 | IN THIS
ISSUE |
|
|
|
Put Power & Control on Every Desktop in Your Firm
Find out why more than 200 single and multi-family offices rely on
Advent for Family Offices- the first front to back office solution
designed to meet the specialized needs of firms like yours.
- Integrated Portfolio & Family Relationship Management
- Custodial Data
- Trading & Order Management
www.advent.com/solutions/family_offices/apx_platform
|
|
FEATURE STORY
|
Mac vs. PC: What Works for the T&E
Practitioner?
Maybe they can do
some things quicker and better
By Donald H. Kelley and Brenda A. Kelley *
Most trusts-and-estates practices are devoted to the Windows
operating system and related networking. The recent popularity of Apple
products, however, may make you wonder whether Apple's Mac might offer
some superior capabilities in a trusts-and-estates practice environment.
The Mac definitely has its advantages. It offers a stable
operating system, an attractive interface that enhances the computer
operating experience, simplicity of hardware installation, a wide
variety of portable and desktop machines, built-in software and hardware
for video work and a growing list of law practice applications.
The Operating System
The Mac Operating System (OS X, currently available in a version called
"Tiger") is built
on a uniplexed information and reporting system (UNIX) foundation. What
that means for you: If an application crashes, the system does not. For
Apple's take on this, see "Why
you'll love a Mac." The UNIX base also helps safeguard the Mac
against viruses and spyware. Although most viruses are not capable of
working on a Mac, there is a greater likelihood that writers of
malicious viruses will pay more attention to Macs as Macs grow in
popularity. MacWorld
suggests installing antiviral software on the Mac and discusses some of
the product options available.
Another plus is that the Mac OS is integrated with the
computer's hardware and is not bound by the legacy needs of hardware
manufacturers. Because both the machine and the OS are manufactured and
designed under one roof, troublespots can be identified and eliminated.
For the user, this means less time troubleshooting and more time
working. This is not to say that the Mac is trouble-free. It can be
prone to Internet connectivity problems, particularly with wireless
networks through the Airport
connection.
Despite Mac's pros and cons, many claim that Mac OS
X is the operating system that Microsoft wants Vista to be. For a
detailed comparison of Windows Vista and the OS X, see "Vista
vs Apple," PC PRO (June 5, 2006).
(continued below ad)
Back to Top ^
Evaluation Services, Inc.: One-Stop Shopping Makes It
Simple!
Evaluation Services provides quick, accurate and economical securities
valuations and cost basis calculations including valuations for estate
and gift tax, domestic & global portfolios, income allocation between
forms 1040 & 1041, plus cost basis for dividend reinvestment plans,
stocks & mutual funds, and much more.
For more information, visit http://www.appraisenj.com/esi/trustsandestates.html
|
(continuation of article)
Little Things Mean
a Lot
Many little aggravations are just not part of the Mac experience.
For example, Apple machines come with most necessary drivers for
peripherals. In the PC world, you often have to install a driver for
your new hard drive or printer before using it.
The Mac equivalent of Windows Explorer (the Windows interface for
accessing the filing system), called "Finder," has a view option that
makes it easy to see the directory structure and the path in the file
hierarchy. Mac's "Spotlight" is a very powerful search feature that
helps you search through a multitude of things -- from files to emails,
as well as contacts and calendar events.
The Mac works well right out of the box (see "Awesome out of the
box") and requires no tweaking or adjustments to get you started.
The interior of the Mac tower has an appealing modular design and extra
cable ports on the front of the tower for easy access. If you are
switching from a PC and live in a city with an Apple store, the store
likely will transfer your programs, data and documents for you and get
you ready to roll. Another plus: the interface, called Aqua,
looks great. It is clean and easy to navigate. Ironically, many people
think it is more difficult at first, only to exclaim later, "Oh I see.
It's too easy!"
Mac Built-ins
The iLife programs that are
bundled into every Mac -- like iMovie, iDvd, GarageBand and iPhoto -- are fun and easy
to learn and use. These creative programs quickly find a place in your
work for depositions, personally produced podcasts and courtroom
presentations (and even group presentations in the trusts-and-estates
context.) Mac hardware built-ins include a video camera for
conferencing (on the laptops and the iMac -- a video camera may be
added to other Macs) and a remote control that can be used for playing
DVDs or running slideshows in iPhoto or Keynote (an Apple
program, similar to PowerPoint.)
The Mac also has a built-in capability to render PDF files, while the
PC requires third-party software to create and manipulate PDFs.
(continued below ad)
Back to Top ^
Strategies For Building Your High Net Worth Practice
A monthly teleconference series presented by Registered Rep., Trusts
& Estates and Cannon Financial Institute
FEATURED LECTURER
Phil Buchanan: Executive VP, Cannon Financial Institute.
Next Session: Monday July 16, 2007 from 12:00pm - 1:30pm (Program
Code CWM12364)
Topic: " Family Meetings - How Helping Families Also Helps You"
REGISTRATION
www.cannonfinancial.com/distance/wmteleconf/register.cfm
or call 1-800-775-7654.
For a complete listing of course topics and dates, click
here
|
(continuation of article)
Legal Software for
the Mac
Microsoft
Office applications are available for the Mac. All documents
created in Office on either Windows or the Mac are readable and
writeable on either platform.
There are many legal applications developed for the Mac, such as billing
software (Lawstream, Billings and Brief Accounting), case management
software (Daylite) and
courtroom software (VISYNC). Circus Ponies Notebook is
software for notetaking and basic organization of information and
processing ideas. Timeline charts can be created with Bee Docs' Timeline. Optical
character recognition software for scanning documents for the Mac
includes ReadIris Pro II. Many
law-related software applications for the Mac are listed on the Apple
website. Other law office applications are described on the MacAttorney website.
