Washington, U.S.A — On October 12, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) announced the official launch of ACTEC Wealth Advisor, an iPad application targeted to financial service professionals and other advisors in wealth management. ACTEC Wealth Advisor provides wealth management professionals with mobile access to ACTEC-endorsed resources previously available only to ACTEC members.

The introductory version of ACTEC Wealth Advisor is currently available for complimentary download on the Apple App Store. Future versions of ACTEC Wealth Advisor may include premium content at a subscription rate.

“ACTEC is pleased to offer select proprietary resources as a mobile reference to our members and to those who serve as financial advisors,” said ACTEC President Louis A. Mezzullo. “When on the road meeting and advising clients, we now have more immediate access to some of the tools utilized when counseling individuals and family businesses.”

The app includes convenient access to frequently-cited estate planning statutes presented in state-by-state summaries, relevant tax rates and calculators and insightful articles that examine developing trust and estate issues.

Tools allow users to:

• Search the ACTEC Roster 2012-2013 for the leading trust and estate practitioners in the U.S. and abroad
• Access relevant estate planning statutes presented in state-by-state summaries:Reference AFR (“Applicable Federal Interest Rate”) and 7520 Rates – a continuously updated reference to the monthly 7520 Rates and the AFR Rates for short-term, mid-term and long-term interest rates
  • State Death Tax Tables – a summary of the estate and inheritance tax rules for each state
  • Domestic Asset Protection Trust Statutes – a summary of the laws of those states which have enacted self-settled domestic asset protection legislation
  • No Contest Clauses – a state-by-state summary of the rules regarding the enforceability of no contest clauses in wills and trusts
  • Rule Against Perpetuities – a summary of the differing rules against perpetuities that are in effect in each state
  • UPIA and Modern Portfolio Trust Investment Statutes – a summary of the UPIA rules as modified by those states that have enacted the UPIA, as well as a summary of the laws of the states that have enacted other modern trust investment statutes
  • States with Decanting, Statutes Passed or Proposed – a summary of the rules in those states which have passed, or have proposed decanting statutes to permit the appointment of income or principal or both to a second trust with different terms
  • Bases of State Income Taxation of Nongrantor Trusts – a summary of the rules used in each state to impose state income taxes on nongrantor trusts.
• Calculate “GRATs” – a tool to permit the quick analysis of the feasibility of various forms of Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts under varying assumptions as to amount, interest rate, term and percentage increases in payments
• Monitor current trust and estate developments:
  • Capital Letters by Ronald D. Aucutt –a series of newsletters that provide a unique, inside perspective into the legislative process behind estate tax reform and related transfer tax deliberations of the United States Congress and administrative developments at Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service. Aucutt is a partner with McGuireWoods LLP, and a Past President of ACTEC.
  • Musings on Current Events by Steve R. Akers – Musings provide ongoing, succinct summaries of recent developments in trust, estate and tax law. Akers, Managing Director with Bessemer Trust in Dallas, Texas, is a member of ACTEC’s Executive Committee and serves as a member of the Advisory Committee to the University of Miami Philip E. Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning.

To learn more about ACTEC Wealth Advisor, visit www.actec.org/public/wealthadvisorapp.asp. For additional information about ACTEC, visit www.actec.org.

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Hamburg, Germany — With their first iPad app, the German start-up company Frankbooks enables users to communicate with other readers, as well as with the author or a particular character from the novel via an integrated Facebook plugin. Users can take part in the story and in return join a global reader’s circle within the app – which allows them direct access to the novel’s author.

This new way of social storytelling allows authors to create advanced narrative structures by combining some of their story’s character(s) with interactive Facebook accounts. In addition to this users can benefit from the e-book’s enhanced content (photos, maps, videos).

As well as to readers, the app will also appeal to authors considering similar projects, but who do not want to spend high amounts on programming. Using Frankbooks software, however, they will get the opportunity to participate in the fast-growing market of enhanced e-books at a reasonable price.

“Readers have become used to extra features besides the core text, such as interactivity and social media. Soon they will be a regular part of e-books,” says Frank Habbe, founder of Frankbooks.

The first e-book, Pocket Money, is a novel about a young man who accidentally comes into possession of a bag full of cash. On the run from his pursuers, his journey takes him through Northern Germany

In addition to over 230 photos, maps and links, the app also contains Facebook entries from one of the story’s characters, to which users can post their comments. Pocket Money is available on iTunes – find out more when visiting character Kristina Taschengeld on Facebook.

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