The Thursday Report – 7.7.16 – Solo Practices, Profit Margins, and the Ethics of Email Replies

House Bill 307 – Medical Marijuana in Florida

1202 Things to Consider When Setting Up a Related Business Servicing Company – Part 3

5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Profit Margins by David Finkel

See David Finkel Live in Clearwater on Wednesday, July 20th

Solo Medical Practices – Gone Away or Here to Stay? By Dr. Pariksith Singh

See Dr. Pariksith Singh with David Finkel Live in Tampa on Saturday, July 23rd

Clause of the Week: Sponsored by the Alan Gassman Channel at InterActive Legal

Thoughtful Corner – The Ethics of Reply and Reply All

Humor! (or Lack Thereof!)

We welcome contributions for future Thursday Report topics. If you are interested in making a contribution as a guest writer, please email Stephanie at stephanie@gassmanpa.com.

This report and other Thursday Reports can be found on our website at www.gassmanlaw.com.

Quote of the Week

“Business winners tend to be especially responsive to customers. That is, they listen, adjust, listen some more, and adjust some more. Business losers develop products in a vacuum.”
– Tom Peters

Peters

Tom Peters is the author of several books on business management practices. He is best known for the books Thriving on Chaos and In Search of Excellence, which he co-authored with Robert H. Waterman, Jr. In Search of Excellence quickly became a national best-seller after its release in 1982. It can be viewed by clicking here. Today, Tom Peters writes and speaks about personal and business empowerment and problem-solving methodologies.

House Bill 307 – Medical Marijuana in Florida

In March, the Florida House of Representatives and Senate overwhelmingly voted to expand the use and regulation of medical marijuana in Florida through the enactment of House Bill 307.[1] Under the new Bill, “eligible patients” can receive both low-THC cannabis and medical grade cannabis from a dispensing organization.[2] The current rules regulating medical marijuana only allow eligible patients to receive low-THC cannabis.

The Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act of 2014 (CMCA) and the Right to Try Act of 2015 (RTTA) permitted dispensing organizations only to manufacture, possess, and sell low-THC cannabis to eligible patients. Eligible patients include those suffering from cancer, chronic seizures, or severe muscle spasms. House Bill 307 allows dispensing organizations to manufacture, possess, and sell both low-THC and full-strength medical marijuana products derived from the whole plant.

Pursuant to Florida Statute §§ 381.986 and 499.0295, in order to access medical cannabis, a patient must satisfy the following conditions:

Marijuana Chart

House Bill 307 also regulates the nurseries and dispensaries permitted to grow and supply cannabis to eligible patients. Specifically, it creates new standards for growing, processing, testing, packaging, labeling, dispensing, distributing, and transporting cannabis. Furthermore, the Bill authorizes independent testing laboratories to lawfully possess, test, transport, and dispose of cannabis.[3]

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[1] House Bill 307 became effective on March 25, 2016.
[2] A resident of the state of Florida, added to the compassionate use registry by a physician licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 to receive low-THC cannabis or medical cannabis from a dispensing organization defines an “eligible patient.”
[3] Florida Statute Section 381.986(9)(c).

1202 Things to Consider When Setting Up a
Related Business Servicing Company – Part 3
by Brandon Ketron, J.D., LL.M., CPA, and Alan S. Gassman, J.D., LL.M.

Part 3 – Requirements Under Section 1202, Continued

Part 1 and Part 2 of this series discuss requirements to qualify for Section 1202 Gain Exclusion. Part 1 includes stock of a C-Corporation requirements and original issuance requirements. Please click here to read Part 1. Part 2 includes the Qualified Small Business Requirement and the Active Business Requirement. To read Part 2, please click here.

This week, we will conclude our discussion of Section 1202 requirements.

D. Active Business Requirement (continued)

The Tax Court Memorandum decision of Owens v. Commissioner also provides some guidance on the definition of a qualified trade or business.[1] In this case, Mr. Owens was seeking to defer recognition of capital gains via Section 1045 by rolling over the gain from qualified small business stock into another qualified small business stock.[2] Section 1045 borrows the definition of a qualified small business from Section 1202.[3] In order to facilitate this plan, Mr. Owens created a retail jewelry business, J&L Gems, to serve as the qualified small business replacement for his sale of Family First Advanced Estate Planning (FFAEP).

