Susan E. Wheatley

Susan is a partner and past co-chair of the Private Client practice, working with our clients on their estate and business succession planning. The goal is to create a plan that meets our clients’ intentions, safeguards assets, and passes property to family, friends, and charities in a tax efficient way. The tools of estate planning include not only wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives, but thoughtful analysis of our clients’ concerns. Susan’s extensive knowledge of estate planning issues and her successful track record are among the reasons why she has received consecutive honors from Chambers High Net Worth Guide, Ohio Super Lawyers, Leading Lawyers, and Best Lawyers in America.

Susan enjoys working with family businesses across the generations. Most business owners are woefully out of date on their succession plans. The great majority of family businesses need updates of their buy-sell arrangements and coordination of those arrangements with their family estate plans and life and disability insurance. Planning can include family limited liability companies, generation-skipping trusts, GRATs and other techniques, all of which Susan explains and diagrams so the options are clear.

Publications

“Attention! Action Might Be Needed if You Have GRATs, Life Insurance Trusts, SLATs, QPRTs, or Other Grantor Trusts!”, Taft Law Bulletin, Sept. 30, 2021

“A Word of Reassurance from Taft’s Estate Planners and Information on Health Care Advance Directives,” Taft Law Bulletin, March 23, 2020

“Final Tax Reform Bill: Taft Provides Guidance on Year-End Opportunities,” Taft Law Bulletin, Dec. 18, 2017

“Now is the Time to Do Family Business Succession Planning – Proposed Regulations Could Affect Valuations on Gifts,” Taft Law Bulletin, Aug. 4, 2016

“Four Tips for Successful Business Succession Planning,” Taft Law Bulletin, May 11, 2016