Pictured above: Jan Lane, Pragya Murphy, Bill Kriesel, Melanie Little John & Tom Griffith
Photos by: Shanay Bradley, Light to the Darkness Studios
We were delighted to announce the recipient of our second Partner in Philanthropy Award at our advisor reception. The Partner in Philanthropy Award honors estate planning attorneys, financial advisors, tax accountants and life insurance professionals who place philanthropy at the heart of their service. These individuals have guided many clients in achieving their charitable goals – whether during their lifetime or as part of a lasting legacy. Through their commitment, they help foster a culture of giving across Central New York.
It is my utmost pleasure to honor Bill Kriesel with this year’s Partner in Philanthropy award. We have been fortunate to collaborate with Bill on numerous charitable gifts that benefit our community. His thoughtful and expert guidance encourages clients with philanthropic intentions to consider tax-efficient planned giving strategies, ensuring their generosity has lasting impact.
Bill is a CPA/PFS, CFP® and AEP® and serves as the managing member of Diversified Capital Management, an investment advisory firm in Syracuse. With over 35 years of experience in accounting and over 25 years in financial planning, Bill now focuses on comprehensive financial planning, estate and retirement planning, insurance planning, investment planning, education planning, and business advisory services. His deep expertise and breadth of experience helps him see his clients holistically.
Bill is highly engaged in our community and served on boards of numerous professional and nonprofit organizations. He is a member and past president of the Estate Planning Council of CNY and is a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. In addition, Bill served in leadership roles for the Literacy Board of CNY, Syracuse Opera Company and Home Aides of CNY.
“I always strive to provide the best planning services to my clients. When we discuss estate planning, one of the questions I always ask is about charitable desires. It is interesting in that some of my clients immediately reply that they have given that some thought, and no what charities they want to help. Others are surprised by the question because they never really though about it but want to discuss how it could be done. Once that question is discussed, we talk about options at their demise, as well as while living. We discuss the plusses and minuses of both approaches, and then we get a plan in place. I advise anyone who is giving substantial annual gifts to look to a donor advised fund to “bunch” their itemized deductions, which became critically important a few years ago with the standard deduction rising so significantly. I have found whenever working in any charitable capacity, the Community Foundation is a great resource, and in the case of establishing and managing a donor advised fund is a great direct resource for my clients. I have not yet had a client that opened a DAF with the Community Foundation complain about any aspect of the process!” –Bill Kriesel
To learn more about how you can engage with us and our Professional Advisor Council, please reach out to Pragya Murphy at pmurphy@cnycf.org.