The Tax Court held that FFAEP was a qualified small business.[4] FFAEP engaged in the business of selling prepaid legal services, including estate planning services.[5] In a “living trust mill” scheme that would eventually land Mr. Owens in hot water with the California Attorney General, FFAEP would send sales representatives to potential clients’ homes and have them agree to revise their estate planning documents.[6] The sales representative would then contract with an outside pre-arranged lawyer to prepare the documents and return them to the client’s home.[7]

The main goal of this arrangement was to earn the client’s trust in order to sell them annuities and/or life insurance so sales representatives and Mr. Owens could earn commissions.[8] Despite the Commissioner’s argument that FFAEP was not a qualified small business because the principal asset of the company was Mr. Owens’s skill, the Court held that FFAEP was a qualified small business, specifically stating that:

While we have no doubt that the success of [FFAEP] is probably attributable to Mr. Owen and Mr. Michaels, the principal asset of the companies was the training and organization structure; after all, it was the independent contractors, including Mr. Owen and Mr. Michaels, in their commission sales hats, who sold the policies that earned the premiums, not Mr. Owen in his personal capacity.[9]

Ultimately, the exchange did not qualify for a rollover under § 1045 because J&L Gems did not meet the active business requirements required under § 1202(c)(2).[10] In order to satisfy this requirement, 80% of the assets of the corporation must be used in the conduct of an active trade or business. Mr. Owens transferred roughly $2,000,000 into J&L Gems and purchased 16 pieces of jewelry for a total cost of roughly $150,000.[11] J&L Gems made a total of six sales, three of which were to related parties.[12]

Mr. Owens attempted to justify the lack of inventory and sales in the business by stating that he did not believe it was prudent to purchase more inventory without first learning the business.[13] Despite this attempted justification, the Tax Court held that after a trade or business has been in existence for over two years, and asset mix of 92% cash and 8% inventory cannot meet the definition of “active trade or business” as set forth under Section 1202.[14]

This Tax Court Memorandum, similar to PLR 201436001, shows that a company in a field similar to the ones enumerated in § 1202(e)(3) can still be a qualified trade or business. The case also confirms that the corporation cannot be a mere shell company holding large amounts of cash. While the corporation can hold some cash as working capital, it must also have other assets engaged in some active business. It is unclear what mix of assets and working capital (cash) will be considered reasonable by the courts, as Owens v. Comm’r saved that question for another time.[15]

Congress intended that qualified small business companies must be legitimate businesses as opposed to being “shell companies” or companies that merely provide services such as consulting or accounting. Therefore, a company intending to qualify as a small business under § 1202 should be a bonafide independent separate business and not a “dummy management company.” Such a company would not provide independent services and is not considered an independent trade or business. It will be even more helpful if a company intending to qualify as a small business under § 1202 has multiple customers and purchasers of products other than only one or more companies affiliated within the same family.

E. Five Year Holding Period Requirement

The holding period of QSB stock begins on the day the stock was originally issued. If qualified small business stock is received by gift, inheritance, or from a partnership, the holding period includes the period the stock was held by the donor, decedent, or partnership.[16] The holding period of stock exchanged in a § 351 or § 368 transaction tacks on to the original holding period so long as the stock received in the exchange is qualified small business stock.[17]

The five year holding period requirement will not be satisfied if the taxpayer has an offsetting short position on the qualified small business stock unless:

  1. The stock was held by the taxpayer for more than 5 years as of the first day the short position was taken, and
  2. The taxpayer elects to recognize gain as if the stock was sold on the first day of the short position for its fair market value.[18]

For example, Jim purchased qualified small business stock on January 1, 2010 for $100. On January 2, 2015, when the fair market value of the stock was $500, Jim took a short position in the stock. For the purposes of calculating the exclusion under §1202, there would be a hypothetical sale of the stock, and Jim would have a gain of $400, all of which would be excluded under § 1202. Jim’s basis would increase to $500 and any subsequent gain on the stock would not be eligible for §1202 exclusion.

