Estate Planning Software Reviewed

Jason E. Havens, a member of Havens & Miller, P.L.L.C. in Bluewater Bay, Florida, has recently published a review of three software packages in the Technology – Probate section of Prob. & Prop., July/Aug. 2006, at 58. In it, he reviews “Wealth Transfer Planning”, “Gillett Estate Management Suite”, and “Tiger Tables”.
    

Introducing the three packages, he said:
   

Wealth Transfer Planning (WTP) (www.ilsdocs.com) created by distinguished New York estate planning lawyer Jonathan G. Blattmachr more than a decade ago, now has become almost unrecognizable to users who have used the drafting system over the years.  In late 2005, WTP unveiled a sophisticated, completely revised interface built on the stable HotDocs platform. Since then, WTP has added video tutorials with substantive coverage of various drafting and planning topics, even more document options, and integration with other estate planning software programs such as Brentmark’s Estate Planning Tools. * * *
   

The Gillett Estate Management Suite (GEMS) (www.gillettpublishing.com) represents one of the only remaining suites of programs that will not only handle federal estate and gift tax returns but also handle estate inventories and fiduciary accounting. As many estate planners know, a number of these programs have been acquired by major publishing houses.  Based on most of the commentary and user feedback, however, GEMS promises to be a diamonds in the brought for those searching for a solution to prepare these returns and fiduciary accountings.  * * *
   

Tiger Tables, [www.tigertables.com], which is used by the IRS, handles most types of estate planning calculations.  In some respects, Tiger Tables is not as sophisticated as Number Cruncher or similar applications; it will not produce calculations in graphical formant for instances.  Nevertheless, for crunching numbers, Tiger Tables is a valuable took and is also very cost-effective.