ESTATE PLANNING COUNCIL OF ST. LOUIS

Date: December 11, 2023

Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm. Sit down lunch and presentation

Topic: Attacking and Defending Trust Assets in Divorce  

In person and zoom available (zoom participants once registered will receive the zoom invite the Friday before the event)

Location: Saint Louis Club 7676 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton MO 63105

Speakers: Sharon L. Klein, Executive Vice President, Executive Vice President

President - Family Wealth, Eastern U.S. Region & Head of National Divorce Advisory Practice

About the presentation: When a marriage dissolves, trust and estate documents drafted during happier times may no longer reflect the parties’ current wishes. Are trust assets accessible or “off limits” in a divorce?  Trustees potentially have access to powerful tools that might impact the treatment of trust assets in divorce.

We will discuss common estate planning vehicles from the estate planning and family law perspectives. Particular focus will be placed on examining existing irrevocable trusts.

The presentation will delve into:

• how to evaluate trust provisions to determine how vulnerable trusts are to attack in divorce;
• what provisions estate planning attorneys typically include in trust agreements for tax purposes and to help wall off trust assets from a potential future ex-spouse;
• what trust administration is potentially viewed as creating a marital interest;
• how existing “irrevocable” trusts might be altered to eliminate or shift beneficial interests; and
• ways to ameliorate surprising tax consequences that might otherwise distort results

Drawing upon the latest judicial and legislative developments, this presentation will raise awareness of some of the estate planning, tax, and family law issues that need to be considered to better position professionals to advise clients before marriage, during their marriage, and before a divorce is finalized.

To register for this session, go to www.epcstlouis.org and click the link for the session.

CPA's - CPE Credit Note: In order to be awarded the full credits, you must be responding to three out of the four polling questions asked during the program on ZOOM.

Continuing Education

EPCSTL has requested approval for continuing education in the following areas: CTFA, CLE, CPE, CFP, L&H Insurance   

CPE Information for CPAs

The sponsor assures that the program content and program level is appropriate for the intended participants.

Participants will: 

Learning Objectives:

• how to evaluate trust provisions to determine how vulnerable trusts are to attack in divorce
• what provisions estate planning attorneys typically include in trust agreements for tax purposes and to help wall off trust assets from a potential future ex-spouse
• what trust administration is potentially viewed as creating a marital interest
• how existing “irrevocable” trusts might be altered to eliminate or shift beneficial interests

The presentation is intended raise awareness of estate planning, tax, and matrimonial law issues that should be considered when trust assets are at stake so professionals can be better positioned to advise clients before marriage, during marriage, and before a divorce is finalized.

The sponsor assures that the program content and program level is appropriate for the intended participants.

Participants will earn 1 CPE credit. 

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge 

Additional Information:

Delivery Method: Group Live/Group Internet Based

Program Level: Basic

Pre-requisite: NONE 

Who should attend: This presentation is aimed at lawyers, accountants, trust officers and other estate planning professionals with a background in estate planning topics.

Refunds and Cancellations: All attendees are required to register in advance.  If you reserve and are unable to attend, please cancel your reservation at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting to receive a refund or a credit for a future meeting. For more information regarding refund, complaint, and/or program cancellation policies please contact our offices at 314-520-3564.

Estate Planning Council of St. Louis is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.

National Registry of CPE Sponsors Number 109467

​CTFA

CTFA 1.25 CE credit 

CFP

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• how to evaluate trust provisions to determine how vulnerable trusts are to attack in divorce
• what provisions estate planning attorneys typically include in trust agreements for tax purposes and to help wall off trust assets from a potential future ex-spouse
• what trust administration is potentially viewed as creating a marital interest
• how existing “irrevocable” trusts might be altered to eliminate or shift beneficial interests

The presentation is intended raise awareness of estate planning, tax, and matrimonial law issues that should be considered when trust assets are at stake so professionals can be better positioned to advise clients before marriage, during marriage, and before a divorce is finalized.

About the Speaker

Sharon is President of Family Wealth, Eastern U.S. Region, for Wilmington Trust, N.A. She is responsible for overseeing the delivery of all Wealth Management services by teams of professionals, including planning, trust, investment management, family governance and education, family office, and private banking services. Sharon also heads Wilmington Trust’s National Divorce Advisory Practice. Sharon has over 25 years of experience in the wealth advisory arena and is a nationally recognized speaker and author. Global media company Forbes features Sharon as a Top Advisor in multiple categories since 2020. In 2023 she was selected as one of the Top 50 Women Wealth Advisors in America, one of the Top 10 in New York and one of the Top 5 in New York City. Leading business publication Crain’s named Sharon to its 2020 inaugural list of the Most Notable Women in Financial Advice. In 2023, Sharon was chosen as a Leading High Net Worth Wealth Manager by Chambers. In 2018, she was honored by the UJA-Federation of New York Lawyers Division for her contributions to the trusts & estates community and the community at large. Sharon is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a highly selective professional organization of preeminent estate planning attorneys in the U.S. and internationally. Sharon was inducted into the Estate Planning Hall of Fame in 2021. This award is considered the pinnacle of accomplishment in this field. Only 125 people across the U.S. have received this award since its inception in 2004. Sharon is a member of The Rockefeller University Committee on Trust and Estate Gift Plans, the New York Bankers Association Trust & Investment Division Executive Committee, the Estates, Gifts and Trusts Advisory Board for The Bureau of National Affairs and the Thomson Reuters Trusts & Estates Advisory Board. She chairs the Domestic Relations Committee of Trusts & Estates magazine, where she sits on the Board, and is on the Advisory Board of Family Lawyer Magazine. Sharon is a past chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Trusts, Estates and Surrogate’s Court Committee, and a past chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Trusts and Estates Law Section Taxation Committee. She served on the Board of the American Brain Foundation and was a member of its Finance Committee. Prior to joining Wilmington Trust, Sharon was Managing Director at Lazard, the internationally renowned global investment banking and management company. In her role as Head of Wealth Advisory of Lazard Wealth Management, she led the delivery of all wealth advisory services. Before that, she headed the Estate department at Fiduciary Trust Company International. Sharon began her career as a trusts & estates attorney at Rosenman & Colin (now Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP). Sharon, who holds U.S., British and Australian citizenships, earned a master of laws from the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and received a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of laws from the University of New South Wales, Australia and is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst