iPug™ Trusts: The Revolution in Estate Planning

You Can Do More Than Think Outside The Box, You Can Re-Invent It

Through out last year and still, Americans have been riding an economic rollercoaster. Many are beset by fear and even more have lost all confidence in the economy. The burning question on their minds is: what will the future bring? Some say that it is anyone’s guess. But, what if it could be more than a guess? What if you had a way to replace uncertainty with certainty? What if you had a means to offer unique solutions that could benefit every client, regardless of their wealth or status, to create a win-win scenario for you and for them? What if you had a brand new weapon in your estate planning arsenal that would not only allow you to shore up the foundation of your practice, but actually help to improve your bottom line, and propel your business to new, untold heights?

According to national expert and legal education instructor David J. Zumpano, CPA, ESQ., The President and Founder of MPS LLC, there is certainty in our uncertain times. As president and founder of MPS, LLC, a national organization that specializes in educating and training lawyers and financial advisors in cutting-edge practice strategies, Zumpano brings hope and solid, proven results in estate planning. The groundbreaking tool that will rocket estate planning to the next level is the iPug™ Trusts. “The strategy of iPug™ planning is a whole new approach to estate planning,” Zumpano states.

So, just what is an iPug™ Trust? The iPug™ Trust is a Self-Settled Asset Protection Trust for the everyday folk and Medicaid compliance that works in all states. It protects client assets from creditors, predators and nursing homes, while permitting the grantor to be trustee and have customized access. The iPug™ Trust was created by utilizing universal, fundamental trust and common law principles dating back to the statute of uses and are not reliant or dependent upon state or federal specific asset protection laws. “In essence, the iPug™ Trust is an Irrevocable Grantor Trust for income and estate tax purposes. It not only provides advantageous tax benefits, including a full step-up in basis, but it also provides asset protection, while retaining Grantor control,” explains Zumpano. “With the increase in the estate tax exemption to $3.5 million, iPug™ Planning will be applicable to 99.5% of Americans.”

What makes iPug™ planning unique? These trusts are easily understood. Whether your clients are everyday people, savvy business owners or busy professionals, they all are looking for iPug™ Trusts to protect their personal planning goals and objectives. “Business owners and professionals who want to protect their assets without giving up control or use of those assets are primary prospects, but iPug™ planning is also exceptionally useful for individuals who want to protect their personal assets, now and from lawsuits, predators and nursing homes,” Zumpano comments. “The key element clients appreciate about iPug™ planning is that they remain in control. They can have full access to income and indirect access to principal depending on individual goals and objectives. Since everything is reported on a 1040, the flexibility of these trusts ensures no separate income or gift tax returns are required.”

The iPug™ Trust is immune to market conditions. “In times of fear and anxiety, such as we have and still currently experiencing, many peoples’ level of fear of losing what they have is heightened and they are more likely to engage in this form of asset protection planning because it enables them to remain in control and have customized access,” elaborates Zumpano. “A decrease in the value of their portfolios actually has a positive result when planning for Medicaid eligibility, because it enables it to be accomplished in less time and creates a ‘Medicaid freeze,’ ensuring no additional penalties will be incurred when the full value of their stocks return.” Zumpano also points out that people need nursing homes regardless of market conditions. “This creates an immediate need that far outweighs those of a wavering stock market,” he says. “Clients see iPug™ planning as a solution in these uncertain times, rather than a condition of these uncertain times.”

How does iPug™ planning offer security for future generations? In addition to asset protection during a client’s lifetime, iPug™ planning allows clients to pass assets on to their children in a manner that protects their children from lawsuits, divorce and nursing home expenses. “And, if necessary,” Zumpano adds, “their children’s indiscretions. The iPug™ Trust also allows clients to preserve their personal values by creating family standards that have a direct bearing on access to assets bequeathed to their heirs.”

How can you incorporate iPug™ planning into your practice? MPS can teach you the legal technical, counselling, design, drafting and tax issues associated with iPug™ planning, and with the trademarked tools MPS has created, you can rest assured that you dot every “i” and cross every “t” in following the law. MPS has also created an education-based enrollment system that allows you to market iPug™ planning to individuals, business owners and professionals easily, quickly allowing you to show the value of this type of planning. “These systems enable prospective clients to choose a plan not based on its cost, but rather based on clear value distinctions they identify in the education process,” Zumpano explains. “MPS also provides a systematized process for attorneys to implement into his or her practice, which includes educational workshops for clients and referral sources, client-friendly tools that help support clients in their decisions, and attorney-friendly tools to ensure effectiveness, efficiency and compliance with laws. Lastly, MPS provides an implementation guide for the attorney or financial advisor and their support staff to help implement this new trust genre into their practice. We have a very active national membership based organization of graduates that support one another as the systems are implemented, in over 46 states.”

How will the iPug™ planning take your practice to the next level? The MPS three-day Profit Practice Program™ enables attorneys to serve an expanded market and provide favorable solutions to clients’ everyday stresses. “The benefits for you will not only be a greater knowledge of the law,” says Zumpano, “but the ability to provide increased desirable options to your clients by counselling them in this NEW opportunity area of planning. By implementing iPug™ planning, you will increase your revenue and propel your practice to new levels, even in these turbulent times.”


If you’d like more about this topic or schedule an interview with David J. Zumpano, CPA/Esq., please email Molly Hall mhall@mpssuccess.com .