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General Information is Not Legal Advice Before acting or not acting, consult a qualified advisor . . . .

General Information is NOT Legal Advice! Before you read the articles, read this:

• Nothing on this web site constitutes legal advice.

• All articles published on the Internet (including those at this site) and in print media are necessarily oversimplified and may not be appropriate for any particular person's situation.

• Information contained in these pages and information received from any newsgroup is NOT an acceptable substitute for personal legal advice from an attorney who is:

  • licensed in the state where you live;
    
  • experienced in the appropriate area of law; and
    
  • familiar with the details of your situation.

• The information presented at this site (rushforth.net) and rushforthfirm.com is general information only should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.

• Because this site is general and cannot address all excepts and unique situation, you cannot rely on the information on this site in making estate- or tax-planning decisions. More to the point, you should never rely on general estate planning information. The problems with a poorly designed estate plan--which may include a will or trust that is legal but inadequate--will not usually surface until it is too late to correct. Acting on general information can be penny wise and pound foolish.

• Although this web site includes pages that discuss tax issues, nothing on this site constitutes a legal tax opinion that is compliant with Circular 230 issued by the U. S. Treasury Department. Because of that, nothing on this web site can be relied upon to avoid any tax penalties.

• The State Bar of Nevada does not certify any lawyer as a specialist or expert.

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Introduction to Estate Planning Estate planning is more than just having a will . . . .

Introduction

Estate planning is the planning of the acquisition, preservation, and ultimate disposition of one's assets. The focus in these pages is on the transfer of assets at death. They are intended to motivate the reader to do something and to do it right. The first law of estate planning is a modified version of Murphy's Law: "If anything can go wrong, it does, and usually when it's too late to correct."

To prepare a will or even a trust that meets the minimum legal requirements is relatively easy, but to prepare an effective estate plan, you must know what what your options are and the consequences flowing from those options. Preparing estate planning documents without adequate knowledge of the legal, tax, and practical effects of those documents is like traveling in a car without a map. Just as a map of Pennsylvania will not help you travel through California, estate planning information that comes from someone who is not familiar with the laws of your state may lead you down the wrong path. You need to:

1. Educate yourself with professional advice from someone experienced in the estate planning, property, tax laws applicable where you live,

2. Prioritize your goals, and

3. Implement your plan with professionally prepared documents. You also need to periodically review your plan to keep it up-to-date.

The articles that follow in these pages are intended to give a simple, easy-to-understand overview of estate planning techniques ranging from the basic to the sophisticated. These articles were written by Nevada estate planning attorney Layne T. Rushforth, and a brief biography gives a few boring details about him. This information is not a substitute for personal, professional advice, but it is hoped that it will provide a foundation for a basic understanding of the laws that affect estate planning and the tools we use to accomplish our objectives.

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Looking for an attorney? Places to search. . . .

• Trust and Estate Attorneys. You may obtain a list of trust and estate attorneys (who do estate planning, probate, trusts, wills, and estate administration) in North America from the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Point your web browser to http://www.actec.org and click on "Find an ACTEC fellow". Then click on the link for the state involved (or on the "International" link for attorneys in Canada). Each attorney who is a "fellow" in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel must have a minimum of 10 years' experience, must focus his or her practice on estate planning and probate, must contribute to the quality of the practice by teaching and publishing, and must be recommended by his or her peers.
  
  
• Elder Law Attorneys. go to the consumer directory for the American Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Point your web browser to http://www.naela.com/Applications/ConsumerDirectory/index.cfm, leave the last name and business name blank, select the state, fill in or omit the zip code, and under "Experience Code" select 14 (long-term care issues), 1 (planning for disability), 11 (Medicaid), or any more appropriate topic, and then click SEARCH.
  
  
• Other Attorneys. To look for attorneys by specialty or by geographical location, go to http://www.lawyers.com/.

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Contact Information

• You may use any of these ways to contact Layne:

  • Office Telephone: (702) 255-4552.  [Toll-free:  (866) 740-9195.]
    
  • Office Fax: (702) 255-4677.  [Toll-free fax:  (866) 740-9197.]
    
  • Layne Rushforth's Private Fax: (866) 373-3607. [Viewed by Mr. Rushforth only.]
    
  • Office Address/Mail: 9505 Hillwood Drive, Suite 100, Las Vegas, Nevada 89134-0514.  For a map and driving directions form, click on the address.

• To view Layne Rushforth's business card and to optionally it to your address book using Plaxo.com, click here.

• To download the PGP public key for Layne T. Rushforth (layne@rushforth.net), click here or obtain it from the PGP server at http://pgp.mit.edu/ (entering "layne@rushforth.net" as the search string). Add this public key to your PGP public keyring in order to send PGP-encrypted messages. Also, if you want to receive PGP-encrypted mail, attach your PGP public key to an e-mail sent to layne@rushforth.net.

• The Rushforth Firm, Ltd.: Law Firm Web Site.
  
  

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