"After all if it takes someone a lifetime to make his money, it's probably worth keeping," George Mattera quips. His remarks may make you laugh, but the logic is inescapeable. "The day you walk out of this life, th e government owns half of what you owned; why would you want to do that when you die?"

With more than 30 years in this field, George is a chartered life underwriter and holds a Masters of Science degree in financial services. He continually reads, studies and attends professional meetings to be on top of the legal, accounting and insurance aspects related to estate planning , and attends the University of Miami's Estate Planning Institute every year. He has been extensively quoted in the NY Times and teaches the firm's estate planning course for accountants and attorneys.

George's broad-based background gives APS clients the benefit of an insurance professional and estate planner who can coordinate everything with their lawyers to expedite the process. As for his own fees, "I bill my clients only for face-to-face time not office time. Clients feel they get real value from me because they see the time I spend. Plus, they only have to pay if they follow my recommendations." Evidently most clients think he's on the right track. "In 30 years I've had only two or three clients not do what I suggested."

Many of APS's clients are family businesses because , as Mattera says, "In this type of business, the government has a lien on everything." He likes to turn that around, starting with what he considers the "four fundamentals in estate planning."

First is the tax-free inheritance trust which utilizes the $675,000 federal estate tax exemption and reduces the survivor's taxable estate. The surviving spouse receives income from the trust and can invade the principal if needed. Beneficiaries receive the assets without additional tax. Second is an annual gift giving program. Making substantial gifts to children reduces estate taxes on the survivor's estate, and provides assets to the heirs sooner. Clients can avoid eroding their cash assets by giving non-cash gifts, such as partial ownership in a business or property. Third is a double-tax exempt trust, in which life insurance policies are owned by a trust rather than directly by the insured. This keeps the proceeds out of the insured's estate and free from income and estate taxes. Fourth is second-to-die insurance, which insures both husband and wife on the same policy at low cost. When the second spouse dies, it provides cash to pay the estate taxes.

For people with estates greater than a few million dollars, APS has many other sophisticated strategies to employ to protect their assets.

In his ongoing concern for his clients and prospects, Mattera often mails them helpful articles addressing both the psychological and financial aspects of running a family business. For example, he recently sent out an article about fathers being too autocratic, causing the grown children to worry about where they stand in the business. Creating an estate plan, he notes, often helps the younger generation understand their future in the company, and thus promotes greater teamwork and dedication.

APS also works with successful doctors to shield their assets from malpractice claims and make them "judgement and creditor-proof." According to George, "Doctors have three cruise missles aiming at them: They have the income tax missle, the estate tax mis sle, and the liability missle." George says he has an arsenal of weapons to disarm them all, such as establishing family partnerships for personal asset protection; using leveraging techniques in their pension plans; shifting income to teenage children to pay for college expenses through sale and lease-back arrangements; and protecting spouse's assets from malpractice claims with a spouse's living trust.

The founders' reflections on what they enjoy about their business provide keen insights into the reasons for their success. "I build tremendous relationships with my clients. It's very important to me," says George. His partner Steve agrees. "The most interesting thing is the ability to work with people from all different types of businesses," Steve concludes, "It's rewarding to be challenged by unique circumstances, develop appropriate solutions, and recommend a workable plan that fits those unique circumstances".