If you are bound to Windows applications, it is possible to run Windows
simultaneously, or separately, on Apple machines built with Intel
processors, which Apple began using in 2006. There are currently two
options for this scenario. You can try BootCamp from Apple,
which is available in a beta version. The newest OS X release, called
Leopard, is coming in
October and will include BootCamp. The other
option is the third-party Parallels software. With BootCamp you must
reboot to switch platforms. With Parallels, you can run both
operating systems simultaneously. When running Windows on the Mac,
Windows must be purchased and installed separately. Also keep in mind
that the computer would become vulnerable to viruses to the same extent
as a PC. For more on running Windows on a Mac, see "Dual Identities" at
The Macintosh Guild website.
Mac Resources for Lawyers
There are many online resources geared specifically for lawyers using
Macs. MacLaw Online is an email
discussion group for legal professionals using Macs in their practices.
The Mac Lawyer.com provides
discussions of operation of the Mac (see "The Top Ten Ways to Keep Your
Mac Safe on the Internet" for a discussion of Internet security) in the
practice of law and publishes The Mac Lawyer email newsletter. There is
also a Google Group called Macs In Law Offices
(MILO) requires
that you apply for membership on the web page. Apple maintains a web
page for law office applications for the Mac at www.apple.com/business/solutions/legal.html,
which discusses hardware selection and law practice software.
For stories of law firms that have switched from Windows to the Mac, see
David Levy, "Small Practice, Big
Presence" and "Swim With
the Big Fish," emphasizing the Mac's time-saving abilities and the
"unleashing of creativity" in a Mac-centric law office. Smaller law
offices may find it more feasible to experiment with the Mac. But the
Mac may be a useful addition to a law office of any size for work with
graphic-based presentations and demonstrative evidence exhibits. The
ability to mount both Windows and the Mac OS on one Mac machine should
facilitate migration from Windows to the Mac. Obviously, an office
firmly grounded in Windows would not be eager to convert to Macs
wholesale, but specialized use of individual Macs may both facilitate
graphics work (for example) and offer insight into the things the Mac
has to offer on a wider scale.
(continued below ad)
Back to Top ^
Your Rx for building a practice with affluent
physicians
If your objective is to advise wealthy physicians or provide
financial
services to medical practices, this is the book for
you.Wealth Preservation
for
Physicians: Advanced Planning for Affluent Doctors
provides an
in-depth understanding
of the issues confronting affluent physicians -- about their profession
and
their finances. It also highlights the key financial and legal
strategies affluent
physicians
need, from charitable and offshore trusts to disability buy/sell
agreements and
captive
insurance companies.
Available for $29.95 plus shipping and handling
at the Penton
Media Bookstore, or
call (877)
531-1452.
|
(continuation of article)
iPod and iPhone
Your kids aren't the only ones to benefit from Apple's ubiquitous little
white music players. iPods also can be used
for continuing legal education. You can buy them from the American Bar Association
Center for Continuing Legal Education (ABA-CLE) preloaded for
Business, Antitrust, Employment Law, Estate Planning, Family Law,
Practice Management and Tax Law. You also can purchase additional CLE
programs for download and subscribe to monthly podcasts. A podcast is a
pre-recorded digital "show" that can be downloaded and played on your
computer (using iTunes) or a
player like the iPod.
Podcasts of ABA books, such as Wilmington Trust's 2007 Future Vision
of Estate Planning, are available from Leimberg
Information Services Inc.
Anyone can make a podcast. To learn more about this capability,
including the use of the GarageBand
software, see Apple's GarageBand Support, "Working with
Podcasts" and Cyrus Farivar's "Start
your own Podcast," MacWorld (April 22, 2005).
While entertaining the possibility of joining the Mac world, you may
wonder if your handheld organizer or cell phone can work with a Mac.
There is a growing list of cell phones and PDAs that are compatible with
the Mac and its bundled-in iSync program.
This program can synchronize the information on your handheld device
with your computer. If you are in the market for a new phone and
organizer, you might consider the new iPhone by Apple. It
incorporates conferencing, email, calendar and full Internet access,
along with the usual iPod capabilities for
music, photos and video.
Bottom Line
Maybe there is something to all the Mac hype. At least this article
should give you a peek through the window (no pun intended), so you can
see what the Mac offers.
* Brenda A. Kelley is a freelance photographer and digital coach.
She lives in Santa Fe, N.M., where she teaches Photoshop, as well as the
Mac, to people who are learning to shoot, adjust and print their
photos.
Trusts & Estates magazine is pleased to present the monthly
Technology Review by Donald H. Kelley -- a respected connoisseur
of software and Internet resources wealth management advisors use to
further their practices.
Donald H. Kelley is a lawyer living in Highlands Ranch, Colo. and is of
counsel to the law firm of Kelley, Scritsmier & Byrne, P.C. of North
Platte, Neb. He is the co-author of Intuitive Estate Planner Software
(Thomson - West 2004). He has served on the governing boards of the
American Bar Association Real Property, Probate and Trust Section and
the American College of Tax Counsel. He is a past regent and past chair
of the Committee on Technology in the Practice of the American College
of Trust and Estate Counsel.
Trusts & Estates has asked Kelley to provide his unvarnished opinions
on the tech resources available in the practice today. His columns are
edited for readability only. Send feedback and suggestions for articles
directly to him at dhkelley@qwest.net.
Back to Top ^
|
Now Available: Becoming A
Rainmaker, the new book from Matt
Oechsli of the Oechsli Institute
Only a very few financial professionals who target the affluent are
bringing
in 10 or more new affluent relationships each year. This book shares
the
Mindset, Activities and Skills of the Rainmakers who consistently
achieve
this level of success.
To order, click
here.
|
|
|
|
