Steven B. Gorin

Steven B. Gorin concentrates his practice in estate planning and in structuring privately held businesses. He builds estate plans for individuals, keeping in mind their financial security and desire to save income and estate tax.

Steve's practice structuring businesses helps owners plan for the eventual sale (to co-owners, employees, or third parties) or transfer (to family members), providing a legal framework for an orderly transition while strategically saving income, transfer, and FICA taxes.

Steve practiced accounting for 8 years and continues to maintain his CPA license. He was a partner in a small CPA firm, helping individuals and businesses with income tax planning, tax return preparation, and financial planning. When Steve structures businesses, he seeks to reduce family or business conflict and save estate tax.

Some strategies reduce income tax on the exit from a business, maximize tax basis increases when an owner dies, avoid income tax traps regarding deferred compensation and life insurance, secure life insurance proceeds for buy-sell agreements, or protect an election to be taxed as an S corporation.

Steve might be the only lawyer in the country to attend all of the meetings of not only the American Bar Association's Real Property, Trust & Estate Law Section since 2001 but also the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel since 2005. He uses what he learns to help clients and shares it with other professionals by speaking locally and nationally on estate and income tax planning for business owners and individuals.

American Bar Association: Real Property, Trust & Estate Law Section

Council (2007-2013)

Committee on Governmental Submissions (2007-Present)

Business Planning Group (2001-Present)

- Group Chair (2004-2007)

American College of Trust and Estate Counsel

Fellow (2004-Present)

Business Planning Committee (2005-Present)

Employee Benefits in Estate Planning Committee (2007-Present)

Program Committee (2006-2008)

Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis

American Bar Association

Taxation and Business Law Sections

St. Louis Estate Planning Council

American Institute of CPAs

Missouri Society of CPAs

LISI electronic newsletter

Technical Editor (2006-Present)

Tax Management Estates, Gifts & Trusts Journal (2009-2010)

Covenant/CHAI Apartments

Board Member (2009-present)

President (2011-present)

Jewish Community Foundation of St. Louis

(2008-present)

Jewish Family and Children’s Service

Board Member (2000-2006)

Congregation Shaare Emeth

Board Member (2000-2003)

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2008 - present

(Copyright 2009 by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, SC)

Selected as Fellow in American College of Trust and Estate Counsel

American College of Trust and Estate Counsel

Panelist, “Succession Planning for Family Corporations Using ESOPs and Other Techniques to Resolve Conflicting Goals,” Summer Meeting (2009)

Panelist, “The Annotated ACTEC Shareholders Agreement,” Annual Meeting (2007)

Chair and Presenter, "Transfer of Family Business Interests: Finding the Sweet Spot between General Income Tax, Chapter 14, and Code §409A," Summer Meeting (2006)

AICPA

"Business Owner's Estate Planning for the Tax Practitioner," AICPA Small Business Practitioners Tax Conference (July 10, 2011)

American Bar Association (ABA), Real Property, Trust & Estate Law Section

"GOTCHA" Transactions in the Formation, Structure, and Conveyance of Business Interests,” Joint Fall Meeting (2011)

Panelist, "Using Partnerships to Own Buy-Sell Insurance," telephone CLE (July 19, 2011)

Panelist, "Counseling Closely Held Business Owners About Compensation Planning," for Business Planning Group at ABA RPPT Spring Meeting (4/28/2011)

Panelist, "Roth Conversions - A Year-end Look," a JCEB telephone CLE (12/14/2010)

Panelist, "Using Formula Clauses for Sales and Gifts," telephone CLE (11/16/2010)

Panelist, "Important Developments," for Business Planning Group at Joint Fall Meeting (2010)

"Lifecycle of a Family Business Owner", Spring Symposia (2010)

"Estate Planning for Retirement Plans (Including IRAs)", Spring Symposia (2009) and telephone CLE (2009)

“Income Tax Dynamics of Seller-Financed Sales to Purchasers other than Grantor Trusts,” Spring Symposia (2008)

Moderator and Panelist, ”Ten Items Estate Planners Need to Know About 409A and Deferred Compensation," Webinar (June 5, 2007)

Chaired Business Planning Group meeting on recent legislative developments, appraisal rules, and planning using charitable trusts, Spring Symposia (2007)

Moderator and Panelist, “Estate Planning for the Sale of Business Interests," Joint Fall Meeting with ABA Section of Taxation (2006)

Moderator and Panelist, “Impact of 409A Deferred Compensation Rules on Estate & Retirement Planning for Executives and Structuring the Sale or Business Succession of Closely Held Businesses,” Joint Fall Meeting with ABA Section of Taxation (2006)

Moderator and Panelist, “New Traps for Executives and Business Owners that Estate Planners Need to Know About 409A,” Webinar (October 3, 2006)

