 Wells Fargo Bank Building
3333 S. Bannock St., Suite 900
Englewood, CO 80110
Phone 303-488-9888
Email: abtrust@aol.com
Fax 303-761-2989
Stewart Fleisher has specialized in Estate Planning for over twenty years. His law degree is from the University of Denver, and he holds an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School (Boston, MA). He has written articles for the Colorado Lawyer and has taught estate planning to attorneys from all over the U.S. Mr. Fleisher helps his clients avoid probate, plan for disability, reduce taxes, and protect their children's inheritance from divorce, creditors, and the IRS. About 60% of his time is spend on drafting new estate plans, and 40% on administration. Working with the families of deceased clients is an important part of his practice.
He was raised in Albuquerque, NM, but has lived in Colorado for over 30 years. Stewart and his wife, Jacqueline Tobin, have lived in the Washington Park Area for over 25 years. They have two children. Stewart enjoys skiiing, hiking, and canoeing in his spare time.
Additional Information, Reports, Forms, and other information you can download:
1. Office Information - Including information on Mr. Fleisher, his areas of practice, his staff, his office location and directions, and disclaimer regarding this web site.
2. Estate Planning Work Sheet - If you come in for an Estate Planning consultation, we would appreciate it if you would at least partially complete this work sheet at home before your appointment and bring it with you. It will make the meeting go more efficiently. But even if you don't come in, you may wish to complete this work sheet anyway so that your family will have this valuable information if something happens to you. Exact values are not required for planning purposes.
3. Planning with a Living Trust - A comprehensive Living Trust Estate Plan can help your family avoid probate, reduce estate taxes, and protect assets from nursing home costs. To learn more, read this article and consider visiting our office for a free, no-obligation consultation.
4. New Seminar Handout - We recently developed a new seminar to explain some of the common problems encountered when a person tries to draft his or her own estate planning documents. This seminar outline is provided to help you determine if you might benefit from an estate planning consultation.
5. Estate Tax Chart - How much will your family have to pay in estate taxes in you die this year? In 2011? This chart provides the amount of estate tax due on various size estates by calendar year. Print it out for future reference.
6. Gifting Memorandum - There are many reasons for gifting, including reducing estate taxes. This article summarizes some of the legal and tax aspects of gifting you should be aware of before making large gifts.
7. What Do You Do When Someone Dies - This outline gives the family an idea of some of the things which may need to be done when someone dies. It addresses both things to consider just prior to death as well as administration after death of assets held in a living trust, probate assets, and other non-probate assets. Because family situations differ greatly, because the size and make-up of estates vary greatly, and because decedents may have very different estate plans (or lack thereof), this outline is general in nature and SHOULD NOT be viewed as legal advice. It provides a list of some things to be considered, many of which should be discussed with an estate planning attorney.
8. Tangible Personal Property Memorandum - Most wills and trust (especially the ones I have draft) authorize the use of a personal property memo pursuant to which you can indicate which household items are to go to whom upon your death. This memo does not have to be notarized or witnessed, but it must be signed by you and should be dated. This form cannot be used to gift real estate, stocks, bonds, and the like, or cash bequests. It can only be used for the "junk around the house!"
9. Death Certificate Information - Upon your death a close family member is usually asked to provide certain basic information which is included on a death certificate. This form may be useful to your family if you complete it and let them know where it can be found at the appropriate time.
10. Funeral and Burial instructions - Use this form to let your family know your wishes with respect to your burial and funeral arrangements. Do you wish to be buried or cremated? If you are a veteran, do you want to be buried at a military cemetery such as Ft. Logan? We suggest that you discuss these matters with your souse and children, but it also helps to have your wishes in writing. If nothing else, you might write "Keep the cost down" if that is your desire.
11. Authorization to Discuss your File with your Family - All information in your file in my office is confidential and we are prohibited from discussing it with anyone while your are alive. But what if we get a call from one of your children and it sounds like an emergency? This form gives us permission to discuss things with the persons you designate.
12. The Heritage Trust (an IRA Inheritance Trust) - "My daughter is more successful that I am. Why would I want to leave her inheritance to her in trust? I trust her!" Well, there are many reasons to leave a child's inheritance to him or her in this type of trust. Read this article to find out why. The reasons may surprise you. In fact, you may well wish that your parents had left you your inheritance in this type of trust.
13. The Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust - Many people are quite surprised to discover that the DEATH benefit of their life insurance, even a term policy provided by your employer, is included in their taxable estate for estate tax purposes. To learn how to avoid having these proceeds taxed at your death, read the this article. Many people even prefer to pay all their estate taxes with a life insurance policy owned by this type of trust.
14. Immediate Pre-mortem Planning - When it is apparent that a loved one is near death, there are some things you should be doing, AND some things you should NOT be doing. This article explores many of the planning opportunities available and the common mistakes which many people make.
15. Required Minimum Distributions from Retirement Plans - The IRS requires that certain minimum distributions be withdrawn from most retirement plans, such as IRAs, upon your attaining 70 1/2 years of age. The first chart shows the divisor for the plan owner. The second chart shows the initial divisor which must be used by designated beneficiaries.
16. When to use a Will; When to use a Trust - This report discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each, and explains why you may prefer one type of plan over another. The chart of the last page may be especially helpful. |