A taxpayer has an offsetting short position if the taxpayer or the taxpayer’s relative (within the meaning of § 267 or § 707(b)) have:

  1. Made a short sale of substantially identical property,[19]
  2. Acquired an option to sell substantially identical property at a fixed price,[20]
  3. Or the taxpayer has entered into another transaction which substantially reduces the risk of loss from holding the qualified small business stock.[21]

Next time, we will discuss how to calculate the amount of the exclusion under Section 1202. Stay tuned!

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[1] T.C. Memo. 2012-21.
[2] Id.
[3] See IRC § 1045(b)(1).
[4] Owens at 17.
[5] Id at 2.
[6] “Attorney General Lockyer Files $110 Million Plus Lawsuit to Stop Investment Scam That Targets Elderly”; Feb. 2005, accessed June 1, 2016 at https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-lockyer-files-110-million-plus-lawsuit-stop-investment-scam.
[7] Id.
[8] Id.
[9] Owens, at 17.
[10] See IRC § 1045(b)(1) which states that in order to be eligible for a rollover under § 1045, the stock must be qualified small business stock as defined in § 1202(c).
[11] Owens, at 17.
[12] Id.
[13] Id.
[14] Id at 18.
[15] Owens, at 18.
[16] Supra note 13 citing IRC § 1202(f)(2).
[17] IRC § 1202(h)(4)(A).
[18] IRC § 1202(j).
[19] IRC § 1202(j)(2)(A).
[20] IRC § 1202(j)(2)(B).
[21] IRC § 1202(j)(2)(C).

5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Profit Margins
by David Finkel

Finkel

David Finkel is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of SCALE: Seven Proven Principles to Grow Your Business and Get Your Life Back, which can be viewed by clicking here. As the CEO of Maui Mastermind, he has worked with 100,000+ business coaching clients and community members to buy, build, and sell over $5 billion worth of businesses.

Brian owned a successful manufacturing business with sales of $15 million per year. He had recently noticed a large slip in his business’s profit margins. At the time Brian first joined our business coaching program, his operating profit margin (pre-tax profit from actual operations) had slipped to under 3%.

They were behind on their key contracts, forcing them to pay large dollars to expedite shipments. Their manufacturing processes had grown sloppy, causing excessive scrap costs.

In this article, I’ll share the concrete suggestions that helped Brian’s company more than triple their operating profits over 5 years.

Are your margins what they should be based on your industry and business model? In order for you to serve your customers, pay your employees, and reward your investors, your business must be profitable. Your margins are a measurement of your profitability.

There are two “margins” that you, the owner, must focus on: the Operating Profit Margin and the Gross Profit Margin.

For more details, please click here to continue reading this article on inc.com. You can also follow David on Twitter: @DavidFinkel.

See David Finkel Live in Clearwater
on Wednesday, July 20th

Advertisement Revised

This July 20th cocktail event will include Indian food, hors d’oeuvres, and an interesting talk. Email Alan Gassman at agassman@gassmanpa.com or Stephanie Herndon at stephanie@gassmanpa.com to RSVP.

Solo Medical Practices – Gone Away or Here to Stay?
by Pariksith Singh, M.D.

Singh

Pariksith Singh, M.D. is a board-certified internal medicine physician who received his medical education at Sawai Man Singh Medical College in Rajasthan, India (where he was awarded honors in internal medicine and physiology).  His residency training occurred at All India Institute of Medical Services (New Delhi, India) and Mount Sinai Elmhurst Services, (Elmhurst, New York).  Upon completion of his residency, Dr. Singh relocated to Florida and worked for several years before establishing Access Health Care, LLC in 2001.

Recent trends suggest that solo medical practices are fast disappearing. More and more medical graduates are choosing to be employees of large medical corporations or groups. Individual practices are being lapped up with greater acceleration. To my mind, this is a tragedy. The charm of a single physician practice is unique; it is a more personalized entity where relationships are paramount and corporate mindsets have not set in.

What would I advise single physician practices to ensure they stay solvent? These are some important aspects solo practitioners might wish to focus on:

Security: Safety first, as my father constantly tells me. This safety is in creating firewalls around the corporation. Proper business planning to incorporate the entity and operating agreements that are well-designed are the key. Hiring of good staff and focus on compliance are the first defense. Well-written and implemented policies and procedures are critical. Constant training of staff is a must. IT security, including security of hardware and data, needs professional help, and 24-hour monitoring can be purchased. Constant training of staff with security and company policies with relatively inexpensive Learning Management Systems can be accomplished. Good legal and management counsel would keep the practice protected and preserve high reliability at almost the same levels as any other corporations.

