Nimble Estate Planning
Access this expert-led webinar instantly, available anytime on-demand.
Included in All-Access Membership Live Webinar
On-Demand Webinar Available
Customer Satisfaction Guarantee Learn with confidence. If you're not happy, we'll make it right. That's our guarantee.
As trusted financial professionals, accountants and Certified Financial Planners (CFPs) are often the first line of guidance for clients facing the complexities of estate planning and end-of-life decisions. With evolving regulations, tax codes, and client expectations, staying current on best practices is not just beneficial—it’s essential. This webinar is specifically designed for financial professionals who want to deepen their understanding of the legal and financial elements involved in legacy planning.
You’ll gain practical insights into the state of estate taxes, the use and structuring of wills and trusts, and how to effectively incorporate durable powers of attorney and advance directives into your client planning conversations. We’ll also address how to manage digital assets, plan for clients’ pets, and implement advanced strategies to optimize outcomes and reduce tax exposure. Whether you’re guiding high-net-worth clients or families with more modest estates, this session will enhance your ability to provide comprehensive, forward-thinking advice.
Your Benefits for Attending:- Gain clarity on current estate tax regulations and their implications for client planning.
- Explore effective tools such as wills, trusts, and advance directives to protect client assets.
- Learn how to handle digital legacies, care directives for pets, and other non-traditional planning needs.
- The state of estate taxes
- Wills and trusts
- Durable powers of attorney and advance directives
- Dealing with digital assets
- Providing for pets after you die
- Special planning techniques
Strengthen your ability to guide clients through complex end-of-life planning with confidence and compliance, while earning valuable continuing education credits.
Level: Intermediate
NASBA Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge
CFP Primary Principal Knowledge Topic: Estate Planning
Program Prerequisites: None
Advance Preparation: None
-
Chuck Borek
Chuck Borek is a practicing attorney and founder of the Borek Group, LLC. Chuck is also a CPA, and his background includes five years as a partner in a public accounting firm. He received his law degree and MBA summa cum laude from the University of Baltimore in 1993, where he was editor [...]
ATATX Credit
Aurora Training Advantage is offering continuing education points designed to recognize dedication to training and excellence in accounting.
Invest in your future with confidence! Our Customer Satisfaction Guarantee eliminates all risk, letting you focus purely on mastering new skills and advancing your career. If you're not completely satisfied, we'll ensure you are. Your satisfaction is not just a promise; it's our guarantee.
This webinar received a total of 1 survey responses. Attendees have given an average rating of 5.0 stars out of a possible 5, reflecting the quality and value of the content presented.
Webinar Presentation
How many of the objectives of the event were met?
5.0 Stars
How useful was the information presented at this event?
5.0 Stars
Overall, how satisfied were you with this event?
5.0 Stars
Speaker Performance
Overall, how satisfied were you with this presenter?
5.0 Stars
How closely did the presenter follow the schedule?
5.0 Stars
Reviews From Webinar Survey
Our webinars are crafted to deliver exceptional value and insight to business professionals. Below, you'll find genuine feedback from attendees.
Laura P.
May 15, 2025
5.0 / 5
Webinar Rating:
5.0 Stars
Speaker Rating:
5.0 Stars
Do you have any other comments, questions or concerns?
x
Frequently Asked Questions
A comprehensive estate plan addresses the full spectrum of legal, financial, and personal considerations that determine how a client's assets are managed, protected, and transferred—both during incapacity and after death. The foundational documents include a will, which directs the distribution of probate assets and appoints an executor; one or more trusts, which can manage assets outside of probate, provide for special circumstances, and offer tax planning opportunities; a durable power of attorney, which designates an agent to manage financial affairs if the client becomes incapacitated; and healthcare directives including a healthcare power of attorney and living will or advance directive. Beyond these core documents, a complete estate plan considers beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance, and transfer-on-death accounts—which pass outside of the will and often represent a substantial portion of an estate's total value. Digital asset planning has emerged as an increasingly important element, addressing how online accounts, digital files, and cryptocurrency holdings will be accessed and managed. Estate plans should be reviewed and updated following major life events such as marriage, divorce, birth of children, significant changes in asset values, or relevant changes in tax law. Financial professionals who understand the full estate planning toolkit can provide clients with forward-thinking guidance that protects their legacy and minimizes transfer costs across generations.