Panelist, “Property Preservation Task Force: Using Limited Liability Companies to Avoid Land Loss,” Joint Fall Meeting with ABA Section of Taxation (2005)

Chaired Business Planning Group meeting on business succession planning, drafting limited partnership agreements and buy-sell agreements and spoke on recent S corporation developments and on irrevocable grantor trusts, Spring Symposia (2006)

Moderator and Panelist, “'Splitting Up Family Business – Four Scenarios: Family Limited Partnership, Manufacturing or Retail Business, Professional Service Firm and Agricultural Business,” Joint Fall Meeting with ABA Section of Taxation (2005)

Chaired Business Planning Group meeting on family limited partnerships, irrevocable grantor trusts, and S Corporations, Spring Symposia (2005)

Panelist, "Post-Mortem Planning with Business Interests," Spring Symposia (2005)

Moderator and Panelist, “Doing Business in Multiple States: Watch Out for Decoupled State Death Taxes!” Joint Fall Meeting with ABA Section of Taxation (2004)

“When Worlds Collide: Holding Business Interests in Trust,” Joint Fall Meeting with ABA Section of Taxation (2004)

Chaired and Panelist, “Life Cycle of the Business Owner (included session on planning during life and another on post-mortem planning opportunities)," Spring Symposia (2004)

Chaired and Panelist, “Techniques for Minimizing Estate Taxes,” Joint Fall Meeting with ABA Section of Taxation (2003)

Moderator and Panelist, “FLPs from Soup to Nuts," which addressed income, gift and estate tax issues in forming an FLP or FLC, Joint Fall Meeting with ABA Section of Taxation (2003)

Moderator and Panelist, “Considerations in Organizing and Using Limited Liability Companies,” Joint Fall Meeting with ABA Section of Taxation (2003)

Group C Roundtable (spoke about the impact of recent cases affecting family limited partnerships), ABA Annual Meeting (2003)

Chaired and Panelist, “Choice of Entity for Business Succession Planning,” Spring Symposia (2003)

Chaired and Panelist, “Drafting Buy-Sell Agreements and Estate Plans for Business Interests," Spring Symposia (2003)

Group C Roundtable (spoke about 2002 final regulations on electing small business trusts), ABA Annual Meeting (2002)

University of Miami School of Law Heckerling Institute of Estate Planning

"What Estate Planners Need to Know About Operating a Closely-Held Business" (2010)

Notre Dame Tax and Estate Planning Institute

Income Tax Exit Strategies for Business Owners (2010)

Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL)

"Roth Conversions - To Roth or Not to Roth," Employee Benefits Section and Probate & Trust Law Section (May 26, 2011)

"Ethical Considerations When Representing Closely-Held Businesses and shareholders with Estate Planning," part of Annual Estate Planning Institute (2010)

"Groundbreaking IRA Roth Conversion Opportunities," (2010)

"Everything You Need to Know About Shareholder Agreements," CLE for Business Law Section (June 2, 2009)

"Shareholder Agreements," CLE for Small Business Committee (October 3, 2008)

“Shareholder Agreements for Family Businesses,” CLE at annual Business Law Update (June 30, 2008)

"Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Transferring A Family Business From the First Generation To The Second Generation," Small Business Committee Meeting (October 17, 2007)

“Business Succession Planning: Coordinating General Income Tax Principles with Code §409A Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Rules and Estate Planning Principles,” Meeting of Taxation, Probate, and Employee Benefits Sections and Small Business Committee

(December 14, 2006)

“Structuring Ownership of Privately Owned Businesses: Tax and Estate Planning Implications,” CLE (September 20, 2006)

“The New Circular 230 Regulations” Taxation Section Meeting (June 29, 2005)

“Choice of Entity: Practical Business and Tax Considerations,” Seminar by Taxation and Business Law Sections (April 22, 2005)

“Practical Financial and Tax Aspects of Divorce,” Seminar by Taxation and Family Law Sections (January 18, 2005)

“Overview of New Tax Legislation,” Taxation Section Meeting (November 19, 2004)

“Tax Issues in Owning Stock in S Corporations, including 2002 Regulations,” Taxation Section Meeting (September 12, 2002)

“New Rules Provide Opportunities and Traps Regarding Drafting Trusts and Beneficiary Designations for IRAs and Qualified Retirement Plans: April 17, 2002 Final Regulations Governing Required Minimum Distributions,"

Meeting of Employee Benefits Committee Meeting (July 16, 2002)

"Impact of the New Law on Charitable Giving (A Charitable Lead Trust Primer),” Seminar of the Probate and Trust Section (October 5, 2001)

“401(a)(9) Proposed Regulations Qualified Plan Design/Drafting Implications,” Meeting of Employee Benefits Committee and Probate Trust Section (August 29, 2001)

“Assisting the Entrepreneur Startup: The Keys to Success." (February 15, 2001)