Efficiency: In this age of information-enabled organizations, the use of experts for outsourcing specific tasks can make the practice more efficient than keeping such activities in-house. New tools for credentialing, platforms for billing and coding, financial and regulatory management with different approaches such as staff-on-demand or crowdsourcing can be applied to streamline the practice. The focus of the practitioner and their staff should be on core activities and to let subject matter experts handle the rest. The appropriate use of data and analytics is essential to ensure maximum return on investment of resources. This can only happen when complete digitization of all office functions happens and a complete operational engineering is implemented.

Relationships: A solo practitioner has to learn to see that his or her patients are part of the network of the business, along with other vendors, practitioners, corporate entities, and medical businesses. A proper network management, building long-term, win-win relationships can be the ultimate leverage against predatory corporations. Similarly, relationship management with other providers to create possible IPAs and MSOs should be considered. Joining other such IPAs can be of great value to get resources and contracts at the cheap and readily available.

Actualizing: How to bring a practice to its truest potential? Unfortunately, this is where most solo practices fail. The practitioners do not have time to get their arms around the clinical and administrative sides of the practice, and one aspect of the practice may suffer at the cost of another. Workflow, space, and staff management may optimize the practice. At the end of it, the practitioner must feel fully in command of his or her faculties and specialty without feeling burnt out by process or procedure. Profitability and best utilization of resources will bring a sense of fulfillment and ensure success.

Learning and Growth: A successful practice does not need to scale. But learning should always be its fundamental competence. Without learning, there is no innovation. Without learning, there is not adaptability or recalibration according to the demands of the industry. Attempting new things and ideas within the confines of rules and law always keeps the practice fine-tuned and fighting fit.

Even in these brutal times, solo practices can be successful, strong, secure, and profitable. A playbook of their transformation can indeed be created. Perhaps the most important factor in the success of such a practice is a leader or practitioner who is not complacent and willing to challenge all that was or was not taught in medical school.

For many physicians, the solo practice will be the best way to have control, accountability, reasonable overhead, and quality, one-on-one relationships with patients, staff, and family members who might work in the practice. For this reason, there will always be solo practices and organizations, and technology will continue to accommodate them. Almost all great group practices started off as one or more solo practices.

See Dr. Pariksith Singh with David Finkel
Live in Tampa on Saturday, July 23rd

Saturday Flyer.1b

Clause[s] of the Week:
Sponsored by The Alan Gassman Channel at InterActive Legal

Consent for Divorcing Couple to Continue to Use the Same Law Firm as Joint Clients until the Divorce is Final and as Separate Clients Thereafter

CONSENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS, WAIVER OF
CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND SEPARATE FUTURE REPRESENTATION

THE UNDERSIGNED, [SPOUSE 1] and [SPOUSE 2], both individually and on behalf of any separate entity(ies) controlled by us, do hereby authorize [LAW FIRM] to communicate with each of us jointly and separately in the process of our present Collaborative Dissolution and to continue representing each of us separately and independently of the other once our divorce is final.

This means that after our divorce is final, [LAW FIRM] can represent [SPOUSE 1] individually or [SPOUSE 2] individually to the extent requested and that post-divorce communications, legal documents, and otherwise will not need to be disclosed to the other of us but may be done with written consent of either party.

Said another way, we consent to legal work after the divorce for [SPOUSE 1] to be kept confidential from [SPOUSE 2] and for legal work done after the divorce for [SPOUSE 2] to be kept confidential from [SPOUSE 1]. This shall be controlling on us individually and as we individually represent or are authorized on behalf of any entity, Trust, or Estate planning tool utilized by us in the future.

This consent/waiver form will not prevent us from mutually changing the above ground rules or from disclosing to one another what we are doing and is merely provided to allow [LAW FIRM] to represent each of us separately after our divorce is final. Should [LAW FIRM] represent an entity, Trust, or other Estate planning tool in which we are both engaged or involved with, then we may seek information appertaining solely to such entity or Trust and [LAW FIRM] is not prohibited from and is authorized to discuss all such matters with either or both of us.

