Madison, Wis., Feb. 27, 2008 – WealthCounsel, LLC announced today that it recently launched a web-based survey soliciting input from the nation’s estate planning attorneys on the action they believe Congress will take prior to the expiration of the current federal estate tax rates. Following enactment of the new legislation, WealthCounsel will award $10,000 to the estate-planning attorney who was the first to correctly predict the estate tax exemption amount and marginal estate tax rate.
“No one is more affected by the future estate tax law than those of us who plan our clients’ estates,” said W. Edward Dean, a San Francisco estate planning attorney and WealthCounsel principal. “We are putting the wisdom of crowds to work by finding out what our colleagues collectively predict the outcome will be.”
Between now and 2011, the federal estate tax will either be repealed or be reformed, and the uncertainty over future tax rates is making it difficult for attorneys and their clients to plan correctly. WealthCounsel is hoping that the launch of this nationwide survey will draw Congress’ attention to the importance of bringing closure to the debate.
"After working with estate planning attorneys for nearly 18 years, I have found a common attribute they share is an ardent desire to creatively solve problems.” said Roberta Trudeau, WealthCounsel principal. “By drawing attention to this issue, we hope that our Congressional lawmakers, many of whom are also attorneys, will be inspired by the problem-solving wisdom of their estate planning colleagues who have an active pulse on this topic.”
About the Contest:
No purchase is necessary. The WealthCounsel Estate Tax Survey, which may be accessed from the WealthCounsel website at www.wealthcounsel.com is open only to estate planning attorneys (defined as someone who devotes at least 50% of their practice to the study and services of estate planning) in the 50 United States (and District of Columbia) who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry. Promotion starts on January 31, 2008 (“Start Date”) and ends on the earlier of December 31, 2010 or when new legislation regarding federal estate tax and exemption amounts is signed into law. Void where prohibited. The sponsor is WealthCounsel, LLC, P. O. Box 44403, Madison, Wisconsin 53744-4403.
About WealthCounsel®
WealthCounsel® is a registered trademark of WealthCounsel, LLC, a membership-based organization of more than 1,000 law firms, and a leading provider of tools and intelligence to the nation’s estate planning community. The company, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in June 2007, is known for its Five-Star Practice Solution™, a unique blend of the WealthDocs™ document drafting software, collaborative community of practitioners, discussion forums, relevant CLE, and practice building resources. WealthCounsel shares ownership in two sister companies, ElderCounsel, LLC, and the Advisors Forum, LLC. For more information, visit www.wealthcounsel.com.