Hawai’i’s largest daily newspaper, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, featured Darl C. Gleed in its January 10, 2015 Akamai Money column.   The article was based on a series of questions posed by reporter Kathryn Mykleseth on the subject of legal planning for the transition to assisted living.  Mykleseth, who typically relies on Honolulu attorneys and financial experts for her weekly column, learned of Darl while reading his profile and his legal articles on the Avvo.com website.  Although Darl has clients in Honolulu, Mykleseth was unaware that Darl C. Gleed & Associates was located on the Big Island and she initially requested that Darl meet her to discuss the article.  The press deadline left no time for air travel between the islands so after telephone calls and email exchanges, Mykleseth put together her nicely written column.  Our office has already received several emails from readers and many of our existing clients have requested copies of the article.  The Article is available at the Star-Advertiser’s News Direct site by navigating on the calendar to January 10th and turning to page D2.

One interesting subject in the column involves the decision to sell (or not to sell) the family residence when a couple or individual have decided to move to an assisted living center.  Darl emphasizes that the decision not to sell the home may often be the best choice after considering the capital gain taxes and given that recent changes in the estate tax laws may make it more advantageous to have children (or others) inherit the home.

If you are considering assisted living and wish to meet with one of our attorneys, please call and schedule a no-obligation meeting to discuss the best alternative for your particular situation.

You can reserve your seat(s) by using this online form:

or by calling our office at (808) 329-6600.

You can reserve your seat(s) by using this online form:

or by calling our office at (808) 329-6600.

On June 12, 2015, attorney Donna Payesko presented an informational seminar as part of the Hawaii County Office of Aging’s Caregiver Conference held at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. Donna educated caregivers about the importance of having up to date estate planning documents. Conference attendees were provided blank Advance Health Care Directive and Uniform Statutory Power of Attorney forms, as well as assistance with filling them out. Board members reported that all feedback they received from those in attendance about Donna’s presentation was complementary. We were also informed that the presentation received high ratings on conference attendee evaluations. Great Job Donna! Thanks for representing the firm in such a great way and for being a service to our Hawaii community.

On June 12, 2014, in the case of Clark v. Rameker, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that funds contained in an inherited individual retirement account (IRA) do not qualify as “retirement funds” within the meaning of the bankruptcy code exemption. The result of this unanimous decision was that a debtor’s bankruptcy trustee may consider the inherited IRA to be an asset of a bankruptcy estate, and is therefore available to satisfy a creditors’ claims.

While the decision in Clark may be limited in scope, it still leaves many questions unanswered. However, the good news is there are many things you can do to protect yourself and those you love. We recommend you make an appointment with one of our trusted attorneys to ensure your IRA is protected and to discuss the various options for protecting your IRA.

No game-show needed for Darl C. Gleed to try his knowledge against the smarts of fifth-graders! This past weekend Mr. Gleed teamed with a high-school senior and a teacher to debate the topic of “universal health care” with the fifth-grade debate team of Kahakai Elementary School. Here is an excerpt from the article in West Hawaii Today about the event:

After about an hour of spirited debate, the judges and audience unanimously agreed: Kahakai Elementary’s fifth-grade debate team had prevailed over their opponents — a teacher, a high school senior and a West Hawaii attorney.

So if it had been an actual game-show, Mr. Gleed would have to admit he was not smarter than a fifth grader, at least in this round! The article cites some of his responses:

Gleed, likewise, was impressed by the students’ performance. The debate was “much more intense than I expected.” The students are “destined for some pretty good experiences at upper education levels,” he said. Gleed then added he would “keep an eye on them as my law firm expands.”

See the full article from West Hawaii Today about the event here.