Each of us has had the opportunity to confer with independent legal counsel with respect to executing this Waiver and Consent, and we have, in fact, consulted with our respective counsel and have entered into this Agreement freely and voluntarily this date.

This consent may be signed in separate counterparts with a facsimile or scanned copy of a signature being considered the equivalent of an original.

For more information about The Alan Gassman Channel at InterActive Legal, please click here and visit https://legalexpertchannels.com/ to register.

Thoughtful Corner
The Ethics of Reply and Reply All
by Alan Gassman

How often do you send an email with a carbon copy to or a blind carbon copy to a client who might unwisely hit “reply all” and make a spectacle of himself or herself by using profanity, being crass, or accidentally thinking that he or she is replying only to you? This can cause poor relationships and possible loss of attorney-client privilege for the communication.

The risk may be very low for a sophisticated client but unreasonably high for an unsophisticated client, so it’s important to know your audience when filling out the recipient fields of a new email.

If the client was blind copied (bcc’d) and replies all, will those who received the original email as a regular recipient or a carbon copy find you to be insincere or “slippery” for copying someone without telling them or without letting them see that the third party was copied?

The bottom line is that we should all think twice with respect to copying clients when these events might happen.

The safer path is to copy yourself on the email and then immediately forward it to the client as an FYI so that they would have to themselves start an email or initiate a carbon copy (cc) to the other party in order to facilitate the communication.

To see a copy of the New York State Bar Association opinion on this matter, please click here.

Please feel free to consider sharing the following with anyone on your staff who handles client emails:

Please do not routinely copy clients who are in negotiations or possible disputes on emails that we send to “the other side.”

Instead, copy yourself and then forward the copy to the client that you would have otherwise cc’d or bcc’d so that they are aware of the situation. This will prevent the client from accidentally or unwisely using the “reply all” command in a way that could be harmful.

Instead of showing the client as a cc on the email, you can end it with a statement such as, “We are also sending a copy of this email to [CLIENT’S NAME] to keep him posted of the situation.”

Please get clearance from your supervising lawyer (also known as the lawyer who you supervise) before deviating from the above guidelines.

The above points are well made in a related article written by ethics law expert Joseph Corsmeier. To see what he has to say, please click here, and to subscribe to Joe’s excellent ethics blog, please click here and select “Follow” in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

Humor! (or Lack Thereof!)

Sign Saying of the Week

Signs

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Alan’s Away Message: The Alaska Edition

If you’ve tried to email Alan Gassman this week while he’s away in Alaska,
you might have received the following reply:

Thanks for your note, but please know,
We are in the land of ice and snow
To the USA, she was state forty-nine,
And the summer is a balmy 60, so we are feeling just fine.

I’m out fishing for new trust law techniques,
Pursuing salmon in rivers and looking at beautiful peaks.
As it turns out, the Last Frontier has unique opportunities,
For entities that can weather harsh legal scrutiny.

Alaska’s origins are 16,000 years old to date,
When our ancestors from Russia crossed over the Bering Strait.
The Aleuts and Inuits, they really loved the cold.
In the 1890s, the Yukon Territory became the land of “Gold!”
Then, in the 70s, the Trans-Atlantic Pipeline led to an oil boom,
And much has been spent to make sure the animals still have room.

We’ll rustle up some halibut,
Wrestle a polar bear,
Go dancing with a penguin,
Just kidding! (No penguins are there!)

But we’re having a whale of a time,
And the sled dog racing is more than fine.
A green beret drove our helicopter,
And the crab is so good, I’m not missing lobster!

So if it’s something routune that you need, may I ask ya,
Can it please wait until we’re back from Alaska?
We return to the continent on Tuesday, the 12th,
And by the 14th, I’ll feel like myself.

Thanks to our great team for staying behind,
And also to you, for enduring this rhyme.
Maribeth’s reading every email twice.
She keeps me organized, which is really quite nice.

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In the News
By Ron Ross

The United Kingdom pavilion in the World Showcase votes to leave Epcot Center. In response, Epcot opens a related thrill ride in which riders can open Pandora’s box and take a rocket-speed economic downward spiral.

