PRESS RELEASE:

Pittsburgh, March 2007 — Russ Thornton has been awarded the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designation from the Center for Fiduciary Studies. The AIF designation signifies training in fiduciary responsibility and follows a two day course and examination.

Thornton, a resident of Atlanta, GA is President of Thornton Wealth Management. He specializes in providing investment management solutions to individuals, trusts and corporate retirement plans.

The Center for Fiduciary Studies is the first full-time training and research facility for fiduciaries. The Center, associated with the Center for Executive Education, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, teaches fiduciary standards of care and investment best practices designed for trustees, advisors, and other investment professionals. They also offer an Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst? designation signifying the ability to perform fiduciary assessments. Programs are offered throughout the year at the University of Pittsburgh?s Center for Executive Education, Stetson University?s Celebration Campus in Orlando, Florida, University of Washington in Seattle, Rice University in Houston, and the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania?s West Campus in San Francisco. Courses are also available internationally in Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia. For more information on future events, training programs and fiduciary products, visit www.fi360.com.

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In my mind, Ben Stein will always best be remembered as the teacher from the classic 80’s movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”.

But beyond his acting career, Ben Stein is a lawyer, economist and former presidential speech writer. He’s a smart guy and a good writer. I don’t always agree with his conclusions, but I think he nails it in his latest piece.

In his latest writing — an article in the New York Times — he asks, “Where Are the Grown-Ups When You Need Them?”

This is a great article which tells it like it is. Click here to read it.

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From Seeking Alpha’s Sound Money Tips . . .

” . . . Don’t put originals wills, trust instruments, or powers of attorney in a safe deposit box. Instead, keep these in a fireproof safe at home or at your attorney?s office.

Why? When someone dies, a safe deposit box may be sealed for weeks, which could result in result in delays. You might even have to spend money securing a court order to open the box. Further, and here’s the Catch-22: the will’s executor will not be able to get to the box without the will that shows that he is indeed, the executor, resulting in headaches and delays.

So, just to be clear: Don’t put original copies of legal documents in a safe deposit box if they will be needed by anyone who cannot gain access to them. As we said before, feel free to put copies of legal documents in the safe deposit box . . .”

Good info. Of course, if you don’t have a will, that’s your first priority!

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As things stand in early 2007, estate and generation skipping (GST) taxes will be repealed in 2010 and reinstated in 2011. And given that Democrats now have control of the House and the Senate, experts are predicting that the permanent repeal of the estate tax is unlikely in the next two years.

At present, for 2007 and 2008, the estate tax exemption is $2 million per person, rising to $3.5 million in 2009, repealed in 2010, and then the tax returns in 2011 with an exemption of $1 million. Given existing laws, experts suggest that using life insurance to pay for potential estate taxes is a very viable solution.

According to industry reports, the number one product sold for estate liquidity today is universal life with a secondary guarantee. In short, this is a policy whereby insurers guarantee the insurance benefit on a universal life insurance policy even if the cash value in the policy goes to zero. This is known as a ?secondary guarantee.? The policy owner agrees to pay a premium which is often less than a whole life insurance premium and if the policy owner keeps-up payments, the policy?s death benefit is guaranteed to age 100.

Policies with secondary guarantees are often used for estate planning where the crucial component is a guarantee of the death benefit and cash value build-up is secondary.

Survivorship life insurance (also called joint and survivor life insurance or second-to-die life insurance) can also be used for estate planning to create the cash liquidity to pay the estate taxes. However, in order for the insurance death benefit to avoid both income and estate tax, the policy must be set-up properly within an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT).

So what in general is universal life, what are its advantages and disadvantages, and when should it be used? According to Tools and Techniques of Life Insurance Planning, universal life ? which was first introduced in the late 1970s — is often referred to as a ?flexible premium,? ?current assumption,? ?adjustable-death-benefit? type of cash value policy. It?s flexible premium because the policy owner can pay whatever premium they wish within a given range and adjust later as needed. Policy owners can even skip premium payments provided there?s enough cash value in the policy to cover policy charges. It?s called a current assumption because current interest rates and current mortality and expense charges are used to determine the cash value of the policy. And it?s called an adjustable death benefit because the policy owner can lower the death benefit at anytime and can raise it with evidence of insurability.

Given this flexibility, universal life is a useful product should a person?s estate tax liability rise or fall with the Congressional tides. Typically, a universal life is best suited for long-term coverage needs; while a non-renewable term policy will generally be more cost-effective for short-term needs. Generally, however, such policies work best when flexibility is needed and policy owners need to reconfigure their premiums or death benefits.