“Family Limited Partnerships: Nontax Advantages of Using FLPs for Transferring to Family Members; Transfer Tax Valuation Discounts; Avoiding Income Tax Traps on Formation.” (June 30, 1999)

Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA)

“Income Tax Exit Strategies for Businesses,” St. Louis Chapter (2011)

“Recent Developments in Estate Planning,” Investments/Financial Advisors Conference (2011)

"Estate, Trust & Retirement Planning," St. Louis Chapter (2009)

"Estate Planning and Trust Update," Kansas City and St. Louis Accounting Shows (2009)

“How to Avoid Traps that Might Prevent Clients’ Beneficiaries from Stretching Retirement Plan and IRA Distributions,” Taxation Committee and Personal Financial Planning Committee (2005)

“Split-Dollar Final Regulations,” Taxation Committee (2003)

“New Rules Provide Opportunities and Traps Regarding Drafting Trusts and Beneficiary Designations for IRAs and Qualified Retirement Plans: April 17, 2002 Final Regulations Governing Required Minimum Distributions,” Personal Financial Planning Committee

(2002)

“Estate Planning for S Corporation Owners,” Estate Planning Conference (2001)

Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education

“Effect of 409A Final Regulations on Non-Qualified Retirement Arrangements,” Hot Topics in Business Law (September 27, 2007)

Texas Bar CLE

“ACTEC Model Shareholders Agreement for Closely Held Corporations,” 18th Annual Advanced Drafting: Estate Planning and Probate Course (October 25, 2007)

Maryland Institute for Continuing Professional Legal Education of Lawyers

“Structuring Ownership of Privately-Owned Businesses,” CLE (April 25, 2007)

American Law Institute – American Bar Association Committee on Continuing Legal Education (ALI-ABA)

“Administration of Business Interests in Trust: Can I Be Trustee, CEO and an Income Beneficiary?” (2011)

“Business Interests in Trust,” as part of “Representing Estate and Trust Beneficiaries and Fiduciaries,” (July 22, 2005)

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)

“Business Owner's Estate Planning for the Tax Practitioner,” AICPA Small Business Practitioners Tax Conference (2011)

Atlanta Bar Association, Estate Planning and Probate Section

“Financing the Estate Tax in an Illiquid Estate; 6161, 6166, Graegin Loans, etc.” (January 11, 2006)

Missouri Association of Tax Practitioners

“Choice of Entity: Practical Business and Tax Considerations.” (2005)

The Missouri Bar

“Estate Planning for Business Owners,” Annual Business Law Institute (2004)

“Tax Issues in Owning S Corporation Stock or Limited Liability Company Interests," Annual Business Law Institute (Highlighted as ‘must read’ course notes in the February 27, 2004 issue of ESQ., The Missouri Bar's weekly electronic newsletter.

Financial Planning Association

“Opportunities and Traps Regarding Drafting Trusts and Beneficiary Designations for IRAs and Qualified Retirement Plans under Final Regulations Governing Required Minimum Distributions.” (2004)

DFK International

“New Rules Provide Opportunities and Traps Regarding Drafting Trusts and Beneficiary Designations for IRAs and Qualified Retirement Plans: April 17, 2002 Final Regulations Governing Required Minimum Distributions.” (2002)

Working in Employee Benefits (WEB)

“401(a)(9) Proposed Regulations Qualified Plan Design/Drafting Implications.” (May 15, 2001)

Obtained Private Letter Ruling 200747002 from the Internal Revenue Service for using a limited liability company to hold life insurance used to fund a cross-purchase buy-sell agreement

ABA Advisor for the 2008 Amendments for Sections 409 and 505 of the Uniform Principal and Income Act

Comments to US Senate Finance Committee and Internal Revenue Service on S Corporations

Submitted comments October 2005 from task force of the Business Planning Group of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Section of the ABA on S Corporation Family Attribution Rules. The comments to the US Senate Finance Committee were reflected in the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005.

Comments to Tax Counsel of US Senate Finance Committee on Code Section 6166

Chaired July 2005 task force of the Business Planning Group of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Section of the ABA on Code Section 6166, which allows estate taxes on qualified closely held business to be paid in installments. These comments were published in Vol. 41, No. 1 Spring 2006 of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Journal, page 73-121.

Comments to IRS on Proposed Regulations Governing Allocation of Generation-Skipping Transfer Exemption for Indirect Skips

Participated in 2004 joint task force consisting of the Generation Skipping Transfers committee of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Section of the ABA and its counterpart in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). Trent Kiziah chaired the task force.

Comments to IRS on Proposed Regulations on Electing Small Business Trusts for S Corporations

Participated in 2001 joint task force consisting of the S Corporations Committee of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Section of the ABA and its counterpart in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). T. Randolph Harris chaired both committees. Also participated in separate task force that submitted comments on proposed regulations regarding testamentary trusts holding stock in S corporations, which comments were retroactively followed in final regulations.