the_Kids_Old_Enough_Yet__3_2010&art_id=1909

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:    Holly Keough 802-864-5951

July 14, 2010

ATTORNEY JARRETT PRESENTS at a NBI Seminar, “Resolving Legal and Financial issues in elder care”

So Burlington, VT – Jarrett Law Office, PLC is pleased to announce that Glenn A. Jarrett, Esq., the principal of the firm, presented at a National Business Institute seminar, “Resolving Legal and Financial Issues in Elder Care” on May 18, 2010 in South Burlington.  This seminar was attended by professionals who are involved with or would like to learn about elder care issues.  The presentation to legal and business professionals explored Estate Planning, Powers of Attorney, Advance Directives, Medicaid Long-Term Care Programs, Preserving Assets, and Medicaid Planning.

Glenn A. Jarrett is the principal of Jarrett Law Office, PLC.  He has practiced law in Vermont for over thirty years. Attorney Jarrett has been concentrating his practice in the areas of estate planning, elder law and special needs planning for over eight years.  He has prepared thousands of wills, trusts, medical directives and powers of attorney for his clients.  He is one of a handful of attorneys in Vermont who also hold the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation.  He is a CFP® practitioner, but limits his financial planning practice to estate planning.  He is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Society of Financial Service Professionals, where he serves as immediate past-President of the Vermont Chapter. Jarrett has presented continuing legal education seminars on a variety of estate and elder law subjects. He is a member of the Chittenden County, Vermont and New York bar associations. He was the past vice chair and past chairman of the Burlington (Vermont) Development Review Board and past chairman of the Burlington Zoning Board of Adjustment. He is a member of VERG, the Vermont Elder Resource Group. Jarrett earned his A.B. degree from Middlebury College with honors and his J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a senior editor of Georgetown's international law review. He has been a board member of several area non-profit organizations, and is currently on the board at Champlain Valley Agency on Aging (CVAA).

Attorney Jarrett also is one of a small number of elder law attorneys in Vermont. For example, of over two thousand licensed attorneys in Vermont, only 28 are members of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (“NAELA”), the leading membership organization for elder law attorneys in the United States.  Attorney Jarrett not only is a member of NAELA, but is a founding member and current Secretary/Treasurer of the Vermont chapter of NAELA.  He has regularly presented well-attended seminars on Elder Law to attorneys and financial professionals and has been interviewed numerous times on radio and television programs, including several “Across the Fence” programs produced by the Vermont Extension Service and broadcast on WCAX-TV. 

Attorney Jarrett is an honors graduate of Middlebury College and the Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as a Senior Editor on the board of the Law Center’s international law journal, Law and Policy in International Business.  He began his legal career as law clerk to the Honorable Albert W. Coffrin of the United States District Court for the District of Vermont.  He spent nine years as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Vermont and 11 years as General Counsel of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency.

While HIPAA was signed into federal law nearly a decade ago, it still seems to cause much confusion.  While you may hear about it regularly at the doctor’s office and the pharmacy, do you really know what it is or what you’re signing? 

 Let’s begin with its acronym.  Many times it is mistyped as HIPPA or even mistaken for HIPPO.  But, be assured there is no mention of a hippopotamus in HIPAA!  It actually stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, which was finalized in 2000 and modified in 2002.  In that Act was a requirement that the government establish a set of national standards for the protection of certain health information, which is commonly referred to as the “Privacy Rule.” 

For more of this article here is the link http://vtelaw.com/index.aspx?TypeContent=ARTICLES&Art_Title=HIPAA,_not_HIPPO_(5_2010)&art_id=1759

Sign up for the new seminar "Planning for Elders and Medicaid".  The seminar will be held at the VSECU in Montpelier on April 28th at 2:30pm or 6pm.  See our website for more information.http://www.vermontestateplanning.com/index.aspx?TypeContent=SEMINARS

Spring Cleaning - Dust Off Those Documents

 Although past experience reminds us that winter is not yet over, our printed calendars do suggest that spring is near.  For many that season’s arrival initiates the annual exercise of cleaning – washing the drapes, dusting the ceiling fan blades, and an overall freshening of the house.  For perhaps a smaller number of cleaning enthusiasts, this ritual also includes the re-organization of closets and sorting through file cabinets or stacks of paperwork.  And for even a smaller percentage of cleaners, sorting may involve a review of legal documents.

If your spring cleaning tradition doesn’t include a legal document-sort, should it?  Here are some suggested guidelines.

For more of this article here is the link http://vtelaw.com/index.aspx?TypeContent=ARTICLES&Art_Title=Spring_Cleaning_-_Dust_Off_Those_Documents_(4-2010)&art_id=1660