Strategic Tax Planning & Trust Attorney

You've Worked Hard to Build This. Let's Make Sure You Keep More of It.

You didn’t build your wealth to hand it over to the IRS. Yet every year, you wonder if there’s a smarter way—a way to protect what you’ve earned, provide for your family, and maybe even leave a legacy. There is. And it starts with a plan that connects the dots between your taxes, your trusts, and your goals.

Is Your Wealth at Risk?

Check the statements that apply to you:

I pay more than $100,000/year in income taxes and feel like there should be a better way.
I own a business, real estate, or investments that have appreciated significantly.
I'm concerned about estate taxes eroding what I leave to my family.
My CPA is great at compliance but hasn't shown me proactive strategies.
I want my tax planning and estate planning to work together, not in silos.

If you checked 2 or more, we should talk. Strategic tax planning could save you significantly.

Something Doesn't Add Up

You’ve done everything right—built a business, invested wisely, saved diligently. So why does it feel like the tax bill keeps growing faster than your wealth? You’re not imagining it. And you’re not alone.

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The Annual Frustration

Every April, you sign the return your CPA prepared and think: “There has to be a better way.” Your CPA is competent—great, even—but their job is to report what happened. No one’s helping you shape what happens next.

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The Coordination Gap

You have a trust attorney, a CPA, maybe a financial advisor. Good people, all of them. But when’s the last time they were in the same room? Disconnected advice leads to missed opportunities—and sometimes, costly mistakes.

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The Paralysis of Options

You’ve heard the terms: Roth conversions, Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs), Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs), Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts (IDGTs). You know opportunities exist. But which ones actually fit your life? Without clarity, it’s easier to do nothing—even when doing nothing is the most expensive choice.

What If Your Advisors Actually Talked to Each Other?

The best tax strategies don’t live in spreadsheets alone—they’re built into how you own things, how you’re structured, and how your legal documents are drafted. That’s why I work as both a trust attorney and a tax strategist.

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Income Tax Planning

Strategic timing of income and deductions, Roth conversions, business entity optimization, and advanced strategies to reduce your annual tax burden legally and substantially.

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Real Estate Tax & Estate Planning

Trusts that minimize estate taxes when passing property to heirs, structures that avoid probate, planning for stepped-up basis (where heirs inherit assets at current market value, eliminating capital gains on prior growth) at death, and entity structures such as LLCs and Family Limited Partnerships (FLPs) that allow for valuation discounts when gifting.

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Business Owner Tax Planning

Entity structure optimization, retirement plan strategies, and exit planning—including installment sales, charitable remainder trusts, grantor trusts (IDGTs) to shift growth outside your estate, deal structuring for capital gains treatment, and gifting interests before a sale to transfer value at lower valuations.

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Estate & Gift Tax Planning

Irrevocable trusts to remove assets from your taxable estate, Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs) to transfer appreciation to heirs with minimal gift tax, Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts (IDGTs) to sell assets to family while freezing estate value, Family Limited Partnerships (FLPs) for valuation discounts, and strategic annual and lifetime gifting to shift wealth while you’re alive.

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Charitable Tax Strategies

Charitable remainder trusts, donor-advised funds, private foundations, and qualified charitable distributions to achieve both tax savings and philanthropic goals.

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Asset Protection Planning

Domestic asset protection trusts, LLCs, and legal structures designed to shield your wealth from future creditors and lawsuits while maintaining flexibility.

How I Work

Tax planning and estate planning are too often treated as separate things. I practice at the intersection of both—which is where the most meaningful opportunities tend to live.

Here's What I've Learned After Years of Doing This

The people who get the best results aren’t necessarily the wealthiest. They’re the ones who are willing to plan ahead, coordinate their advisors, and actually implement what we design together.

I’m not here to replace your CPA or your financial advisor. I’m here to be the person who sees across all of it—who can spot the opportunities hiding in the gaps between disciplines, and who can draft the legal structures to capture them.

I'll tell you if a strategy isn't worth pursuing
I coordinate with your existing team—no one gets pushed out
If you don't have a team yet, I work with a network of financial advisors, CPAs, and other professionals we can bring in
I explain things in plain English, not jargon
I build plans you can actually execute, not theoretical exercises
I'm here for the long term, not a one-time transaction

A Clear Path Forward

We Listen

Before recommending anything, we need to understand your full picture—finances, family, goals, concerns. This isn’t a questionnaire. It’s a conversation.

