CHARLOTTE AMALIE, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands – March 15, 2024 – To assist with promoting legal transfer of property to preserve assets within U.S. Virgin Islands families and the community, the Enterprise Zone Commission (EZC), an entity of the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority (VIEDA), is hosting a free, in-person and virtual Estate Planning Conference from 5:30PM to 8PM on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
At the conference, information will be shared about estate planning options and the probate process in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The attendees will also learn about wills, trusts, and why estate planning is important, particularly for blighted and distressed neighborhoods in the Territory. Legal experts will also be present to lead discussions and answer common questions about the estate planning process, such as:
· What should I do if I don’t have a will or a trust?
· I have a will, but are there other ways to plan my estate?
· My property has multiple owners and some are deceased, and the deceased owners did not have a will. What should I do?
· There is a will. Can I avoid the probate process?
· Is it important to update the beneficiaries on my policies?
For individuals to attend in-person, this conference will be held at the following locations:
St. Thomas, USVI:
Frederick Evangelical Lutheran Church - Bethania Hall
5057 Norre Gade
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 00802
St. Croix, USVI:
University of the Virgin Islands’ Great Hall
Albert A. Sheen Campus
Rural Route (RR) No. 1
Kingshill, St. Croix, USVI 00850
Pre-registration is mandatory. Registration deadline: Monday, March 18, 2024.
Register today at www.usvieda.org.
Pre-registration is also required for individuals participating virtually by Zoom.com.
This conference will also be live streamed by the VIEDA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/usvieda and on WLDV 107.9FM DaVybe.
The EZC provides tax credits and exemptions for individuals to rehabilitate buildings or properties, operate a business and create jobs for residents within the designated enterprise zones of Christiansted and Frederiksted on St. Croix; Savanne-Downstreet and Garden Street-Upstreet on St. Thomas. Since 2010, EZC has hosted estate planning conferences to augment efforts with reducing the number of vacant buildings within the enterprise zones.
These programs help to revitalize the economy and the physical appearance of blighted and severely distressed areas in the U.S. Virgin Islands
“The Bryan-Roach Administration is investing in the Territory’s people, infrastructure and future through transparency, stabilizing the economy, restoring trust in the government and ensuring that recovery projects are completed as quickly as possible. Visit http://transparency.vi.gov .”