According to some planners, the biggest advantage of using guaranteed universal life is this: The policy owner pays the least expensive premiums to guarantee a lifetime death benefit. The policy owner can also adjust the premium. If, for instance, there?s enough cash value to cover the mortality charges, the policy owner could even skip premium payments.

However, caution should be followed in skipping or delaying payments on these contracts since the ?guarantees? could be impacted. Even premiums received during the grace period could affect the accumulated values and ?guarantees.? Policies differ on this and need to be reviewed before any change is to be made.

The policy is also transparent ? the policy illustrations and annual reports break out and report each element of the policy, such as premium, death benefit, interest credits, mortality charges, expenses and cash value, separately.

Universal life policies also offer two death benefit options, one that is similar to a traditional whole life policy and one that is like a traditional whole life policy with a term rider. The first, a level death benefit; the latter, an increasing death benefit.

When selecting a universal life policy, it?s especially important to consider the amount credited to cash values. The prospective policy owner should know how the insurer determines the amount credited to cash values. The amount credited to cash values depends on the expenses charged against the policy, the mortality charges assessed against the policy, net investment yield earned by the insurer on its portfolio investments and the method used to allocate interest to various blocks of policies.

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Everyone loves a good tax tip. And now that tax season is in full swing, the IRS and other experts have started to issue tip after tip after tip. Here?s a recap:

Getting a jump on your taxes long before the April deadline is the best tip of all. To do so, the IRS recommends gathering your records in advance, including W-2s and 1099s. In addition, the IRS recommends getting the right forms, all of which are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the IRS Web site. That site also has some helpful calculators to get you started.

That being said, tax payers should avoid getting too early a jump on their taxes. With the preferential qualified stock dividend rate, complicated foreign tax credits, lower capital gains rates and other changes over the last few years, many investors are finding that they receive Revised 1099s, or other tax reporting documents, well into March. If you?ve already filed your return, this can lead to costs of re-filing an amended return that you may wish to avoid. The best bet may be to get your tax return all completed, and then hold off filing it until the end of March, to see if any amended 1099s arrive.

Of course, keeping organized, thorough records is the key to filing on time. The IRS suggests that you can avoid headaches at tax time by keeping track of your receipts and other records throughout the year. Good record-keeping will help you remember the various transactions you made during the year and help you document the deductions you?ve claimed on your return. You?ll need this documentation should the IRS select your return for examination. Normally, tax records should be kept for three years, but some documents ? such as records relating to a home purchase or sale, stock transactions, IRA and business or rental property ? should be kept longer.

To be sure, some citizens wonder whether they need to file a tax return. According to the IRS, you must file a tax return if your income is above a certain level and that amount varies depending on filing status, age and the type of income you receive. For example a married couple, under age 65, generally is not required to file for the 2006 tax year until their joint income exceeds $16,900. Even if you do not have to file, the IRS notes that you should file to get money back if Federal Income Tax was withheld from your pay, or you qualify for certain credits.

It?s also important to choose your correct filing status, of which there are five options. According to the IRS, your federal tax filing status is based on your marital and family situation. It is an important factor in determining whether you must file a return, your standard deduction and your correct amount of tax.

Besides choosing the correct filing status, it?s important to calculate whether you should itemize deductions or not? And that will depend on how much you spent on certain expenses last year. According to the IRS, money paid for medical care in excess of 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI), mortgage interest, taxes, charitable contributions, casualty losses and miscellaneous deductions in excess of 2 percent of AGI can reduce your taxes. If the total amount spent on those categories is more than the standard deduction, you can usually benefit by itemizing. The standard deduction amounts are based on your filing status and are subject to inflation adjustments each year.

Also of note, if you gave any one person gifts in 2006 that valued at more than $12,000, you must report the total gifts to the IRS and may have to pay tax on the gifts (if, including prior taxable gifts, in excess of your $1 million lifetime exclusion). The person who receives your gift does not have to report the gift to the IRS or pay gift or income tax on its value. Gifts include money and property, including the use of property without expecting to receive something of equal value in return. There are some exceptions to the tax rules on gifts.

In some cases, a taxpayer may want to consider using a paid tax preparer. If so, the IRS has tips on its Web site to follow. Of note, only attorneys, CPAs and enrolled agents can represent taxpayers before the IRS in all matters including audits, collection actions and appeals. Although you might not find that you need the services of a paid CPA or accountant every year, having a relationship established when unexpected opportunities or events occur will make getting timely professional input that much easier. Someone who knows your income and deduction patterns, and can quickly answer routine questions or research the more complicated issues, may well be worth the price ? even in the years when things seem straightforward.

When completing your tax return, make sure that you take your time, double-check your math and verify all Social Security numbers. Math errors and incorrect Social Security numbers are among the most common mistakes found on tax returns.

And remember, if you are getting a tax refund, consider making an automatic contribution to your IRA; this is the first year that this can be done.

