Victor M. Finmann

Victor M. Finmann has been practicing in the areas of trust and estate administration, estate and incapacity planning, elder law and Medicaid planning, asset protection, business succession planning and retirement asset distribution planning since 1975.

He has prepared countless Wills containing credit shelter trusts, qualified terminable interest property (Q-TIP) trusts, qualified domestic (Q-DOT) trusts, generation-skipping transfer tax (GST) trusts, charitable remainder trusts, and has prepared numerous inter vivos trusts, life insurance trusts, third party and self-settled supplemental needs trusts, designation of beneficiary forms, retirement asset wills, health care proxies, living wills, powers of attorneys and various deeds, including deeds with life estates.  He has also assisted the personal representatives of estates in all aspects of the administration of estates, including the preparation of probate and administration petitions, accountings, disclaimers, right of election, funding of trusts, the preparation of Federal and State estate, gift and income tax returns, and the representation of clients on estate, gift and pension plan audits.

Mr. Finmann is also a nationally renowned authority in the field of distributions from qualified plans, tax-sheltered annuities and IRAs, and was the principal author of the Aspen Publishers, Inc. text entitled “Planning For Retirement Distributions - Tax, Financial, and Personal Aspects”, a publication initially released in October of 1999, and which had been updated three times.

Mr. Finmann has lectured extensively throughout the country at seminars sponsored by AVIVA Life Insurance Company, American Express Financial Advisors, Inc., Heart of America Tax Institute,  Delaware Investments, Lutheran Brotherhood, National Life of Vermont, Nationwide Life Insurance Company, Partners Financial, Retirement Distribution Academy, Inc., Retirement Distribution Strategies, Inc. and SunAmerica Securities, Inc.  He has also consulted at the national offices of many of these financial institutions on their IRA documents, disclosure materials and administrative procedures.  

He has been quoted in the Augusta Chronicle, Bloomberg Wealth Manager, Business Week, Financial Planning Magazine, IRA Junction.Com, Kiplinger’s Retirement Report, the Practical Accountant, Wellness Magazine-Newsday, and Ed Slott’s IRA Advisor, and has appeared on radio and television where he has discussed a variety of estate and retirement distribution planning issues.

Mr. Finmann has testified in Washington, D.C. at hearings held by the Internal Revenue Service and United States Treasury Department on the Required Minimum Distribution rules governing the payout of benefits from qualified plans, tax-sheltered annuities and IRAs.

Mr. Finmann has also taught undergraduate, graduate and paralegal courses at Adelphi University, C.W. Post, Hofstra University, Long Island University and Queens College, and has given numerous continuing education seminars for attorneys, accountants and financial advisors.

Past Experience

Teaching Experience:

Retirement Distribution Academy, Inc. (RDA), New York, New York - September 2001 - June 2005, Founder and President: “RDA Update Boot Camp”

Retirement Distribution Strategies, Inc. (RDS), Summit, New Jersey - November 1998 - August 2001; Director of Tax and Legal Planning: “IRA Survival Boot Camp”

C.W. Post, Brookville, New York - 1987 and 1998; Adjunct Professor - School of Professional Accountancy: “Fundamentals of Qualified Employee Benefit Plans”

Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York - 1991 to 1996: Instructor - Certified Employee Benefit Specialist Program: “Retirement Plans:  Defined Benefit Approaches and Plan Administration” - 1995 and 1996; “Life, Disability Income and Other Welfare Benefit Plans: Design and Administration”, 1993 and 1994; “Contemporary Legal Environment of Employee Benefit Plans” - 1991 and 1992

Adelphi University, Garden City, New York - 1979 to June 1991: Adjunct Associate Professor - Lawyer's Assistant Program: “Employee Benefits”

C.W. Post, Brookville, New York - 1989: Adjunct Professor - Advanced Financial Planning Certificate Program: “Pension Design for the Small Business Owner”

Queens College, Queens, New York -1985: Adjunct Lecturer - Paralegal Studies Program: “Employee Benefit Plans and Compliance with ERISA”

Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York - 1976: Lecturer, Undergraduate Division: “Business Law”

Professional & Community Activities

• Nassau County Bar Association,1990 to present
• Committees: Elder Law, Social Services & Health Advocacy; Surrogate's Court; Estates & Trusts; Tax Law

• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc. (NAELA),June 1994 to present

• New York State Bar Association,August 2005 to present
• Sections: Elder Law; Trusts and Estates

• Pension Council of Long Island, Inc.,Charter Member - 1975 to present; President 1985-1986, 1994-1997; Secretary 1984-1985; Speaker Chairman 1994 to 2000

• Tax & Accounting Institute of the School of Professional Accountancy, C.W. Post Campus, Long Island University, Brookville, New York,December 1992 to present
  
  

  PUBLICATIONS:
  
  “An Attorney’s Guide to Asset Protection” (co-authored with Avi Z. Kestenbaum and Thomas J. McGowan).  National Business Institute, Inc.  March 2007.
  
  “Practical Aspects of Trust Administration” (co-authored with Brian Allen, Steven A. Horowitz and Steven A. Kass).  National Business Institute, Inc.  August 2006.
  
  “Protect Your Client’s Assets: Bullet Proofing Techniques For New York Attorneys” (co-authored with Daniel S. Rubin).  National Business Institute, Inc.  October 2005.
  
  “Tax Issues in Estate Planning and Probate in New York” (co-authored with Steven A. Horowitz).  National Business Institute, Inc. November 2004.
  
  “Planning for Retirement Distributions: Tax, Financial, and Personal Aspects” (initially co-authored with Eric Donner).  Aspen Publishers, Inc.  First Edition - October 1999; Second Edition - November 2001; Third Edition - November 2002; 2004 Edition - October 2003.
  
  “Estate and Tax Planning for Qualified Retirement Plans and IRAs in New York” (co-authored with Steven Sulsky).  National Business Institute. January 2003.
  
  “Technical Advisor Slideshow Narrative” Retirement Distribution Strategies, Inc. (Textual narrative created for use with PowerPoint Advisor Slideshow presentation). November 1998.
  
  “New York Elder Law:  Taking Control of the Planning Process” (co-authored with A. Patricia Moore, John F. Scheich and Harriette M. Steinberg). National Business Institute, Inc. June 1994.
  
  “A Practical Guide to Estate Administration in New York” (co-authored with Dean S. Bress, Rita K. Gilberg, Louis D. Laurino and Ann S. Price). National Business Institute, Inc. June 1993.
  
  "Employee Benefits.” Lawyer's Assistant Program. (Instruction manual created for use at Adelphi University). 1979 to June 1991.
  
  “The 1988 Pension Distribution Time Bomb: Penalties vs. Elections” (co-authored with Seymour Goldberg).  American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Inc. May 1988.
  
  “Individual Retirement Plans” (April 1985 Update). American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Inc. April 1985.
  
  “Forms and Workbook -- Setting Up and Administering Pension, Profit Sharing and Employee  Benefit Plans” (Quarterly Updates).  Panel Publishers 1977.

Honors & Awards

• The Financial Planning Association
  Certificate of Appreciation - October 2004 and October 2005
• Brave Hearts of St. Francis Hospital
  Certificate of Appreciation - September 1994
• New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) - Nassau Chapter
  Outstanding Service Award - 1989-1990
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
  “Outstanding First Year Instructor for AICPA Courses During the 1988-1989 Year”
• Pension Council of Long Island, Inc.
  Service Award - June 1986
• Third Year Tuition Scholarship – 1974-1975, Brooklyn Law School
• Undergraduate Regents Scholarship – 1968-1972, Queens College