Raleigh, N. C. Citing the complexity of the combination of the income and estate tax issues related to the Roth IRA conversion, a team of professional advisors in North Carolina has formed an alliance to provide advice after the conversion.

“We suspect that income tax and estate taxes are going up,” said Thomas E. Vass, one of the advisors in the new network. “We also suspect that the income distributions from the tax free Roth IRA will become subject to more government interest in the future, which will require that advisors try to hit political moving targets as the tax rules change,” he added.

The new team is comprised of Lois Hamilton, a CPA located in Raleigh, Austin Chestnut, an estate and business attorney with the Shanahan Law Group, PLLC, in Raleigh, N. C., and Vass, a registered investment advisor with Investment Management & Insurance Advisors, Inc., also located in Raleigh.

“Our process of providing advice begins with our customized Self-Guided Analysis Data Intake Form that we use to help clients better understand their own factors in the Roth conversion decision,” said Hamilton. All of us have agreed to use the data intake as a common starting point for our advice, both in the initial conversion decision, and then into the future,” she added.

“We are trying to maximize the financial benefits to clients over a long period of time,” said Chestnut, “and that may require integrating changes to the estate plan and trust creation with investment management of the Roth IRA assets.”

Vass said that the advice of the CPA is the most important of all the advisors in setting the framework for the subsequent legal and investment advice. “Our clients will fill in their Self-Guided Analysis, and then go to Lois for their first consultation,” said Vass. “She will prepare the big game plan for how to best protect the Roth assets in the future,” he stated.

“I suspect that most of the online web-based advice that clients are getting about the Roth IRA conversion is targeted to the initial decision to convert,” said Vass. For the great majority of citizens with retirement plan assets over $100,000, the initial decision to convert is a “no-brainer,” he added.

“The really complex issues arise after the conversion,” said Vass, “and our new team of professional advisors intends to provide this help to clients long into the future.”

Lois owns her own firm is built on a belief in personalized service, and concern for her client’s best interests. We take the time to get to know our clients, and have the experience to understand the challenges they face.

Austin concentrates his law practice in the areas of trusts and estates and general corporate law. He practices with the Shanahan Law Group, PLLC in Raleigh, North Carolina and represents clients throughout the state. Austin can be contacted at 919.856.9494 or achestnut@shanahanlawgroup.com

Vass is an investment advisor and the holder of a patent on portfolio management methods. He owns Investment Management & Insurance Advisors, Inc., a full service wealth management firm in Raleigh, N. C. Contact 919 975 4856 tvass@privatecapitalmarket.com