Content area
Full Text
For any software developer, particularly someone trying to create an effective, "user-friendly" estate or financial planning package, the ultimate nemesis is finding the right balance between "comprehensive" and "easy to use." The major problem with most comprehensive or all-inclusive programs is that they tend to be overly complicated, time-consuming to learn, and difficult to navigate. On the other hand, a program that is made to be simple is all too often too simplistic, and doesn't meet the demands of the sophisticated planner.
Intuitive Estate Planner ("IEP") by Donald H. Kelley and Konrad Schmidt, III, distributed by Thomson-West Publishing, has done an impressive job of compiling a comprehensive estate planning program that is easy to learn and work with, yet powerful enough for the most sophisticated planner's tougher cases. As well it should, considering the credentials of its creators (which we always like to check when we consider new software).
Don Kelley is of counsel to Kelley, Scritsmier & Byrne, P.C. He is co-author with David Ludtke and Burnell Steinmeyer, Jr. of Estate Planning for Farmers and Ranchers (Thomson/West 2002), and with David Ludtke and Burnell Steinmeyer, Jr., of Estate and Entity Planning: Family Business Organizations (Thomson/West 2006). Don writes a monthly column on Trust & Estate Technology for Trusts & Estates magazine and a column on trust and estate software for ESTATE PLANNING magazine. In addition, he has written numerous articles for other law-related publications and has spoken at many major national conferences. Don has served on the governing boards of the American Bar Association Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section and the American College of Tax Counsel. He is a Past Regent, and Past Chair of the Technology in Practice Committee, of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and has served on the Board of Directors of the American Agricultural Law Association. He is also a Regent Emeritus of the American College of Tax Counsel.
Dr. Konrad Schmidt has a Doctorate in Computer Science from Colorado Technical University and has been devoted primarily to the development of estate management and planning software. He was instrumental in the success of FATE (Fiduciary Accounting for Trusts and Estates), FIT (Fiduciary Income Tax), EPA (Estate Practice Assistant), and IEP (Intuitive Estate Planner).
Program operation