Sharon L Klein

August 28, 2015 | New York Law Journal

Sharon L. Klein of Wilmington Trust, N.A. examines the 2015-16 legislative session and discusses what has passed so far, what failed to pass before the June recess and what lies ahead before the session resumes in January.

By Sharon L. Klein

22 minute read

January 05, 2015 | New York Law Journal

Sharon L. Klein, a managing director at Wilmington Trust, N.A., writes: From landmark legislation, to important regulatory guidance to instructive case law, 2014 saw many significant New York developments, lessons and reminders.

By Sharon L. Klein

28 minute read

January 05, 2015 | New York Law Journal

Sharon L. Klein, a managing director at Wilmington Trust, N.A., writes: From landmark legislation, to important regulatory guidance to instructive case law, 2014 saw many significant New York developments, lessons and reminders.

By Sharon L. Klein

28 minute read

September 22, 2014 | New York Law Journal

Sharon L. Klein, the managing director of family office services and wealth strategies at Wilmington Trust, writes: The 2013-2014 legislative session ended on June 19, 2014. It is instructive to review what has passed so far, what failed to pass before the June recess and what lies ahead in the 2015-16 legislative session.

By Sharon L. Klein

22 minute read

April 22, 2014 | New York Law Journal

Sharon L. Klein, managing director of family office services and wealth strategies at Wilmington Trust, N.A., reviews upcoming changes, including the increase in the New York estate tax exclusion amount, changes to prevent deathbed gifts from escaping estate tax and changes to resident and incomplete gift, non-grantor trusts.

By Sharon L. Klein

13 minute read

January 21, 2014 | New York Law Journal

Sharon L. Klein, managing director of family office services and wealth strategies at Wilmington Trust, N.A., writes: From landmark legislation, to important regulatory guidance to instructive case law, 2013 saw many significant New York developments, lessons and reminders.

By Sharon L. Klein

24 minute read

September 16, 2013 | New York Law Journal

Sharon L. Klein, a managing director at Wilmington Trust and chair of the Trusts, Estates and Surrogate's Court Committee of the New York City Bar, writes: There was a flurry of activity on the trusts and estates front during the 2013 legislative calendar, which ended on June 21. As we gear up for 2014 activity in the 2013-14 legislative session, it is instructive to review what has passed so far, what failed to pass before the June recess, and what lies ahead.

By Sharon L. Klein

17 minute read

September 21, 2009 | New York Law Journal

Sharon L. Klein, trust counsel and director of estate advisement for Fiduciary Trust Company International in New York, examines the critical importance of communication when serving in the trusted role of fiduciary and the unfortunate set of circumstances that can arise when a supposedly trusted family member or friend is appointed as trustee, but turns out not to be so trustworthy.

By Sharon L. Klein

14 minute read

September 22, 2008 | New York Law Journal

Sharon L. Klein, trust counsel and director of estate advisement for Fiduciary Trust Company International, reviews high-profile cases over the concentration of a trust's investments in a single stock in which the courts have examined the ability of a trustee to rely on language in an instrument, purportedly authorizing the concentrated holding.

By Sharon L. Klein

16 minute read

January 26, 2009 | New York Law Journal

Sharon L. Klein, trust counsel and director of estate advisement for Fiduciary Trust Company International in New York, writes: Without the ability to make adjustments between principal and income, a trustee was constrained by traditional definitions of accounting income, and the tension between income and growth was intense. The gauge of an appropriate asset allocation was the unhappiness of the beneficiaries. If everybody was unhappy, the asset allocation reflected the perfect compromise - not enough income for the income beneficiary and not enough growth for the remainder persons. Fortunately, the face of trust investing was revolutionized by the introduction of two powerful tools for a trustee to use in making distribution determinations: the power to adjust and the unitrust regimes.

By Sharon L. Klein

15 minute read