Author: Eric Needle

Natalie Choate on the CARES Act
Helping Clients Navigate Two New Planning Scenarios
Natalie Choate is a reknowned expert on tax planning. She practices law in Boston, Massachusetts, with the firm of Nutter McClennen & Fish, LLP. Her practice is limited to consultations on estate planning for retirement benefits.
Natalie’s books, Life and Death Planning for Retirement Benefits and The QPRT Manual are leading resources for estate planning professionals.
Join Natalie Choate for a discussion of the new CARES Act, which impacts retirement benefits in two important ways—minimum distributions are “cancelled” for 2020,
and special tax breaks are permitted for Coronavirus-related distributions.
PLEASE NOTE: InterActive Legal subscribers can access this recording FREE on the InterActive Legal Subscriber website.
Visit Interactive Legal, for more information.
In this webinar, Natalie addresses these important topics
Minimum Distributions Cancelled for 2020
- How the suspension of 2020 minimum distributions works, mechanically
- Special rules for deferred 2019 RMDs and 5-year rule payouts
- The impact on DB plans and annuities
- The effect on QCDs – is it time to do Roth conversions?
- What about people who already took their 2020 RMD – they can “roll it back in,” but…
- What about the 60 day deadline?…the once per 12 months limit?
- What if the person took monthly payouts, or made QCDs….or DIED?
Special Tax Breaks for Corona-virus Related Distributions
- Definition of “CRD”
- No 10% tax for those under age 59.5
- $100,000 maximum
- Pay the tax over 3 years, or…
- Roll it back IN within 3 years.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from the expert in this challenging area that impacts clients of all levels of wealth.
May 28, 2020
The Legacy Project is more than Estate Planning
The principles of The Legacy Project believe that Estate Planning is dead—and paint a new vision for the industry
Our lives are more than our portfolios. Wealth Management doesn’t mean diddly, if it divides your family and sets them up for failure. We need a new way of thinking, to build value for our clients in a rapidly changing world.
Wealth for it’s own sake is not enough. If we fail to instill our values in our children, and if we’re not teaching the lessons we’ve learned, then we need a course change.
The Legacy Project
We recently built a website for a group of Estate Planners and Financial Advisors, with an interesting take on Estate Planning.
Community, Conversation and Collaboration is the key.
We’re more than the sum of our parts.
Legacy Planning is more than a kinder-gentler take on wealth management. It’s rethinking the goal. If estate planning is meant to protect assets for future generations, and if our heirs are losing the ground we’ve paved for them, then we need to better understand the equation. And we can’t do that alone, in a vacuum.
Where there is no wise guidance, the nation falls,but in the multitude of counselors there is victory. – Proverbs 11:14
To discern why traditional estate planning is losing ground, we’re gathering the best and brightest, building a community that gets at the heart of the problem.
Daniel Scott, Chad Reyes , and Jonathan Blattmacher have a plan for a better way to manage estates, focused on your legacy. Legacy Planning is more that wealth. It’s wealth management focused on improving the lives of your heirs.
Dan Scott is the Founder and Principal of Scott Law, where he focuses on legacy planning for individuals, families and businesses. He is also the co-Founder and CEO of Spotlight Advisory Group, a wealth and legacy management firm designed for artists, entertainers, athletes, influencers and other creatives
Chad Reyes is the President & CEO of Wealth and Legacy Group. For nearly 2 decades, Chad and his firm have coached, consulted and guided highly successful entrepreneurs, industry leaders and generational families to tax efficiently create, protect and transfer their wealth to future generations through the utilization of their L.O.V.E. Based Approach.
Jonathan Blattmachr is recognized as one of the most creative trusts and estates lawyers in the country. Among industry accolades, he is Director of Estate Planning at Peak Trust Company, InterActive Legal, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, and Co-Author of Wealth Transfer Planning™.
Become a part of this effort, visit The Legacy Project.
May 15, 2020
SBA Loans During COVID-19
Is your business struggling during the Corona Virus crisis?
For your practices and your clients, the CARES Act provides for assistance to small business. Anxiety abounds as programs running out of money, new rules are being issued and we’re all struggling to maintain our businesses—and keep employees and payroll during this unprecedented shut down of our economy.
The place to go for information is SBA.GOV
Interesting that I write this on April 15th—Tax Day. It’s not lost on us, as we address both our taxes, and our business works to survive the Corona Virus crisis.
As a small business owner myself, it’s important to get professional advise–and there’s not much happening in this regard. If your practice helps business make these decisions, you should be communicating that you can help.
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources
Health and government officials are working together to maintain the safety, security, and health of the American people. Small businesses are encouraged to do their part to keep their employees, customers, and themselves healthy.
Coronavirus Funding Options
Click here to learn more about available SBA loan and debt relief options.
Our nation’s small businesses are facing an unprecedented economic disruption due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. On Friday, March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the CARES Act, which contains $376 billion in relief for American workers and small businesses.
EIDL Loan Advance
Take advantage of this Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance and keep your business in business. Our firm lost clients at the onset of the Corona Virus crisis, due to events that had to be cancelled.
This loan advance will provide up to $10,000 of economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing temporary difficulties. In theory, they can provide funds in 3 days. Find out if you’re eligible—and ask your financial and legal professionals for help.
Learn more
Paycheck Protection Program
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is intended to help you keep people employed. This loan program provides loan forgiveness for retaining employees by temporarily expanding the traditional SBA 7(a) loan program.
Rules are changing and money supplies are dwindling. We recommend you work with your accountant or tax planning firm to file this one. Penalties for abusing this look to be severe.
Learn more
Paycheck Protection Program of the CARES Act
Watch this informative webinar from InterActive Legal and its partners, presented on April 13, 2020.

