22 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 15, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com business THE POWER OF PERSUASION Dear Mindy, I often need to persuade my team to change the way they approach a subject or think about a new way of doing things. I fi nd it diffi cult to overcome their objections and apathy. Do you have some suggestions about how I can more easily infl uence others? Infl uencer Dear Infl uencer, Every day we are bombarded with messages that try to capture our attention and persuade us to do or feel something. When you think about political speeches, blogs, Facebook ads and television commercials you know there are many ways that marketers try to infl uence us. We all need to motivate or persuade others at one time or another. Whether you are trying to inspire team members to do their best or giving a presentation to implement new policies for your organization, your goal is to persuade people to act. Here are a few steps that will help you to infl uence your audience: Step 1: Capture audience attention. Engage your listeners immediately, and make them want to be attentive to your message. Use a humorous story, a startling statistic, a powerful quote, or an amazing visual to get your listener’s attention at the start of the presentation. Step 2: Why should I care? Explain the issue and why it needs to be addressed. This is the step that makes your audience realize why they should care. You want them to think “I need to hear more about this!” Step 3: What’s the solution? Show your listeners how your solution will benefi t them. Do you have a unique approach that you want others to follow? Tell your audience why your solution is the best approach. Your goal is for them to think “This is a great idea!” Step 4: Ask for action. Clearly outline the action steps you want the audience to take. The action should be simple for the audience to understand and follow up. Your goal is for the audience to decide “I want to do this – just show me how.” Understanding a few principles of persuasion will help you be a more effective communicator and boost your chances of success. Remember that the foundation for using persuasion tools must be authenticity and integrity which helps to build trust. The audience must trust you before they will be persuaded to act. Mindy Stern, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, ACC is a trusted HR advisor, career coach, author, speaker and president of AIM Resource Group Inc. Visit the website at www.aimresourcegroup. com or call 718-217- 1074 if you would like to learn more about your perfect pitch. The Elder Law Minute TM Using Trusts to Manage Bequests BY RONALD A. FATOULLAH, ESQ. AND YAN LIAN KUANG-MAOGA, ESQ. The concept of controlling one’s heirs from the grave may be diffi cult to fathom. However, there are many circumstances in which it is necessary to set some control over the inheritance to an heir in order to protect him or her. Trusts are often used to set the appropriate level of control and to provide peace of mind to the creator of the trust. Trusts are also used for estate tax planning purposes. The ability to pass on one’s hard earned money to one’s spouse, children, grandchildren, friends, and/or to charitable organizations is very gratifying. However, there are many compelling reasons to protect an heir by keeping his/her inheritance in trust. The following are a few circumstances in which one may consider the use of a trust for a benefi ciary: (1) A benefi ciary is disabled. (2) A benefi ciary has poor money management skills. (3) A benefi ciary has creditors, or is being sued. (4) There are benefi ciaries who are minors. (5) A benefi ciary is in the middle of a divorce, or will be getting a divorce. (6) A benefi ciary is independently wealthy, and an inheritance would increase his/her gross estate, resulting in estate taxes. (7) A benefi ciary is incarcerated. A trust is an extremely versatile way to provide for fi nancial control and the protection of one’s heirs after death. Trusts can be intervivos or testamentary. An intervivos trust, or lifetime trust, is created and is in effect during one’s lifetime. A testamentary trust is a trust set forth in a Last Will and Testament that will go into effect upon the grantor’s death. Either trust may be changed while the individual is alive, unless the particular intervivos trust is irrevocable. However, once the individual passes away, both types of trusts become irrevocable. In a trust, the inheritance of an heir will be managed by a trustee who is hand-picked by the grantor. If the trust is drafted properly, the trust funds are safe from direct access by the heir and his/her creditors. The level of protection imposed on the accessibility of the funds in the trust will depend on the circumstances, and should be carefully designed to meet the needs of the heir while satisfying the concerns and wishes of the grantor (the creator of the trust). Some heirs might be able to handle small amounts of money, and therefore the trust may provide that they receive a monthly income from the trust. Others may not be able to handle any amount of money, and in such cases it may be prudent for the trust to specify that the trustee pay directly for all basic expenses of the heir (i.e. issuing a rent check directly to the landlord). A trust may remain in effect for the lifetime of the heir or may terminate upon a certain condition or on a specifi ed date. Again, a trust is versatile and can be designed based on the circumstances and on the grantor’s wishes and beliefs. In any case, if there is cause for concern about a particular heir, it is prudent to discuss the creation of a trust with an experienced elder law and trusts & estate attorney. Although some individuals may choose to disinherit a troubled heir, it is not always necessary to do so. The use of a trust can enable an individual to leave an inheritance to a benefi ciary without worrying about unwanted consequences. Ronald A. Fatoullah, Esq. is the principal of Ronald Fatoullah & Associates, a law fi rm that concentrates in elder law, estate planning, Medicaid planning, guardianships, estate administration, trusts, wills, and real estate. Yan Lian Kuang-Maoga, Esq. is an elder law attorney at the fi rm. The law fi rm can be reached at 718-261-1700, 516-466-4422, or toll free at 1-877-ELDER-LAW or 1-877-ESTATES. Mr. Fatoullah is also the cofounder of JR Wealth Advisors, LLC. The wealth management fi rm can be reached at 516-466-3300 or 800-353-3775. ELDER LAW RONALD FATOULLAH ESQ, CELA* EMPLOYMENT MATTERS MINDY STERN SPHR, SHRM-SCP, ACC
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