The eLearning Center for Gatlin Education Services

This series helps users understand the various considerations in planning an estate. It provides an overview of the terms and resources needed to prepare an estate plan, and explains how to determine assets, will preparation strategies and considerations, trusts, and retirement issues. Also covered are tax strategies to implement in your estate planning. This series also offers guidance on revising an estate plan throughout life changes.

Starting an Estate Plan
Time: 2.0 hour(s)
Summary:
This course provides an introduction to the terms and resources needed to begin preparing an estate plan, as applicable to United States regulations.
Objectives:
* Define the most commonly-used estate planning terms.
* Determine the goals of his or her estate plan.
* Choose members of an estate planning team.
* Take inventory of the estate''s assets.
* Compare the different types of property ownership.
Topics:
* What Is an Estate?
* Looking Ahead
* Getting Started
* Taking Inventory
* Joint Property

Sorting Out Your Assets
Time: 4.0 hour(s)
Summary:
This course provides an overview of some of the most common types of estate assets, as applicable to United States regulations.
Objectives:
* Identify different types of life insurance and the benefits of each.
* Choose the insurance policy that best suits his or her situation.
* Compare the options available with pension plans.
* Recognize the saving options available other than pension plans.
* Distinguish between the different types of business entities.
* Determine the goals for the future of his or her business.
Topics:
* Life Insurance
* Determining Coverage
* Pension Plans
* Other Ways to Save
* Your Business and Your Estate
* Other Business Considerations

Preparing Your Will
Time: 3.0 hour(s)
Summary:
This course provides an introduction to wills and trusts, as applicable to United States regulations.
Objectives:
* Describe the disadvantages of dying without a will.
* Explain the function of probate court.
* Identify the main parts of a simple will.
* Create a distribution plan of his or her assets.
* Distinguish between the functions of a will and a trust.
* Select a trustee.
* Recognize the relative benefits of different types of trusts.
Topics:
* Why Have a Will?
* The Simple Will
* Distributing Your Assets
* Introduction to Trusts
* Trusts and Wills
* Living Trusts

All About Probate
Time: 2.0 hour(s)
Summary:
This course provides an overview of probate and probate court, as applicable to United States regulations.
Objectives:
* Describe the probate process.
* Distinguish between an administrator and an executor.
* Select an executor.
* Explain how an estate can avoid probate.
* Prepare for some unique probate situations.
Topics:
* Landing in Probate
* The Executor
* Keeping Probate Costs Down
* Special Probate Situations

Considering Your Family
Time: 3.0 hour(s)
Summary:
This course provides information on the inheritance rights of spouses and children, and ways to prevent challenges to a will, as applicable to United States regulations.
Objectives:
* Determine the qualifications needed for a guardian.
* Recognize the different options available for providing for children in a will.
* Describe spousal property rights.
* Identify the areas of an estate affected by a divorce.
* Prepare for a will contest.
Topics:
* Choosing a Guardian
* Managing Your Child's Assets
* Your Spouse's Rights
* Divorce and Its Consequences
* Challenging a Will
* Things to Avoid

Taxes to Expect
Time: 3.0 hour(s)
Summary:
This course provides information on federal, state, and gift taxes, and how they affect an estate, as applicable to United States regulations.
Objectives:
* Calculate a gross estate and determine the federal estate taxes for it.
* Identify types of gifts subject to federal gift tax.
* Recognize the different types of state taxes that can affect an estate.
Topics:
* Federal Estate Taxes
* Calculating Tax Deductions
* Gift Taxes
* Gifts and Their Consequences
* State Taxes
* Other Taxes to Consider

Tax Strategies
Time: 3.0 hour(s)
Summary:
This course provides strategies for keeping estate taxes down to a minimum, as applicable to United States regulations.
Objectives:
* Determine which assets to donate and when to make the donation.
* Recognize the different types of charitable gifts.
* Identify the tax exclusions and deductions that will reduce estate taxes the most.
* Plan asset distribution within the family.
Topics:
* Charitable Donations
* More Ways to Donate
* Income Tax Savings
* Taxes and Your Will
* Benefits to Your Family
* Distributing Your Assets

Retirement Issues
Time: 3.0 hour(s)
Summary:
This course provides strategies for preparing for retirement and other elder issues within the estate plan, as applicable to United States regulations.
Objectives:
* Explain the benefits covered by Social Security income.
* Distinguish the different types of medical benefits available at retirement.
* Examine the alternatives to appointing a guardian if the estate can no longer be managed.
* Explain the functions of a living will and a health care power of attorney.
* Define final wishes such as anatomical gifts and burial wishes in the estate plan.
Topics:
* Social Security
* Other Retirement Benefits
* Preserving Your Assets
* Health-Related Issues
* Final Considerations

Revising an Estate Plan
Time: 2.0 hour(s)
Summary:
This course provides strategies for revising an estate plan throughout life, as applicable to United States regulations.
Objectives:
* Recognize the options available for caring for an aging parent.
* Manage an estate plan as changes to the estate occur.
* Distinguish between the concerns related to preparing an estate plan early in life and the concerns for preparing one later in life.
Topics:
* Elder Issues
* Other Estate Plan Considerations
* Strategies for the Single Person
* Planning throughout Your Life