Shared with permission. Visit InterActiveLegal.com
SBA Express Bridge Loans
If you already have a relationship with SBA, this might be a resource, or lender of last resort. Enables small businesses who currently have a business relationship with an SBA Express Lender to access up to $25,000 quickly.
Learn more
SBA Debt Relief
Serious debt relief possibilities for those of you with an SBA loan. The SBA is providing a financial reprieve to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more
To learn more about the relief options available for your business, click here.
April 15, 2020
How will the Secure Act effect retirement benefits?
Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019
On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed the SECURE (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) Act. This new law changes how Americans will save for retirement.
The Secure Act is a game changing piece of legislation that’s shaking established practices for how we save for retirement—and how we’re taxed. Professionals who help us manage our retirements are scrambling to understand the impact.
With the decline of traditional retirement methods, most of us are now responsible for saving for our own retirement. And some figures suggest that 25% of Americans have nothing saved for retirement.
While many are quick to blame the President for changing the status quo, bipartisan support in both the House and Senate helped pass this legislation. The reality is, we need to encourage and simplify saving for retirement.
The Secure Act Decoded
Industry Expert, Natalie Choate, author of “Life and Death Planning for Retirement Benefits“, was quick to dig into the new law. She’s offering a timely webinar, that is a must see for industry pros.
Whether you are a Trusts and Estates attorney, an Elder Law attorney, a Special Needs Planner, a Financial Advisor, Tax Accountant or CPA, you’ll want to hear Natalie break down just what this means for your future and existing clients.
This Webinar is not longer viewable
You are moments away from hearing the nation’s leading author and expert on retirement planning dissect the SECURE Act and clarify just what this means for estate planners.
For more information, visit Retirement Benefits Planning, where you can subscribe to the digital version of “Life and Death Planning for Retirement Benefits“.
March 3, 2020
Life and Death Planning for Retirement Benefits
Planning for retirement is not as simple as you’d think. We’ve discovered an amazing book, the definitive reference book helping you plan and manage benefits for retirement for you or someone close.
Natalie Choate, renowned in the estate planning and elder law world, has update her landmark book, Life and Death Planning for Retirement Benefits. This 8th Edition was recently released in 2019 and an update is due in 2020.
Click here to purchase the physical book.

Or you can subscribe to the Digital Version. Click this button and visit RetirementBenefitsPlanning.com
Retirement Benefits Planning
January 13, 2020
Results from ABA report show the need for a well thought out online presence
With our focus on online promotion, we’re seeing trends that should serve as a wake-up call for any practice. National companies are surging at the expense of the future of your law firm. The need for digital marketing has never been greater. How does your site perform?
The American Bar Association (ABA) conducted its Legal Technology Survey report, gathering information from May through October of 2018.
Respondents to the portion of the 2018 Survey covering websites and law firm marketing consisted largely of solos (42%) and firms of 2-9 attorneys (32%), followed by 12% at firms of 10-49 attorneys, and 14% at firms of 50+ lawyers.
The average age of all respondents was 54 years of age, and on average, respondents have been admitted to the bar for 25 years.
Here are some of the notable results:
- The internet can help to level the playing field significantly, allowing smaller firms and solos to compete for business that, in the past, would be taken over by larger, national firms
- Solo practitioners and small firms who develop a good internet marketing strategy still have the opportunity to use the internet to stand out and differentiate themselves.
- Based on the 2018 Survey results however, a significant number of solo and small firms are not taking advantage of this opportunity.
Hence, we reach out to you, now.
Once again, the majority of solos rely on themselves (63%) to create content for their website, alternatively, they outsource to outside consultants or providers (37%).
Respondents from firms of 2-9 attorneys are almost evenly split between relying on one lawyer in their firm (37%), an outside consultant or provider (35%), and more than one lawyer in their firm (29%).
We augment your team and help you more effectively and efficiently reach prospects.
Solos and small firms that still do not have a web presence and a website with their own domain name are missing crucial opportunities to bolster their practice.
One major takeaway should be of course, that you don’t own your social media platforms.
While many of these lawyers undoubtedly have some internet presence on other sites such as Avvo, Facebook, or LinkedIn, it is important for lawyers to have an internet presence that they control and content that they own.
The platforms are not future-proof and can dwindle off as quickly as they gain traction. If your law firm content and information reside only on these platforms, you’re taking an unnecessary risk.
We understand that, while you cannot own your Facebook page or LinkedIn content, you certainly own and manage your website. Don’t place all your eggs in one basket, especially one you can’t control.
Learn how PracticeDev can grow your business, while you focus on growing your clients. Contact us for a gratis 30-minute discovery session.
For more information, view the report on the America Bar Association’s site: https://www.americanbar.org/…/Marketing/
August 8, 2019