Presentation

At times individuals struggle to understand the distinctions between various charitable vehicles such as: donor advised funds, private foundations and supporting organizations.  In the world of charitable gift planning there is no “one size fits all” solution.  These charitable options offer a variety of alternatives to help people support the causes that are important to them.  The dialogue will focus on how to implement the best choice for charitable giving. 

Jennifer Rhoads is president of the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington.  Before joining the Foundation, Jennifer spent 15 years working extensively in financial planning and wealth management.  She has experience with a variety of professional financial planning services for affluent clients, including charitable planning, trust and estate services.   Jennifer is a Certified Financial Planner and a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School.  She graduated from Washington State University, Pullman with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication from the Edward R. Murrow School of Communications.

The Humane Society for SW Washington is hosting at their headquarters the Estate Planning Council of SW Washington.   This special event will include a facilities tour and an action packed panel discussion about estate and charitable planning.  The panelists, all of whom are experts in their fields of practice, will share experiences as to what works — and what can go bad — in estate planning. They will share their insights on starting a dialogue on how a charitable trust can benefit a client, their heirs as well as a nonprofit organization.  Of course no presentation would be complete without the psychological significance of listening to a client and being able to meet their estate planning goal.  Finally the panelists will discuss the benefits of including provisions in an estate plan for one’s beloved pet.     

Alicia “Lisa” Lowe is an attorney with Schwabe, Williamson and Wyatt and brings a realistic approach to estate planning.   Gene Christian is an authority in the fields of planned giving and advancement.   Chris Cline leads the Riverview Trust Company team and will share his perspective as to how one can effectively administer an estate plan.  

Meeting Notes

What are the defenses available to trustees against claims brought by trust beneficiaries?   How much does one disclose – and when – in regards to trust accounting and background?  What due diligence should be in place when accepting a successor fiduciary position; or when a trust relationship is terminated?  Why is it important to have a proactive strategy in order to minimize potential conflicts?  This presentation will discuss the fundamentals of trust reporting and ways to more fully expand on defensive strategies.

Hilary A. Newcomb has worked in the estate and trust field for her entire legal career.  She practices fiduciary litigation, probate and trust administration, estate planning, guardianships and conservatorships.  She has prior experience in the areas of taxable estate planning, charitable foundations, business formation, trust and estate dispute resolution and trial practice.  She earned her J.D. at Santa Clara University’s School of Law and her B.A. from Santa Clara University. Hilary has presented before many groups and has authored published articles about estate planning.

Annual Meeting Agenda

Tim Amen – Guest Speaker, Brighton Jones

Tim Amen is a Lead Advisor with Brighton Jones a leading wealth management firm that brings value to a client relationship by focusing on helping people navigate life’s many complexities.  His presentation will draw attention to recent changes to the social security system, how the new rules affect current retirees and those becoming seasoned enough to claim social security as well as case study strategies.

Tim holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona, the Certified Financial Planner designation and a Master’s in Financial Planning from the College for Financial Planning.  As a Lead Advisor he works with a diversity of individuals and families in helping them achieve their financial goals and allowing them to enjoy other life pursuits.

Meeting Notes

Jeffrey Cheyne and Darlene Pasieczny – Guest Speakers

Samuels Yoelin Kantor, LLP

Negotiating With The Tech Industry Over Fiduciary Access To Digital Property

Jeffrey M. Cheyne, a Partner at Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP, Portland; B.A., University of Oregon (1963); J.D., (1975), LLM Tax, (1984), University of San Diego; member of the Oregon State Bar since 1990; member, California and Washington State Bars; practice focuses on estate planning and administration, and tax planning; fellow, American College of Trust and Estate Council; member, OSB Estate Planning and Administration Section; member, Probate Update Workgroup of the Oregon Law Commission; past chair, OSB Estate Planning and Administration Section.

Darlene Pasieczny, an associate at Samuels Yoelin Kantor is a member of the firm’s securities and litigation team focusing on investor protection and investment loss recovery for individuals, fiduciaries, groups, retirement funds, pension plans, municipalities and institutional investors in court and FINRA arbitration.  She is also a member of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA) an international bar association whose members represent investors in disputes with the securities industry.