The federal estate tax exemption has undergone significant changes in recent years, and its future trajectory is one of the most important variables in estate planning for high-net-worth clients. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 temporarily doubled the estate and gift tax exemption, raising it to approximately $13.6 million per individual (indexed for inflation) through the end of 2025. If Congress does not act to extend these provisions, the exemption is scheduled to sunset to approximately $7 million per individual (adjusted for inflation) after 2025—a dramatic reduction that would bring many more estates into the taxable range. This sunset creates planning urgency for clients whose estate values fall between the current and expected future thresholds, as transfers made before the sunset may lock in the higher exemption amounts. The federal estate tax rate on amounts above the exemption remains at 40%. Many states impose their own estate or inheritance taxes with lower exemption thresholds and different rate structures, creating an additional planning dimension for clients in high-tax states. Strategies such as irrevocable trusts, family limited partnerships, annual gifting programs, and charitable planning tools allow clients to transfer wealth outside of the taxable estate. Financial planners and accountants who stay current on estate tax law changes and proactively advise clients on planning windows provide exceptional value in protecting multi-generational wealth from unnecessary transfer taxation.
Trusts are among the most versatile and powerful tools in estate planning, and understanding their variety and applications enables financial professionals to match the right structure to each client's specific circumstances and objectives. A revocable living trust—the most common type—allows the grantor to retain full control during their lifetime while avoiding probate at death, providing privacy, continuity of management during incapacity, and simpler multi-state asset transfer. Irrevocable trusts transfer assets out of the grantor's estate for estate tax purposes and asset protection, at the cost of relinquishing control. Specific trust structures serve particular planning needs: a bypass trust (or credit shelter trust) maximizes use of both spouses' estate tax exemptions; a spendthrift trust protects assets for beneficiaries who may not manage money wisely; a special needs trust preserves government benefit eligibility for disabled beneficiaries; and charitable remainder trusts or charitable lead trusts achieve philanthropic goals while providing income or estate tax benefits. Dynasty trusts hold assets in trust across multiple generations, extending the benefit of the estate tax exemption and asset protection features. The decision to use a trust—and which type—depends on the client's estate size, family dynamics, asset composition, state laws, and specific goals. Financial professionals who understand trust applications can identify opportunities to recommend trust planning as part of comprehensive, tax-efficient estate and legacy strategies that serve clients across diverse wealth levels.
Digital asset planning has become an essential but frequently overlooked component of modern estate planning, as clients increasingly hold significant value in cryptocurrency, online brokerage accounts, digital files, intellectual property, and online business interests that require explicit planning to transfer effectively. Unlike traditional financial accounts, digital assets often have no physical statement or document that heirs can locate, and access may be permanently lost if login credentials and security information are not preserved and communicated appropriately. Financial planners advising clients on digital assets should begin with a comprehensive digital asset inventory that identifies all accounts, their approximate value, and the information needed to access them. Estate planning documents must explicitly authorize executors and trustees to access, manage, and distribute digital assets, as many digital platforms' terms of service and state laws governing digital asset access require specific legal authorization beyond a general power of attorney or executor appointment. The Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, adopted by most states, provides a framework for this authorization but requires the appropriate language in planning documents. Cryptocurrency presents unique challenges: holdings may be lost permanently if private keys or seed phrases are not securely preserved and accessible to heirs. A secure, regularly updated letter of instruction that inventories digital assets and provides access information—stored separately from the will but referenced in it—is a practical solution that bridges the gap between traditional estate documents and the realities of digital wealth management.
Advance directives and durable powers of attorney are the incapacity planning documents that ensure a client's wishes are honored and affairs are managed effectively if they become unable to make decisions themselves—making them as critical as the wealth transfer documents in a complete estate plan. A durable power of attorney for finances designates an agent to manage the principal's financial affairs—paying bills, managing investments, filing tax returns, and handling business matters—if the principal becomes incapacitated. The word durable means the document remains effective even after incapacity, unlike a conventional power of attorney that terminates upon the principal's incapacitation. A healthcare power of attorney (or healthcare proxy) designates an agent to make medical decisions on the principal's behalf when they cannot communicate their own wishes. A living will or advance directive expresses the principal's specific wishes regarding life-sustaining treatment, artificial nutrition, resuscitation, and end-of-life care, providing guidance to both the healthcare agent and medical providers in critical situations. POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) forms translate advance directive wishes into actionable medical orders for clients with serious illness. Without these documents, incapacitated individuals may require expensive and emotionally difficult court guardianship or conservatorship proceedings before anyone has legal authority to act on their behalf. Financial planners who help clients complete these documents as part of comprehensive estate planning provide genuine peace of mind alongside the financial and tax planning value they deliver.