John Cella presented at the North Carolina Bar Association 46^th Annual Estate Planning & Fiduciary Law Program held at Kiawah Island, SC, from July 24^th to 26^th.  Over 400 attorneys, CPAs, bankers, trust officers, investment advisors, and other estate planning professionals attended or viewed the live continuing legal education program.

John’s presentation, “Dissecting Beneficiary Designations”, reviewed beneficiary designation assets such as “payable-on-death” (POD) accounts, “transfer-on-death” (TOD) securities, qualified retirement plans (QRPs), IRAs, individual and employer-sponsored life insurance, and annuities, plus considerations and traps relating to each type.  John then covered lessons from federal and North Carolina litigation caused by non-existent, outdated, or defective beneficiary designations, including disputes relating to the “fine print” in beneficiary designation forms, subsequent marriages, ERISA preemption of state law, substantial compliance doctrine, minors, simultaneous death, and when a beneficiary murders the owner.

A North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning and Probate Law, John has practiced in trusts and estates, tax, and ERISA law for more than twenty years.