Annual Tax Seminar (E1711959)

Frank Agostino is the president of Agostino & Associates, P.C., a law firm in Hackensack, New Jersey specializing in civil and white collar criminal litigation, tax controversies and tax planning.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Agostino was an attorney with the Internal Revenue Service's District Counsel in Springfield, Illinois and Newark, New Jersey. He also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, where he prosecuted primarily criminal tax cases.

As an adjunct professor, Mr. Agostino taught tax controversy at Rutgers School of Law and served as the co-director of the Rutgers Federal Tax Law Clinic.

Mr. Agostino is a frequent speaker and author on tax controversy and litigation matters. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Journal of Tax Practice and Procedure. Mr. Agostino is actively involved with the American Bar Association and the New York County Lawyers' Association.

Mr. Agostino is also the President of the Taxpayers Assistance Corp., which provides tax and legal advice to low income taxpayers in the NY/NJ area.

Stephen J. Bercovitch, J.D. is a highly regarded, practiced, state and local tax (“SALT”) attorney who offers:

• A full range of state and local tax support and consulting services
• Tax planning and audit defense
• Clients include individuals, closely held corporations, investors in partnerships, as well as other professionals, tax law firms, accounting firms, and tax consultants in need of cost-effective and reliable SALT expertise.

Stephen has provided professional services and legal guidance to clients and their financial advisors for more than 30 years. The practice offers a model of leveraged assistance and expert, insightful support in management of a wide array of national and more local ‘tri-state area’ SALT issues. Stephen maintains close, working professional relationships with SALT colleagues throughout the United States.

Stephen is a graduate of New York University School of Law, Juris Doctorate, and of the University of California, Berkeley, Bachelor of Arts, History, Cum Laude. He is a member of the New York State Bar and the New York City Bar Association State & Local Tax Committee.

Paul Dougherty is a tax partner at EisnerAmper and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He has more than 20 years of public accounting and specialized expertise in corporate taxation, high net worth individuals and IRS controversy. He has significant experience in the review of corporate, partnership ad individual tax returns; sophisticated tax planning techniques; representation of federal and state audits; real estate taxation; tax lien matters, and mergers and acquisitions. Paul is responsible for overseeing the tax compliance for all property and casualty insurance companies, life companies and mutual insurance companies as well as coordinating the tax training for the insurance tax specialists. Paul is involved in curriculum selection and development in the Tax College of EisnerAmper University and is a Dean of the college. He is a frequent writer and speaker, presenting seminars nationally and throughout the tri-state area on various matters. Paul earned his J.D. at New York Law School, M.S. T. from Seaton Hall University and B.B.A. in accounting from Pace University. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants, American Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association Taxation Committee and New York State Bar Association.

Kenneth A. Horowitz entered the life insurance business in 1989 after a short career in the commercial real estate finance business with a leading NYC based commercial bank. He became affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, New York, NY as a Field Representative with the Compain Anderson Group and went on to qualify for the company’s prestigious Awards Club for many years.

After merging with another NYC based Guardian agency in 2000, Strategies for Wealth, Ken’s services grew more comprehensive by providing clients a distinct financial planning process. His commitment to the financial services business is exemplified by qualifying as a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®), a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®), as well as becoming a Registered Representative (Series 7) and IAR (Investment Advisor Representative) of Park Avenue Securities, Guardian's broker-dealer and investment advisor arm.

Through Ken’s specialty in the area of disability income planning, he wrote an article on tax issues and the benefits of qualified sick pay plans entitled “Tax Trap” published in the September 1999 issue of the Journal of Accountancy, which has been reprinted in various legal periodicals.

In 2007, Ken created an alliance with Integrity Advisors Pension Consultants Inc., a 50 year old pension consulting firm, based in Rye Brook, New York. Their team of actuaries design and implement profit sharing and pension plans for small to medium size business owners. Providing seminars to the CPA community and their knowledge of pension legislation has allowed Integrity Advisors to create a niche in this segment of financial services. Ken recently authored two articles in the May and November 2011 issue of Advisor Today on the new tax benefits of qualified retirement plans to business owners resulting from the Pension Protection Act ’06. The second article discusses the enhanced protection and income benefits of variable annuity contracts.

In 2010, Ken took over the stewardship of another long time established Westchester based pension and financial services firm, National Pension Consultants II. Since this merger, Ken created Integrated Benefit Consultants.

Ken received his MBA from Hofstra University. He has always given his time to help various charitable and local organizations. Some of his affiliations include: Head of the NJ Chapter of Hofstra University Alumni Association; Executive Board Member of Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Penn State Parents Association; Y-JCC of Bergen County; The Loomis-Chafee Alumni Association; and member and coach of the Woodcliff Lake Basketball Association.

Ken is licensed to conduct insurance and investment business in several states across the country.

Geoffrey Weinstein, special counsel in the Tax, Trusts & Estates Department, counsels those with business and personal interests in the greater New York City metropolitan area and South Florida. He is known as a creative advisor and problem-solver who assists in developing tax planning strategies that preserve wealth and a dedicated advocate who resolves tax controversies. Geoff advises on estate planning that involves wills, trusts, powers of attorney and healthcare directives. Following a death, he advises on estate administration and probate litigation. For businesses and individuals, he advises on taxation of executive compensation, including stock option incentives and nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements. He also reviews executive employment and severance agreements for Section 409A compliance. When tax controversies arise, Geoff represents taxpayers before federal, state and local tax authorities at all stages of the administrative process, from audit through administrative appeal. He has discretely handled numerous high-net worth residency cases in New Jersey and New York, consistently netting favorable results through confidential closing agreements that avoid the publicity of litigation. In addition, Geoff works closely with other members of the Cole Schotz team to resolve sales and use and corporate business tax audits with state tax authorities. In cases where taxpayers neglected to file tax or information returns, or have compliance issues involving offshore bank accounts and other assets, Geoff has achieved positive results through participation in federal and state voluntary disclosure programs and procedures. Geoff also represents taxpayers in sensitive “egg shell” tax audits that include exposure to possible criminal charges and/or civil fraud penalties. He has represented U.S. and non-U.S. resident taxpayers from around the world, including Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and India. For those matters that require litigation, Geoff has prosecuted many cases to successful conclusion. Geoff is a frequent lecturer on handling tax controversies at the federal and state level and advising on state tax updates. He is licensed to practice law in New Jersey, New York, and Florida, and has specific admittance to the United States Tax Court and the Southern District Court of New York.

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.