Biography

With over 30 years of experience, Ann M. Rieger concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, tax planning, tax exempt organizations, and business law. While her clients are typically business owners, senior executives and professionals who appreciate her thoughtful and creative approach to their often complicated personal, tax and financial planning challenges, Ann regularly works with clients of varying personal and financial situations.  Ann has served in several key management roles with Davis|Kuelthau, including long time service as a member of the firm’s Board of Directors, and is a Past President.

Estate and succession planning. Ann has extensive experience in the preparation and implementation of various estate and succession planning techniques, including:

• Wills
• Revocable trusts
• Irrevocable life insurance
• Generation skipping transfer trusts
• Charitable trusts
• Family limited partnerships
• Marital property agreements
• Powers of attorney

These techniques are often used in combination to help clients achieve their goals of reducing administrative burdens, minimizing taxes, implementing structures to address unique family dynamics, incapacity planning, charitable giving, creditor protection, and other benefits.

Closely-held businesses. Ann regularly assists closely-held business clients in tax planning, liability protection, ownership and management succession, and other matters. This includes:

• organizational documents
• buy-sell and transfer restriction agreements
• negotiation and preparation of various other corporate agreements
• counsel for ongoing business operations

Tax exempt organizations. In assisting tax exempt organizations, Ann regularly counsels clients across the full life cycle of an organization. These critical milestones include:

• Incorporation
• Obtaining recognition of tax exempt status from the IRS
• The structuring of internal policies and procedures to preserve tax exempt status
• Consultation regarding government regulation
• Contracting
• Financing
• Compliance with open record/open meeting requirements where applicable and all exemption related matters arising at the local, state and federal levels
• Mergers, acquisitions and corporate restructuring

Representative Clients

• Closely held businesses and their owners
• High net worth individuals
• Tax exempt organizations

Notable Representations

Estate Planning for Business Owner (IDGT, GST) To minimize the impact of taxes on the transfer of wealth from generation to generation, Ann guided a successful business owner in selling his company interests to carefully structured, irrevocable trusts established for the benefit of his children. The design of the plan enabled the client to maintain cash flow from installment payments made under the sale agreement, while avoiding the payment of capital gains tax. Following conclusion of the transaction, the entire business value was excluded from the client’s taxable estate resulting in significant tax savings.

Merger of Tax Exempt Organizations Ann facilitated the merger of two long-term, successful social service agencies. Through her representation, a local pregnancy support agency was able to combine forces with a complimentary social service organization to create a single entity able to provide higher quality service than either agency could accomplish individually. The newly structured continuing organization is now able to provide a seamless continuum of service to persons who otherwise lack financial, health and social supports.

Conversion of Non-Profit Entity Ann represents a tax exempt organization created upon the conversion of an insurer from nonprofit status to for-profit ownership. Past efforts have included liquidation of significant stock holdings, negotiation of applicable grant agreements, assistance with regulatory matters and general corporate law assistance. Since its creation, the organization has made significant distributions in support of Wisconsin public health initiatives.

Leadership

Professional Activities

Member, American Bar Association (Health, Taxation, and Real Property, Probate and Trust Sections) (1988 - present)

Member, State Bar of Wisconsin

Member, Waukesha County Bar Association

Member, Milwaukee Estate Planning Forum (2000 – present)

Member, Estate Planning Clinic (2014 – present)

Member, TEMPO Waukesha (2015 – present)

Community Involvement

Advisory Board Member, Marquette University Law School (2012 – present)

Catholic Community Foundation, Director (2012 – present), Board Chairperson (2019 - 2021), Vice President (2017 – 2019), Secretary (2014 – 2016)

Former Director, Economics Wisconsin (2006 – 2013), Finance and Legal Committee Member (2008 – 2013)

Former Director, Elmbrook Education Foundation (2007 – 2010)

Director, St. Dominic Parish Endowment Fund (2001 – present)

Former Council Member and Secretary, St. Dominic Parish Council Member (2008-2010; Secretary 2009-2010)

Former Director, Family Service of Milwaukee (2001 – 2004)

Herbert Mueller Society Member, Greater Milwaukee Foundation (2009 – present)

Former Director and Board Chair, YMCA Youth Leadership Academy Director (2008-2014, Board Chair 2011-2012)

Former Member, United Way in Waukesha County, Planned Giving Council

Published Articles / Presentations

Author – Non-Profit Organizations - The Wisconsin Business Advisor Series: Business Organizations 2006, CLE Books, State Bar of Wisconsin and all updates thereto.

Numerous estate presentations for the State Bar of Wisconsin CLE

“Wisconsin Administrative Rules Governing Disclosure by Non-Profits”

“Wisconsin Property Tax - Exemptions”