WealthCounsel Library of Free Resources

WealthCounsel offers many free resources for non-members. Below are the categories of our free resources. Click on the links for more information or scroll down the page to view all of our resources.  

Free Listserv
WealthCounsel has a free listserv that is open to all estate planning professionals. If you have a burning question or are seeking someone with whom to co-counsel in another state, sign up today. Benefit from the collective wisdom of your estate planning listmates throughout the country. Sign up for our free listserv today.

Sample Estate Planning Documents
WealthDocx offers a wide variety of estate planning documents. Below are just a few samples of what our drafting system creates. Download the free samples below.

Revocable Living Trust Sample: Sample portfolio of a living trust and ancillary documents created using WealthDocx Drafting System. 

Asset Protection Trust Sample: Sample portfolio of an asset protection trust created using WealthDocx Drafting System. 

» See Full List of Modules Created in WealthDocx

Industry Trends Surveys
In 2007, WealthCounsel launched the nation's first comprehensive survey of estate planning attorneys. The assessment drew participation from attorneys in all 50 states. Starting with the 2009 survey, WealthCounsel and Trusts & Estates magazine became partners in launching the annual survey to further broaden its scope in the marketplace. Since then participation has grown to over 1,000 attorneys and the data collected continues to provide valuable insight for all estate planning practitioners.
2011  |  2010  |  2009  |  2008  |  2007

• The Economy’s Impact on Business-Owner Clients
• Impact Regarding Partisan Gridlock
• The Ripple Effect of Declining Real Estate Markets
• The Upside to a Down Real Estate Market?
• Unemployment Crisis and Future Jobs Growth
• And much, much more

Research Reports
For questions or comments about the Bernstein Wealth Management Research Reports, please email Greg Singer at SingerGD@bernstein.com.

• Lemons to Lemonade: The Planning Opportunities Created by Market Instability NEW
• Bring It On Home-Transferring Wealth to US Beneficiaries
• Investment Opportunity amid Tax Uncertainty
• Transfer Opportunities in Advance of Legislative Change
• Striking the Right Balance - Cash Balance Plans for Professional Practices and Closely Held Firms
• Roth to Riches?  - Determining Whether a Roth Conversion Makes Sense
• Inflation Fixation - Where Will It End?
• How Safe Are Municipal Bonds Today? 
• Entering the Market - All At Once or In Stages: Quantifying the Trade-Offs
• Tangible Transfers: Leveraging Liquid Wealth to Transfer Illiquid Assets
• Looking Beyond Perpetuity: Customizing a Private Foundation
• The Enviable Dilemma - Concentrated Stock: Hold, Sell, or Hedge?
• The Art Before the Deal: Maximizing Personal Wealth When Selling a Business 
• Can Early Tax Harvesting Reap Greater Gains?
• Multigenerational Wealth Management: Getting a Legacy Up
• Retirement: Plan Early and Often  
• Wealth Transfer Strategies: The Timely and the Timeless

» See Full List of Research Reports with short description

Newsletter
The WealthCounsel Quarterly is published January, April, July and October. It is a communication tool through which WealthCounsel members can share legal expertise with their colleagues while enhancing their professional exposure within the estate planning community. Members are invited to contribute a legal/technical article or a column on practice-building strategies for each issue. Sign up for our newsletter. Below are links to the online version of The WealthCounsel Quarterly. 

Thought Leader Series Webcasts

• Most Compelling Opportunities Now. Making Two Years Last a Lifetime (November 15, 2011)
  - Slide Deck Presentation (.pdf) 
  - Outline(.pdf)
  - Speaker Bios (.pdf)
  - Handout 1 - Shark-Fin CLAT Memo (.pdf)
  - Handout 2 - MCON Extended Presentation (.pdf) 
  - MCLE Packet (.pdf)
  - CFP CE Report (.xls)
• Using LLCs to Protect Family Assets (September 14, 2011)
• Sometimes Less is More: Designing Effective Charitable Planning Strategies for Today’s Savvy Philanthropist (May 12, 2011)
• To ILIT Or Not To ILIT. That is the Question. (February 23, 2011)
• Estate Planning Strategies for the 11th Hour (November 11, 2010)
• Planning for Physicians: How to Attract Physician Clients & What to Do When You Get Them (July 14, 2010)
• Succession Planning for Farmers, Ranchers and Vintners: Why It's Important to Our Food Supply (April 28, 2010)
• Practical Asset Protection Strategies for Business Owners and Professionals (October 28, 2009)

Teleconferences/Webinars

• 11th Hour Webinars
  • 2011 Tax Update and Its Impact on Your Practice
  • Urgent: Unique GSTT Planning Opportunity Expires 12/31/10!
• How WealthCounsel Assists a New Attorney Build an Estate Planning Practice
• WealthCounsel Benefits for an established Estate Planning Attorney
• Client Counseling and Drafting Solutions Relating to the Estate Tax Dilemma
• Now What? Practical Solutions for Gift & Estate Tax Planning in 2010 and Beyond Part I  | Part II  
• View Demo of WealthDocx  

Videos
WealthCounsel has a YouTube Channel. Click the links below to view our YouTube videos

• Interviews: Orion Samuelson of WGN interviews three practitioners on Estate Planning for Farmers, Ranchers and Vintners
• WealthDocx
• TV Clip: This Week in Agribusiness showcases WealthCounsel's emphasis on succession planning for farmers and ranchers.

Other Resources

• NEW Drafting Charitable Planning Documents with WealthDocx®:
  Updating Our Perspective
  (A presentation by Thomas J. Ray, J.D., CFP® & Jason E. Havens, Esq.)
• View Testimonials from Members
• Listen to WealthCounsel benefits.
• Read relevant articles on the Estate Planning Blog