UK Car

The UK’s vote to leave the World Showcase is also having effects all across the Walt Disney resort. Disney dollars are down 22%, guests are raiding the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction for buried treasure, turkey legs are now selling for $39.95 each, guests hoping to find gold have created a three-hour line at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Mickey may have to go back to driving steamboats.

Upcoming Seminars and Webinars

Calendar of Events

FREE LIVE BLOOMBERG BNA WEBINAR:

John Porter will present a one-hour webinar on the topic of BASIC BUT EFFECTIVE ESTATE TAX PLANNING TECHNIQUES AND HOW THE IRS MAY LOOK AT THESE.

This webinar is part of the Bloomberg BNA Essential Elements series moderated by Alan Gassman.

Date: Thursday, July 14th, 2016 | 12:30 PM

Location: Online webinar

Additional Information: To register for this presentation, please click here. For more information, please contact Alan Gassman at agassman@gassmanpa.com.

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LIVE BLOOMBERG BNA WEBINAR:

Ken Crotty, Chris Denicolo, and Jerry Hesch will present a one-hour webinar on the topic of ADVANCED TECHNIQUES FOR MATHEMATICS FOR ESTATE PLANNING.

This webinar is part of the Bloomberg BNA Practical & Creative Planning series moderated by Alan Gassman.

Date: Tuesday, July 19, 2016 | 12:30 PM

Location: Online webinar

Additional Information: To register for this presentation, please click here. For more information, please contact Alan Gassman at agassman@gassmanpa.com.

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LIVE TAMPA PRESENTATION:

DAVID FINKEL CONFERENCE FOR PHYSICIANS – SCALE YOUR MEDICAL PRACTICE

This free event for physician clients and friends of Gassman, Crotty & Denicolo, P.A. (including those who claim to be friends) will feature nationally-recognized business advisor and author David Finkel’s unique presentation on growth and lifestyle improvement opportunities for physicians and medical practices. The conference will be entitled SCALE YOUR MEDICAL PRACTICE: PROVEN STRATEGIES TO GROW YOUR PRACTICE, INCREASE YOUR CASH FLOW, AND CREATE MORE PERSONAL FREEDOM.

Spouses, office managers, and other practice advisors will also be welcome to attend this interesting and useful one-day conference.

Date: Saturday, July 23, 2016

Location: Tampa Marriott Westshore | 1001 N. Westshore Blvd., Tampa, FL, 33607

Additional Information: For more information, please email Alan Gassman at agassman@gassmanpa.com.

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LIVE ORLANDO PRESENTATION:

FLORIDA’S PREMIER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Alan Gassman and Lester Perling will be speaking at Florida’s Premier Behavioral Health Annual Conference, sponsored by The Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association and The Florida Council for Community Mental Health. The 2016 conference theme is Providing Value in Challenging Times and examines the latest advances in the fields of substance use disorders and mental health.

Alan and Lester will be speaking on the topic of ETHICAL AND LEGAL MARKETING FOR TREATMENT CENTERS.

Date: August 10th – 12th, 2016 | Alan and Lester will speak on August 10th at 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.

Location: Rosen Centre Hotel | 9840 International Drive, Orlando, FL, 32819

Additional Information: For more information or to register for this conference, please visit http://www.bhcon.org/. You may also email Alan Gassman at agassman@gassmanpa.com for more information.

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FREE LIVE BLOOMBERG BNA WEBINAR:

Edwin Morrow and Christopher Denicolo will present a one-hour webinar on the topic of ESTATE & TRUST PLANNING FOR IRA & PENSION ACCOUNT ASSETS.

This webinar is part of the Bloomberg BNA Essential Elements series moderated by Alan Gassman.

Date: Thursday, August 11th, 2016 | 12:30 PM

Location: Online webinar

Additional Information: To register for this presentation, please click here. For more information, please contact Alan Gassman at agassman@gassmanpa.com.

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LIVE TAMPA PRESENTATION:

The Ameriprise Clearwater branch office, in conjunction with The Tampa Bay Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, will be hosting an event centered on LGBT estate planning, featuring Alan Gassman’s presentation on PRACTICAL PLANNING FOR MARRIED AND UNMARRIED COUPLES.