We Map the Opportunities

We identify what’s possible given your specific situation—and just as importantly, what’s not worth the complexity.

We Build It Together

I draft the legal documents. We coordinate with your CPA and advisor. You stay informed every step of the way.

We Revisit as Life Changes

A plan that sits in a drawer helps no one. We meet regularly to adjust as laws evolve and your life unfolds.

This Might Be Right for You. Or It Might Not.

Before we go further, it’s worth asking: does this kind of planning make sense for your situation? Here’s what I’ve seen work—and what usually doesn’t.

You own a business, professional practice, or significant real estate holdings
You have assets that have appreciated substantially and you're considering selling
You're planning a business sale, merger, or major liquidity event
Your net worth has grown to the point where estate taxes are a concern
You have income from multiple sources (business, investments, real estate)
You want proactive planning, not just reactive tax filing
You're willing to implement strategies, not just learn about them
You don't have a full advisory team yet—I work with a network of financial advisors, CPAs, and other professionals who can help

Your income is primarily W-2 wages with few other assets or investments
You're looking for basic tax preparation services
You want "aggressive" strategies that push legal boundaries
You're not willing to invest in implementation costs
You need immediate results (good planning takes time)
You're not open to coordinating with other advisors
Your financial situation is relatively simple and stable

The Difference Planning Can Make

Here are three real strategies that illustrate how structuring a transaction differently can change the outcome. These are simplified examples—your numbers will depend on your specific situation.

Charitable Remainder Trust

If you sell $1 million in appreciated stock outright, you might owe $200,000 or more in capital gains taxes immediately (depending on your tax bracket and state). If instead you transfer that stock to a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) before selling, the trust sells it with no immediate capital gains tax. You receive income over time, get a charitable deduction in the year you fund it, and the remainder supports causes you care about. The math depends on your age, the payout rate, and IRS interest rates—but for the right person, you can turn a large tax bill into a lifetime income stream and a legacy gift.

Installment Sale

Say you’re selling a business or property for $2 million with a $500,000 basis—that’s $1.5 million in gain. Sell it all at once, and you could owe $300,000 or more in federal and state taxes in a single year (depending on your bracket and state), potentially pushing you into the highest brackets. Structure it as an installment sale over 5–10 years, and you recognize the gain gradually. You may stay in lower tax brackets each year, defer when you actually pay, and have more control over your cash flow. Same sale, very different tax timing.

Intentionally Defective Grantor Trust (IDGT)

You Own a Business Worth $5M Today

You sell this interest to an IDGT in exchange for a promissory note at the IRS-required interest rate. The business is expected to grow to $15M over the next 10 years.

You

Sell business to trust

Business Interest

Promissory Note

IDGT

Owned by your heirs

Over the Next 10 Years:

Principal + interest payments from the note (at the low IRS minimum rate)

All growth above the IRS interest rate—completely outside your estate

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Estate Tax

$10M of growth passes to heirs without estate tax (40% savings = up to $4M)

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Gift Tax

Little to none used—this is a sale, not a gift

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Income Tax

You pay tax on trust income (further reducing your estate)

The key insight: You’re trading a fast-growing asset for a fixed-payment note. The note gets paid back to you (so you haven’t given anything away), but all the growth above the IRS interest rate belongs to your heirs—free of estate and gift tax.

These are simplified illustrations to show how planning works—not projections of what you’ll save. Every situation involves trade-offs, and these strategies aren’t right for everyone. The point is that how you structure something often matters as much as what you’re doing.

Questions You Might Be Asking

How is this different from what my CPA does?

Most CPAs focus on compliance—accurately reporting past transactions. I focus on strategy—structuring future transactions to minimize taxes. Think of it as the difference between a sports commentator and a coach. You need both, but they do different jobs.

Will you replace my current CPA or financial advisor?

No. I work alongside your existing team, not instead of them. I identify strategies and create legal structures; your CPA handles the returns; your advisor manages investments. Everyone has their role.

Are these strategies "aggressive" or risky?