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You may or may not have heard the term ?ethical will?. But, for those who care about making their values and ethics part of their legacy, it is a tool to consider when planning your estate.

Unlike a ?last will and testament?, which provides for the distribution of a person?s material assets, or a ?living will?, which contains instructions for how you want to be treated medically at the end of your days, an ?ethical will? is designed to let someone preserve and share their values, principles and beliefs for heirs and future generations, though it?s not legally binding.

According to Personal Legacy Advisors? Web site, an ethical will is a letter that transmits the non-material assets that are also of great importance: your values, your story, the lessons life has taught you and the other information that is too valuable to risk being lost. Your ethical will is the tool that enables you to address the question, ?What do I want my loved ones to know??

As a concept, ethical wills are not new. The first written reference to ethical wills occurs in both the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. Examples are Genesis, chapter 49, and The Book of John, chapters 15-18. Over time, they evolved into written documents. While ethical wills were traditionally shared after death, along with the reading of an individual?s last will and testament, today they are often shared during the author?s life.

While exact figures aren?t available for how many people are writing ethical wills, they are on the rise, based on increased Web activity and sales of ethical will resources. They have gained impetus particularly in the wake of tragedies like the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Why create one? People are inclined to write an ethical will when facing a challenging event, or at a turning point in life. Some examples are facing the loss of a loved one, birth of a grandchild, expectant parents, becoming an empty-nester or approaching the end of life. Other reasons to create an ethical will include:

• Your reflections will confirm what?s important and renew appreciation of your life to date
• You will create a personal message to those you love, of priceless value in the event of your absence
• If you do not tell your personal (and family) stories, they may be lost forever
• Your material assets can be given within a personal context
• You will mitigate confusion and hurt feelings with a personal explanation of potentially controversial elements of your legal will
• Your spirit will be expressed on paper, living beyond you in a timeless way
• Your words will link the past, present and future generations of your family
• You will enjoy peace of mind knowing the most important things will have been said.

Pros and cons. The pros of an ethical include having an opportunity to influence future generations. Through the process of writing an ethical will, the writer can gain self-knowledge and come to an understanding of what?s most important to him or her. This is valuable information not only for their families but their professional advisers as well. Another pro is that ethical wills are private documents. Unlike a will, which if admitted to probate will become a matter of public record, an ethical will is a private communication and will not be made public unless the author (or recipient) so desires. The con is that an ethical will is not enforceable in a court of law. Those who want to provide specific instructions, such as who is to receive which asset or how assets are to be distributed and under what conditions, would need to put the instruction in a will or trust.

Setting up an ethical will. Ethical wills come in a variety of forms, from a short letter to a lengthy autobiographical statement, from an audio-recorded message to a bound album. There are three basic ways to create an ethical will.

1. Begin with an outline and list of suggestions. Once you?ve created a rough draft, you can review and personalize it as much as you wish.
2. Begin with guided writing exercises. For example, start with phrases such as ?From my grandparents, I learned?? or ?I am most grateful for??
3. Begin with a blank sheet of paper and write down whatever is relevant about your thoughts, experiences and feelings. This is an open-ended approach. Eventually you should be able to create a comfortable structure for your ethical will. For one-on-one help, an organization like the Association of Personal Historians may be of assistance.

Other tips from Personal Legacy Advisors include the following:

• Start today: If you were not here tomorrow, what is the most important thing you would not want left unsaid? Write it down - now you’ve begun
• Relax: You are not trying to write for the Pulitzer Prize. The letter is a gift of yourself, written for those you love
• Ask yourself: What do I want to make sure my loved ones know and have in writing
• Take it topic by topic: Don’t try to write it all at once
• Be yourself: You cannot bequeath what you never owned to begin with
• Be careful, be loving. The reach of this letter is unknowable.

Sharing your will. It?s a good idea to share your ethical will not only with family and friends, but also with your financial adviser and attorney. Knowing what you value and what?s important to you will help them to develop a personalized plan that can help you to leverage your values in the future.

An ethical will speaks to one?s posterity or descendants long after the legal will has been probated and forgotten. Of note, an ethical will is a dynamic document. Just as a will or living trust document needs to be revisited so does an ethical will, because events occur in ones’ life that have an impact on ones’ value systems.

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Own rental property? Are you aware of all the tax implications (and opportunities) available to you?

Check out CompleteLandlord.com.

This site is a great resource for landlords offering tips and advice to make sure you’re making the most of your rental property.

For example, while many landlords know they can deduct all the interest on a mortgage used to acquire or improve a rental property, some don?t realize that if they pay off the mortgage early and are charged a penalty by the lender, the IRS allows them to deduct that penalty as interest.

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