The Florida Advisor’s Guide to Counseling Same Sex Couples, which was last updated in 2015, is now available on Amazon for only $39.17. It can be viewed by clicking here. Please note that this edition was last revised before the US Supreme Court decision of Obergefell v. Hodges, but the book still has extensive, useful information.

Date: August 18th, 2016 | Time To Be Determined

Location: Safety Harbor Resort & Spa | 105 N Bayshore Drive, Safety Harbor, FL, 34695

Additional Information: For more information, please email Alan Gassman at agassman@gassmanpa.com or Philip Nelson at philip.nelson@ampf.com.

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LIVE COMPLIMENTARY WEBINAR:

Jay Adkisson and Alan Gassman will present a free, one-hour webinar on the topic of JAY ADKISSON’S MUSINGS ON CAPTIVE CARRIERS.

There will be two opportunities to attend this presentation.

Date: Tuesday, August 30, 2016 | 12:30 PM or 5:00 PM

Location: Online webinar

Additional Information: To register for the 12:30 PM presentation, please click here. To register for the 5:00 PM presentation, please click here. For more information, please contact Alan Gassman at agassman@gassmanpa.com.

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LIVE COMPLIMENTARY WEBINAR:

Marty Shenkman and Alan Gassman will present a free, 30-minute webinar on the topic of AVOIDING FAMILY STRIFE FOR ELDERLY CLIENTS BY HAVING A SUPPORT TEAM IN PLACE.

There will be two opportunities to attend this presentation.

Date: Thursday, September 8, 2016 | 12:30 PM or 5:00 PM

Location: Online webinar

Additional Information: To register for the 12:30 PM presentation, please click here. To register for the 5:00 PM presentation, please click here. For more information, please contact Alan Gassman at agassman@gassmanpa.com.

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LIVE COMPLIMENTARY WEBINAR:

Sandra Greenblatt and Alan Gassman will present a free, 30-minute webinar on the topic of AVOIDING THE TRAPS IN EMR/TECHNOLOGY CONTRACTS.

There will be two opportunities to attend this presentation.

Date: Wednesday, September 14, 2016 | 12:30 PM or 5:00 PM

Location: Online webinar

Additional Information: To register for the 12:30 PM presentation, please click here. To register for the 5:00 PM presentation, please click here. For more information, please contact Alan Gassman at agassman@gassmanpa.com.

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LIVE COMPLIMENTARY WEBINAR:

Al Gomez and Alan Gassman will present a free, 30-minute webinar on the topic of FRAUDULENT TRANSFERS UNDER FLORIDA LAW.

There will be two opportunities to attend this presentation.

Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2016 | 12:30 PM or 5:00 PM

Location: Online webinar

Additional Information: To register for the 12:30 PM presentation, please click here. To register for the 5:00 PM presentation, please click here. For more information, please contact Alan Gassman at agassman@gassmanpa.com.

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LIVE SARASOTA PRESENTATION:

58th ANNUAL FLORIDA BANKERS ASSOCIATION TRUST & WEALTH MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE

Alan Gassman will be speaking at the 58th Annual Florida Bankers Association Trust & Wealth Management Conference on the topic of PLANNING TO AVOID AND HANDLE ESTATE AND TRUST DISPUTES.

Date: Thursday, September 29th, 2016 | 4:15 PM – 5:15 PM

Location: The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota | 1111 Ritz Carlton Drive, Sarasota, FL, 34236

Additional Information: For more information, please email Alan Gassman at agassman@gassmanpa.com.

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LIVE MAUI PRESENTATION:

2016 MAUI MASTERMIND WEALTH SUMMIT

Alan Gassman will be speaking at the 2016 Maui Mastermind Wealth Summit with David Finkel. This event will connect attendees with many Maui Mastermind Wealth Advisors such as Alan. Details on his topics and the event are forthcoming, so watch this space!

Date: December 4th – December 9th, 2016

Location: The Fairmont Kea Lani Maui | 4100 Wailea Alanui Drive, Maui, HI, 96753

Additional Information: For more information, please email Alan Gassman at agassman@gassmanpa.com.

Applicable Federal Rates

Below we have this month, last month’s, and the preceding month’s Applicable Federal Rates, because for a sale you can use the lowest of the 3.

July Rates