Everything I recommend is fully legal and well-established in tax law. I don’t do “gray area” planning. These are the same strategies used by wealthy families for generations—they just require specialized knowledge to implement properly.

How much does this cost?

Fees depend on complexity. A comprehensive tax plan typically starts at $15,000–$25,000. Implementation—such as trust drafting and entity formation—typically adds $5,000–$15,000 depending on what’s needed. We discuss all costs upfront during our initial conversation, and the investment is typically recouped many times over in tax savings—or I’ll tell you it’s not worth it.

How long does the process take?

Initial analysis takes 2-3 weeks. Strategy design another 2-3 weeks. Implementation varies—simple strategies can be done in a month; complex ones may take several months. Some strategies need to be implemented by year-end to be effective.

What if my situation changes after we implement?

That’s why ongoing planning matters. I offer annual review engagements to adjust strategies as tax laws change, your income fluctuates, and your goals evolve. The best plans are living documents, not one-time projects.

Wondering If There's a Better Way?

Maybe there is. Maybe there isn’t. The only way to know is to look at your specific situation together. I offer a straightforward initial conversation—no obligation, no pressure, just a direct assessment of whether working together makes sense.

If it turns out I’m not the right fit, I’ll tell you—and point you toward resources that might help. I’d rather build trust than force a relationship that doesn’t make sense.

Start a Conversation

Share a bit about your situation. I’ll reach out personally to schedule a time to talk.

Glossary of Terms

Tax and estate planning comes with its own vocabulary. Here’s a plain-English guide to the terms used on this page.

GRAT (Grantor Retained Annuity Trust)

A trust where you transfer assets and receive fixed payments back for a set period. If the assets grow faster than IRS assumptions, the excess passes to your heirs gift-tax-free. Often used for assets expected to appreciate significantly.

IDGT (Intentionally Defective Grantor Trust)

A trust that’s “defective” on purpose—you pay the income taxes on trust earnings (which isn’t a gift), but the assets aren’t in your estate for estate tax purposes. This lets the trust grow tax-free from the beneficiaries’ perspective while you reduce your estate.

ILIT (Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust)

A trust that owns your life insurance policy so the death benefit isn’t included in your taxable estate. Without an ILIT, a $2 million policy could trigger estate taxes; with one, your heirs receive it tax-free.

FLP (Family Limited Partnership)

A partnership where family members own interests in shared assets (often real estate or investments). Parents can gift limited partnership interests at a discount because the recipients don’t have control—reducing gift and estate taxes.

CRT (Charitable Remainder Trust)

A trust that pays you (or someone you choose) income for life or a term of years, with the remainder going to charity. You get a charitable deduction upfront and can sell appreciated assets inside the trust without immediate capital gains tax.

Installment Sale

Selling an asset and receiving payment over time rather than all at once. This spreads the capital gains tax across multiple years, potentially keeping you in lower tax brackets and deferring when you owe the IRS.

Stepped-Up Basis

When you inherit an asset, your “cost basis” (what the IRS considers you paid for it) resets to the value at the date of death. If your parent bought stock for $10,000 and it’s worth $100,000 when they die, you inherit it at $100,000—and owe no capital gains on that $90,000 of growth if you sell.

Roth Conversion

Moving money from a traditional IRA (taxed when you withdraw) to a Roth IRA (tax-free withdrawals). You pay income tax now on the converted amount, but all future growth and withdrawals are tax-free. Often makes sense in lower-income years or when tax rates are expected to rise.

Valuation Discount

When gifting partial interests in a business or partnership, the IRS allows discounts because the recipient doesn’t have full control or easy marketability. A 30% interest might be valued at less than 30% of the total value—meaning you can transfer more wealth using less of your gift tax exemption.

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)

A charitable giving account where you get an immediate tax deduction when you contribute, but can recommend grants to charities over time. It’s like a charitable savings account—you separate the tax benefit from the actual giving decision.

Attorney Advertising. This material is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or investment advice. Viewing this website does not create an attorney-client relationship. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Tax planning involves complex rules that vary based on individual circumstances, including your tax bracket and state of residence. The strategies discussed may not be appropriate for everyone and may have significant legal and financial implications. Please consult with qualified professionals before implementing any tax planning strategies. All illustrations and examples are hypothetical and not guarantees of results.