Their presentation will highlight recent changes to digital asset legislation in Oregon and Washington and access limitations.

Meeting Notes

Matthew C. Rast and Britton Smith – Guest Speakers

US Bank Charitable Services Portfolio Managers

The financial markets of 2016 have started off with a certain level of volatility influenced by global macro events such as the slowdown in the Chinese economy and the continued fall in commodity prices. Potentially complicating market performance are the prevalent theories in election years.   The State of Iowa helped set the pace for presidential front runners.  Does the market favor one political party over the other?   Are there potential policy implications to election outcomes?

Meeting Notes

Roy Abramowitz, CPA, CFP, Shareholder, Perkins and Co.

Roy has been with the firm since 1987 and is a former leader of its Legacy Planning Practice Group.  He is a seasoned tax professional specializing in income, estate, retirement and charitable tax planning for wealthy individuals and families.  He also has significant experience with succession, transaction, and entity planning for family-owned businesses and is the firm’s representative for the Family Firm Institute.  In addition to Legacy Planning, he serves many clients in the nonprofit sector and is and is a member of the firm’s Nonprofit Practice Group.

Amy Kutzkey, CPA, Tax Senior Manager, Perkins and Co.

Amy joined the Perkins and Co tax department in January 2015, after relocating from the Los Angeles, California area.  She brings with her 15 years of public accounting experience and is a member of the firm’s Legacy Planning Practice Group.  Amy started her career working with high net worth individuals and their related companies, giving her insight into the family dynamics that come along with owning family businesses.  She has experience with family groups, high net worth individuals, closely held businesses, trusts, private foundations, family offices, and ultimately their estates.

Meeting Notes

Think white collar crime can’t happen to you or your clients? Think again! Tiffany R. Couch, CPA/CFF, CFE will provide you the technical knowledge you need to understand typical fraud schemes, red flags of fraud, and the prevalence of these crimes on small business, non-profits and at-risk members of our society. From there, the discussion will include preservation of both electronic and physical evidence; the pros and cons of pursuing criminal charges; and understanding how a strong insurance claim can recoup your client’s funds quickly. Ms. Couch will also touch on easy and cost-effective fraud prevention tools – helping you add value to your client before a fraud happens to them. Key points will be highlighted by stories of actual fraud investigations and the action steps that produced desirable outcomes.

Tiffany is Principal at Acuity Forensics, a Pacific Northwest forensics accounting firm with a national presence. She has more than 18 years of experience in the field of accounting, with the last 11 years focused completely on forensic accounting related engagements. Her expertise is in matters involving fraud investigation, forensic accounting, contract and regulatory compliance, internal control risk assessment, and complex litigation. Ms. Couch is the winner of the 2014 James R. Baker Speaker of the Year, presented by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) to honor an individual who has demonstrated the true spirit of leadership in communication, presentation and quality instruction. She also serves as Vice Chair on the Board of Regents and is a faculty member for the ACFE, the world’s largest anti-fraud organization and the premier provider of anti-fraud training and education.

Meeting Notes

Meeting Location

Gene Christian is considered one of the region’s foremost authorities in the fields of planned giving and advancement.  He regularly contributes to regional and national publications and presents at conferences all over the U.S.  He works with many organizations by conducting visioning and strategic planning sessions.  He received his Bachelor’s degree from George Fox University and a Master’s in Education from the University of California at San Diego.

In 2014 Gene received the “Distinguished Service Award” from the NW Planned Giving Roundtable for his exemplary service and commitment to the planned giving community.

Meeting Notes

Judge Robert Lewis is a graduate of Western Washington State College and the University of Washington Law School.  After admission to the Washington State Bar in October, 1981, he worked for Eastside Defender Association in Seattle as a trial attorney. Judge Lewis practiced law in Camas from 1984-2004 with the firm of Knapp, O’Dell, Lewis and MacPherson. Although the firm was a typical small town general practice, his primary focus was criminal defense and family law.  He was appointed to the superior court bench in November, 2004.