“Dad, are we rich?” Ethan’s father drops his fork mid-bite. “That’s an unusual question,” Roger carefully responds. Ethan, who just turned 16 and still fears his father’s disapproval, hesitates before continuing. He knows there is an unspoken rule in his family to never speak about money. Despite his nerves he plows on determined to get to the bottom of the wild claims his classmates made. “So, the guys said I didn’t need to get a summer […]
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Biblical Trial: The People vs. Moses
The Destruction of the Tablets of the Ten Commandments Guilty? Not Guilty? You Decide Dear Clients, Colleagues, and Friends, Each year, the University Synagogue located in Irvine, CA, presents a hugely entertaining and informative Biblical Trial Program. Two of the legal profession’s most esteemed law professors, Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of the UCI School of Law, and Prof. Laurie Levinson, present their legal arguments involving iconic events from the Bible. Details […]
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Corporate Inversions: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!
Dear Clients, Colleagues, and Friends, We are all familiar with Charles Dickens’ classic novel, A Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. By reliving his memories and peering into the future, he grows as an individual, developing a more kind and compassionate mentality, thereby benefiting his employees and community. Well, in this 2015 season of the holidays, a different phantom […]
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Death and Taxes: Two of life’s Surest Things
Dear Clients, Colleagues, and Friends, “It’s a beautiful home,” the well-coiffed realtor gushed to Sally and Ned. “How much did you say you paid?” Ned proudly told her what he spent on their “dream home” over 30 years ago. The realtor’s eyes shot up in surprise, “You could get 30 times that today.” The couple stopped short, shocked. They had no idea their residence could be worth so much. With […]
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Lessons Learned: Frank Gifford’s Estate Planning
Dear Clients, Colleagues, and Friends, So your estate planning is in order. You have a will; every loved one is accounted for; and your estate will be passed on in accordance with your wishes. Or will it? The great Frank Gifford died on August 9, 2015. He was 84 years old. He was a football player for the New York Giants, and then a television sports announcer and commentator. He […]
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Did the California Appeals Court End the Company Holiday Party?
Dear Clients, Colleagues, and Friends, In a recent issue of Client Alert, we illustrated just how far the courts are going to hold the “deep pocket” responsible to pay damages even though he or she didn’t cause them. We wrote about John Catsimatidis, a modern business hero and successful immigrant entrepreneur, being found personally liable for millions of dollars in damages because someone in his company was found to violate […]
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Tony Soprano’s Estate Gets “Whacked”
The cost of being penny wise and pound foolish… Actor James Gandolfini, who made the mobster Tony Soprano a household name, suddenly died in June of a heart attack at the age of 51. News quickly morphed from sadness over his untimely death to shock over his seemingly ill-conceived estate plan, namely, his will, which was so poorly drafted that up to 80% of his assets are rumored to be […]
Continue readingThe Use of Small Captive Insurance Companies for Efficient Risk Management, Tax Benefits, and Asset Protection
Ever since the 1930s, large companies in the United States have been forming their own property and casualty insurance companies in order to reduce the premium costs charged by commercial companies and insure risks otherwise not covered by commercial companies. During the past 20 years, the costs of establishing one’s own small captive business liability insurance company have come down so that middle market companies have been able to afford […]
Continue readingSo You Think Your Corporation or LLC Protects Your Personal Assets? Guess Again!!
John Catsimatidis is a self-made success. Starting with one supermarket in upper Manhattan in the early ’70s, he grew the Red Apple chain to ten stores by the time he was 24. In 1986, The Red Apple Group acquired the renowned Gristedes chain, and now they were the largest supermarket group in Manhattan. A tough area to grow a retail chain. The group also began to acquire and develop real […]
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