Elder Care / Insurance & Exit Planning (E1712809)

As a licensed attorney in the State of New Jersey and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a Certified Public Accountant in the States of New Jersey and Florida as well as a holder of the  ChFC® and CLU® designations from The American College, Darren has the qualifications, desire and commitment to assist you and your family.  Through personal experiences of his mother dealing with dementia and Parkinson’s; witnessing the effects of his uncle’s Alzheimer’s affliction and its impact on the family; and his sister becoming permanently disabled, Darren became interested in Elder Law and Special Needs Planning.  

With the onset of dementia and Parkinson’s, Darren’s mother was concerned about ending up in a nursing home and started to “spend down” her assets.  This proved to be an unnecessary and wasteful plan as Darren was able to assist his mother in uncovering the fact that she had converted a group long-term care insurance policy upon retirement to an individual policy.   That policy enabled the family to help cover a significant portion of the costs incurred prior to her passing.  

Throughout his career, Darren has been a frequent speaker on various topics including social security, taxes, and estate planning.  In addition, he has authored numerous articles that have appeared in professional journals.  Darren has taught graduate tax classes on Estate and Gift Taxation, Federal Income Taxation of Trusts & Estates, and S Corporations.  In addition to formal education, he continually challenges himself to learn and grow so that he can use that knowledge to make a difference in the lives of his clients.    

Darren obtained his B.S. in Accounting and J.D. from Seton Hall University.  He also has a Masters in Taxation from Fairleigh Dickinson University where he was inducted into Tau Alpha Chi, a national tax honor society.  He began his career with Arthur Andersen LLP, worked for KPMG LLP and was a tax partner at Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP before beginning his law practice.

On a personal note, Darren has been married for 25-years.  He and his wife have two daughters and two dogs.  Darren belongs to the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys, Knights of Columbus and is a supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association and St. Vicent DePaul’s.

Ms. Wheatley-Liss counsels business owners on legal and structural issues related to start-up, financing, growth and exit strategy. As a tax attorney, she always keeps an eye on minimizing a business owner's "silent partner" – the IRS. By creating the most efficient organizational structures and contractual arrangements during the infancy and growth of a business she has helped clients keep hundreds of thousands of dollars in their pockets upon the sale of the mature business. To educate both the public and the legal community about issues relating to business ownerships, Ms. Wheatley-Liss is a frequent lecturer to professionals and the public on topics related to start-up, intellectual property, employee and independent contractor issues, wealth transfer, tax minimization, business succession planning and cybersecurity.