(PRWEB) July 05, 2017
On June 1, 2017, Ruth Flynn Raftery JD, CPA accepted the role of President of the Estate Planning Council of New York City after serving on the board for three years. As a Tax Director at Wiss & Company, Raftery is confident that the new role will position her to better assist families with their estate, gift and trust planning.
The Estate Planning Council of New York City is an interdisciplinary organization composed of professionals involved in several estate planning areas, including law, accountancy, banking and insurance. Raftery explains, “The organization is meant to provide education and promote collaboration among the various professionals who assist clients with estate planning.” Ultimately, with a greater knowledge of the law and an understanding of the estate planning landscape, the client is better served.
Raftery has been a member of the Estate Planning Council for the past seven years. In that time, she’s held various roles on the Board of Directors and most recently served as Vice President. On her new role, she notes, “Each president has a vision for what they want from their presidency and what themes they want to work on during the year.” According to Raftery, there are three topics on this year’s agenda.
First, Raftery hopes to prioritize collaboration among the various disciplines. “Clients are always better off when their advisors work together. It ensures that things don’t fall through the cracks.” She also believes in forging a stronger connection with their parent organization, The National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. Raftery says, “I see a lot of value in being associated with a national organization and building a national network through that organization.”
The final theme is change. “There’s a lot of change happening in the estate planning world,” Raftery notes, “and we all need to embrace that change.” The increasing estate tax exemption, potential law changes and longer life expectancies are several factors contributing to that change. This will increasingly require estate planners to become more involved in related areas, such as income tax planning, retirement planning and long-term care planning.
When asked how being President of the Estate Planning Council complements her role as Tax Director at Wiss & Company, Raftery replied, “The Estate Planning Council has helped me to gain important knowledge related to estate planning and to understand the value of an interdisciplinary team. Estate planning encompasses much more than preparing a will or completing a gift tax return and embracing the team approach to estate planning allows me to identify and introduce the right resources to better serve our clients.”
Since 1969, Wiss & Company, LLP has provided accounting services, including family wealth planning, financial planning, litigation support, tax services and more, to clients in New York City, New Jersey and the surrounding areas.
Contact:
Ruth Flynn Raftery
rraftery(at)wiss(dot)com
14 Penn Plaza
Suite 1010
New York, NY 10122
646-677-3146