Timothy J. Schafer
Tim Schafer is the managing shareholder of Schafer|Thomas, PC. He earned Bachelors of Science Degrees in Finance and Accounting from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, and his law degree from the University of San Diego, California, where he studied advanced taxation. He has been counseling clients on tax, business, estate planning, and administration matters for more than twenty three years.
Prior to founding Schafer | Thomas, PC, Mr. Schafer was a business and tax specialist for the international accountancy firm of KPMG Peat Marwick at its downtown Los Angeles, California office. He was responsible for income, gift, property, and estate tax planning, compliance and controversy projects for individuals, closely-held businesses, and charitable organizations located throughout the United States and internationally. Mr. Schafer's responsibilities included strategic planning and coordination of income and estate tax deferral and minimization opportunities for the clients of KPMG, partnering with attorneys from national and international law firms, financial planners and investment advisors, and Certified Life Underwriters with several well known insurance carriers. He also worked closely with the private banking groups of several domestic and international financial institutions, including Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Union Bank, and Bank of America, N.A.
Following his tenure with KPMG, Mr. Schafer was associated with several prominent law firms in both Colorado and California. He cultivated his expertise in estate planning and administration during that time, with a particular emphasis on income, estate and gift tax planning, and deferral and tax reduction strategies for business owners and individuals. Mr. Schafer is widely known for his work with closely-held companies and individuals to structure tax efficient wealth preservation and business succession strategies, including “buy sell” plans, equity and leveraged stock redemptions, mergers and acquisitions of privately held companies, uses for life insurance and related trusts, as well as general business planning, charitable planning, and creative qualified and non-qualified executive compensation techniques.
Mr. Schafer is admitted to practice before the state bars in Colorado and California, many federal bars, and the tax court in Washington, D.C. He is a certified expert in estate tax and trust matters before the Colorado District Courts, and is a member of several county bar associations, including sections on taxation, business law, and estate and trust planning. Mr. Schafer has written and published articles on incapacity planning, tax, and estate planning for numerous estate planning programs, and local and national publications. He also has presented to several professional groups, including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the American Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, on business, estate planning, tax, and asset protection strategies. Mr. Schafer is a frequent speaker at public and private seminars and workshops.
Tim served on the Planned Giving Committee for the Colorado Chapter, National MS Society, and currently serves on the Planned Giving Committees of the Broomfield Community Foundation and Hospice of Boulder and Broomfield Counties. Tim was formerly a member of the Planned Giving Roundtable of Orange County, CA, and is currently a member of the Colorado Planned Giving Roundtable, several estate planning councils, and tax, business, and estate planning sections of the Colorado and California Bar Associations. He previously served on the Broomfield Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and is a member of the Broomfield Economic Development Corporation. Tim is also himself a shareholder, member and director of several closely held and family business, and currently serves as an advisory board director for Guaranty Bank & Trust, a division of publicly traded Centennial Bank Holdings, Inc. He is an advisory board member of the Alliance for Choice in Education (A.C.E.), a non-profit organization promoting educational options for at-risk youth, and serves on the board of directors for Hospice of Boulder and Broomfield Counties, Inc., a Colorado Non-Profit corporation.
Tim and his family live in Broomfield, Colorado. He enjoys mountain and road biking, snow skiing and boarding, and can sometimes be found climbing rocks. He also enjoys attending and participating in musical performances, and is happy to support the local contemporary ballet company, Ballet Nouveau Colorado/BNC.
email Tim Printable View