EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS
Scott T. Ditman is a Tax Partner with the Personal Wealth Services Practice. Over his more than 35 years with the firm, he has developed a specialty in trust and estate taxation and planning. With a keen eye on how changes in tax laws or shifts in the financial markets may affect clients, he assists them in building, preserving, and transferring wealth.
Scott works closely with high net worth individuals and family/owner-managed business clients, advising on estate and income tax issues, and succession and financial planning, including:
- Crafting tax-effective gift programs using family limited partnerships, charitable trusts, generation skipping trusts, and other wealth-building strategies
- Devising creative strategies to allow IRA owners to pass on the highest possible amount to their children and grandchildren by prolonging the tax deferral period
- Analyzing and updating estate plans, including reviewing wills and trust instruments
- Identifying potential liquidity problems at death caused by federal and state estate taxes, generation-skipping transfer tax, probate and administration costs, cash bequests, and funds needed to continue operating family businesses
- Planning for assets with unique estate tax attributes, such as life insurance and retirement plan benefits
- Creating succession plans for the transition of control and ownership of family enterprises
- Working closely with attorneys, financial advisors, insurance specialists, and other professionals to see that both financial and personal needs are met
In addition, Scott performs the following services for trusts and estates:
- Planning and preparing federal and state estate tax returns
- Preparing accountings in surrogate’s court format
- Planning and preparing fiduciary income tax returns and decedent’s final returns
- Representing the executor in federal and state government estate tax examinations
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ACTIVITIES
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Estate Planning Council of New York City
- Former Director
New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants
- Estate Planning Committee
Scott speaks at various organizations, including the Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, on issues that include trust and estate planning, fiduciary accounting, and income tax planning. He has contributed to Bloomberg.com, Forbes, The CPA Journal, Long Island Business News, Newsday, Accounting Today, Journal of Financial Planning, Reuters, Vault, and has appeared on CNN.
EDUCATION AND LICENSES
Scott received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Brooklyn College and a Master of Business Administration degree in taxation at Baruch College. He obtained his license as a certified public accountant in New York in 1984. In addition, he has earned the designation of personal Financial Specialist (PFS) — the AICPA’s recognition for excellence in estate and financial planning.