March 31, 2020
by Nathan HannahI have asked before, and am motivated by recent reports to ask again: do you think the income earned on savings accounts should be exempt from income tax regardless of the purpose for which the savings are ultimately spent? I think so, and I’m not alone. I have been seeing reports that this idea has […]
» Read moreFebruary 27, 2020
by Nathan HannahI have been getting questions about the SECURE Act. That’s legislation recently adopted by Congress that changes certain rules governing the tax treatment of retirement accounts, including when you can put money into or take money out of such accounts. The change that has been talked about the most in estate planning circles is that […]
» Read moreJanuary 27, 2020
by Nathan HannahI have addressed in previous reports the tax consequences of gifts and inheritances, but the subject is worth revisiting because I get asked about it frequently. There is a common misconception that inheritances are automatically taxable. Although the reasoning behind that misconception is usually not clearly articulated, or is unexpressed, I think it originates with […]
» Read moreJanuary 10, 2020
by Veronica ReeseDeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy, P.C. is pleased to announce attorney Zelma Letarte as its newest shareholder effective January 1, 2020.
» Read moreDecember 17, 2019
by Nathan HannahHome Title Lock is a service that I have heard advertised recently. The service purports to protect home owners against fraudulent title schemes. To oversimplify it, here’s an outline of the scheme that the purveyors of this service are talking about. First, suppose a thief records a forged deed, transferring title to your home to […]
» Read moreNovember 20, 2019
by Nathan HannahYou may have heard about a new law that says electronic wills are now valid in Arizona. I’m not against the concept, but I am reluctant to bring it up now because the new law contains specific rules about the steps that have to be taken to make an electronic will valid, and those steps are […]
» Read moreOctober 27, 2019
by Nathan HannahA business looking to get referrals for estate-related services recently sent me a copy of its newsletter. It is one of those reverse “10 best reasons” lists. This one just happens to address a subject I know something about. Its title is: “The 10 Best Reasons NOT To Do Your Estate Plan.” Naturally, I agree […]
» Read moreOctober 5, 2019
by Nathan HannahAll but a few states in the United States have now adopted the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (the RUFADAA). As adopted in Arizona, the RUFADAA defines a “digital asset” as “an electronic record in which an individual has a right or interest.” What does that mean, and how is it going […]
» Read moreSeptember 11, 2019
by Veronica ReeseDeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy is proud to announce that nine of the firm’s attorneys were selected for inclusion in the 2020- Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. They are: Denise M. Bainton – Education Law Nathan B. Hannah – Real Estate Law James A. Jutry – Tax Law and Trusts & Estates John C. […]
» Read moreSeptember 11, 2019
by Veronica ReeseAttorney James M. Susa is the invited guest speaker for the Steven W. Philips Tucson Tax Study Group, Inc., a local non-profit organization focused on tax education for professionals. Susa’s topic, “Arizona State and Local Tax Update: Judicial, Legislative and Administrative” will be presented on Friday, September 20, 2019. James M. Susa, a Shareholder in the Tucson office of […]
» Read moreAugust 27, 2019
by Nathan HannahA loyal reader recently told me about a situation in which a deceased family member’s remains were relocated, without the consent of the deceased’s children, long after burial. I have heard of, and dealt with, more than a few disputes involving remains, but I had never heard of a situation quite like the one my […]
» Read moreJuly 29, 2019
by Nathan HannahThis might become a regular series. You may recall that in my May Update, I wrote about California property owners who got into trouble for moving dirt and trees on their property because doing so violated a conservation easement. I received many responses to that newsletter, most of them to the effect of, “how could […]
» Read moreJuly 1, 2019
by Nathan HannahWhen the Arizona Legislature completes its session, there’s naturally a lot of interest in what new laws have been adopted. Sometimes there’s less to those changes than meets the eye. The news reports on the just-concluded legislative session gave considerable attention to a change in the laws governing residential landlords and tenants, but on closer […]
» Read moreMay 18, 2019
by Veronica ReeseDeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy, P.C. announces that attorney Steven J. Itkin will be presenting ”Creditors’ Remedies: the Devil is in the Details” for the upcoming May 29, 2019, Pima County Bar Association CMLE presentation. His presentation will review topics such as Common state law remedies that are available to get your creditor clients paid; State […]
» Read moreMay 18, 2019
by Nathan HannahWhen I first saw the recent story headlined “An Uprooted Oak Tree Cost California Couple $600k” (that’s from the New York Post), I intended to ignore it. The stories with headlines like that never turn out to illustrate the point that the headline makes them appear to illustrate. Isn’t that just the way things are […]
» Read moreMay 2, 2019
by Nathan HannahA tax newsletter that I read reported on a court decision that I think is worth passing along to you, my loyal readers. It’s a decision from the United States Court of Federal Claims that addresses this timely question: if I file a tax return late (without requesting an extension), what excuses might be good […]
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