Through the Looking Glass Symposium XXII

As Managing Wealth Advisor for Northern Trust’s Los Angeles region, Erik leads the Advisory and Wealth Strategies teams. He specializes in developing and implementing comprehensive financial, estate, and tax plans for high-net-worth individuals, business owners, senior executives, and multigenerational families.

With more than 30 years of experience, Erik provides expertise in corporate executive planning, income and estate taxation, pre- and post-transaction strategies, charitable planning, and advanced wealth transfer techniques.

Prior to joining Northern Trust, Erik served as Executive Director and Wealth Strategist at J.P. Morgan and as Director at Bernstein Global Wealth Management.

He earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and holds the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) designation.

Erik is a frequent speaker at national and regional conferences, including The Hawaii Tax Institute and The Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, and has published numerous articles on wealth planning topics.

He serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for Partners for Potential and mentors students through USC’s Marshall School of Business Career Advantage Program. Erik lives in Redondo Beach, CA, and enjoys surfing, sailing, and spending time with his three sons. 

Every business owner will eventually exit—but only a few do it well. The difference lies in planning. This session explores how thoughtful preparation transforms a business sale into a successful transition.

With new rules under OBBBA reshaping charitable giving and wealth transfer, and a shifting M&A landscape, we’ll outline actionable strategies for owners and their advisors to maximize business value and legacy.

Brendan Lacy Brendan has extensive experience advising high-net-worth individuals and business owners on estate, trust, and gift tax planning and compliance. As a trusted advisor, he develops sophisticated estate, business succession, and income tax strategies that align with each client’s financial priorities and long-term legacy planning goals.

With a background in both accounting and law, Brendan combines technical
expertise with a practical understanding of complex tax regulations to deliver
thoughtful, customized solutions that preserve and transfer wealth efficiently
across generations.

Brendan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Denison University and a
Juris Doctor from the University of St. Thomas, where he graduated magna cum laude. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants.

HCVT Tax Principals Perchui Manasarian and Brendan Lacy will deliver a timely update on the tax changes influencing wealth transfer and charitable planning for high-net-worth families. The session will unpack developments across OBBBA, PTE taxes, IRA charitable giving, SALT, and QSBS, equipping advisors with insights to guide clients through new challenges and opportunities.

Perchui Manasarian began her career in public accounting at HCVT and has over ten years of experience providing tax consulting and compliance services to high-net-worth individuals and their related entities and closely-held businesses. In addition to serving high-net-worth individuals, her industry experience also includes serving clients in the professional services, real estate, and entertainment industry sectors.

Perchui holds a Master of Business Taxation from the University of Southern
California and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Loyola Marymount
University. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

HCVT Tax Principals Perchui Manasarian and Brendan Lacy will deliver a timely update on the tax changes influencing wealth transfer and charitable planning for high-net-worth families. The session will unpack developments across OBBBA, PTE taxes, IRA charitable giving, SALT, and QSBS, equipping advisors with insights to guide clients through new challenges and opportunities.

Edward McCafferyis a partner and senior counsel in the Los Angeles office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP and is a member of Seyfarth’s Business Services Department. Mr. McCaffery practices in the area of trusts and estates, taxation and intellectual property.

He is also the Dean and Carl Mason Franklin Chair in Law at the University of Southern California School of Law, where he teaches classes in income taxation, property, corporate tax and partnership tax. From 1995 to 2006, Mr. McCaffery was also a Visiting Professor of Law and Economics at the California Institute of Technology, teaching public finance and law, law and economics, and law and technology (including intellectual property law).

Ed McCaffery's scholarship has been widely cited by economists, government officials, journalists and policy analysts. Among his publications are his recent books, Behavioral Public Finance (which McCaffery co-edited); Fair Not Flat: How to Make the Tax System Better and Simpler, which proposes a tax system based on taxing spending rather than income; and Taxing Women, which examines how working women suffer under current tax laws. Other publications include Rethinking the Vote: The Politics and Prospects of American Election Reform, which he co-edited.

In an effort to reach a wider audience to explain basic concepts of tax and public finance, McCaffery created the People’s Tax Page and a series of animated cartoons featuring Sabrina the Unicorn. McCaffery is a frequent commentator on a variety of tax issues on CNN and The Huffington Post.

Edward McCaffery will discuss the practical applications of recent developments for current estate planning practices. He will also discuss
planning opportunities and pitfalls going forward. As always, Ed will shed light on current developments relevant to practitioners and their clients.