Title: Fiduciary Investing: A Primer

Summary: Acting as a trustee involves numerous responsibilities and duties including the duty to prudently invest trust assets. A trustee needs to understand a wide range of investments and how various classes of investments fit within the various laws, acts and standards that govern that duty. During our conversation, we will review investment basics, discuss the Massachusetts Prudent Investor Act and the standard of care trustees must abide by when investing trust assets, and provide some practical guidelines for a trustee to utilize when constructing an investment plan for the trust portfolio. 

Moderator: Joshua S. Miller, J.D., TEP, Vice President, BNY Mellon Wealth Management

Moderator Bio: Josh Miller is a senior portfolio manager for BNY Mellon Wealth Management. In this role, he works directly with high-net worth individuals and families to develop and implement investment and wealth management strategies. Josh brings specific tax and estate planning expertise to help clients achieve objectives, working with their attorneys and accountants to ensure a coordinated approach.

Title: Topics in International Estate Planning

Summary:

1. U.S. estate and gift tax rules applicable to non-resident aliens
2. Planning for married couples where one spouse is a non-U.S. citizen
3. Potential traps and pitfalls in international estate planning

Moderator: Brian W. Monnich, Partner, Choate Hall & Stewart LLP

Moderator Bio: Brian W. Monnich is a partner in the wealth management group at Choate Hall & Stewart LLP. He advises clients on a range of estate planning matters, including lifetime gifting strategies and trust and estate administration. He devotes part of his practice to international estate planning. He is a member of the American and Boston bar associations and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners ("STEP”), and is also actively involved with The Trustees of Reservations. Prior to attending Boston College Law School and commencing his career as an attorney, Mr. Monnich was a foreign language teacher at schools in the Washington, D.C. and Boston areas.

Title: When to Gift Assets and When to Let Them Die With You

Summary:   Help your clients answer the question of when is the best time to pass on their assets to future generations. Depending on your client’s goals and the type of assets in his or her portfolio, certain assets are best for lifetime giving and others for passing after death. Gift and estate tax avoidance, step-up in basis and the type of assets owned, all play a role in determining when is the best time to gift an asset. We will discuss how to:

1) Examine assets in your client’s portfolio

2) Assess the type of assets to determine which are best for lifetime gifting vs. gifting after death

3) Develop a strategy to maximize a family’s assets

Moderators: Scott B. Kaplowitch, CPA, Partner, Edelstein & Company LLP

Moderator Bio: High net worth individuals with complex financial concerns need a trusted advisor who can spot issues before they become problems. Scott has more than 20 years experience handling sophisticated estate plans and complex tax issues for individuals and their businesses. He has extensive experience in individual, trust, estate, partnership and corporate taxation as well as audit. Scott is member of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Boston Estate Planning Council, Essex County Estate Planning and Business Council, and is treasurer of the Jewish Federation of the North Shore.