In January, C3 Financial Partners (formerly Texas Financial Partners) hosted another successful Consume and Converse event, inviting Ann Marie Liotta and Casey Abbot to speak about Private Placement products in life insurance.
Private Placement products are lesser known and often misunderstood tools for shielding families and individuals from excessive tax exposure. In their presentation, Ann Marie and Casey covered the ins and outs of these underemployed products and discussed how they can be used and what type of client will benefit most from them.
As Ann Marie and Casey discussed, private placement products can be used in combination with a trust to allow wealth-holding individuals to transfer wealth to their heirs without subjecting it to estate taxes. By gifting funds to the trust year by year, wealth holders can take advantage of the IRS’ gift exemption and efficiently transfer the trust to the next generation.
While the topic of this talk was somewhat more technical than past C&C events have been, attendees were focused and engaged nonetheless. “From observing our guests, it appeared that the presentation by Ann Marie and Casey seemed to offer something of interest to the cross section that was in attendance,” noted C3 Partner, Jay F. Wheless. “There was a common theme among the comments that I heard: ‘It was helpful to learn about the concept, and particularly to know that the expertise is available.’”
An important goal of the C&C program is to allow industry professionals to forge new bonds and exchange ideas. In that spirit, C3 Senior Partner, Carolyn J. Smith, remarked positively on the feeling of collegiality at the gathering. “It was great to see our guests actively ‘conversing’ with each other, one of our primary missions for these events,” she said. “Some were making connections for the first time; others were building on prior conversations.”
Throughout the year, C3 Financial Partners’ Consume and Converse program features several events, in which leaders in their field are invited to speak on various topics pertinent to the life insurance and financial planning communities. Through this series, C3 hopes to foster connections and spread knowledge among industry professionals.
About the Presenters
Ann Marie Liotta specializes in domestic wealth planning and tax strategy. She brings with her 20 years’ experience at New York-based financial businesses, as well as regional Philadelphia accounting firms. In 2016, she joined a Philadelphia firm as the U.S. Director of Wealth Structuring Services, in which she assists clients with incorporating Private Placement solutions to new and existing wealth plans. Ann Marie graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rutgers College School of Business and holds CPA licenses in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. She is also an elected official who sits on the Board of Education in Moorestown, New Jersey.
Casey Abbott has spent 12 of his 15 years in the insurance industry as a specialist in the Private Placement and Fee-Based areas of the field. Prior to working with Ann Marie, he spent six years with TIAA helping launch their RIA insurance product, and five years handling Private Placement products with AIG. He earned his BBA from St. Mary’s University in Texas, and holds FINRA 6, 22, 62, and 63 licenses, as well as multiple state insurance licenses.