Caroline specializes in providing estate planning counsel to high net worth individuals and families, and represents clients primarily in Aspen, the Roaring Fork Valley, and the Vail Valley. Caroline provides counsel on a full spectrum of estate planning, estate and trust administration, wealth management, wealth transfer, marital planning, and charitable giving matters to individuals and families, estates and trusts, closely-held businesses, foundations, and individual and corporate fiduciaries.
Caroline T. Bess
Caroline specializes in providing estate planning counsel to high net worth individuals and families, and represents clients primarily in Aspen, the Roaring Fork Valley, and the Vail Valley. Caroline provides counsel on a full spectrum of estate planning, estate and trust administration, wealth management, wealth transfer, marital planning, and charitable giving matters to individuals and families, estates and trusts, closely-held businesses, foundations, and individual and corporate fiduciaries.
Caroline T. Bess
- Assists individuals and families to implement wealth transfer strategies that combine personal and familial goals and tax savings, including trusts, family-owned and closely-held business entities, family offices, and charitable entities (e.g., private foundations, private operating foundations, donor-advised funds, etc.).
- Advises individuals and families regarding the structure of gifts, sales, and other advanced planning techniques (e.g., GRATs, CLATs/CRUTs, sales to grantor trusts, QPRTs, net gifts, leveraged transfers, etc.) that minimize gift, estate, generation-skipping transfer (GST), and income taxes.
- Advises individuals and families with respect to family business succession planning across generations, including the implementation of buy/sell agreements, the use of insurance, and minimizing the tax impact of ownership succession.
- Provides counsel to families and corporate fiduciaries relating to the administration of estates.
- Provides advice to and assists trustees and beneficiaries with regard to trust administration and reformation.
- Represents clients in the preparation and negotiation of marital agreements (prenuptial and postnuptial).
Representative Matters
- Assists individuals and families to implement wealth transfer strategies that combine personal and familial goals and tax savings, including trusts, family-owned and closely-held business entities, family offices, and charitable entities (e.g., private foundations, private operating foundations, donor-advised funds, etc.).
- Advises individuals and families regarding the structure of gifts, sales, and other advanced planning techniques (e.g., GRATs, CLATs/CRUTs, sales to grantor trusts, QPRTs, net gifts, leveraged transfers, etc.) that minimize gift, estate, generation-skipping transfer (GST), and income taxes.
- Advises individuals and families with respect to family business succession planning across generations, including the implementation of buy/sell agreements, the use of insurance, and minimizing the tax impact of ownership succession.
- Provides counsel to families and corporate fiduciaries relating to the administration of estates.
- Provides advice to and assists trustees and beneficiaries with regard to trust administration and reformation.
- Represents clients in the preparation and negotiation of marital agreements (prenuptial and postnuptial).
Representative Matters
EDUCATION
- Juris Doctor, University of Colorado Law School, 2010 (Order of the Coif; Associate Editor, University of Colorado Law Review)
- Bachelor of Arts in French and Anthropology, University of Colorado, 2007 (Summa cum laude; Student of the Year)
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:
- Admitted Colorado, 2010
- Member, Pitkin County Bar Association
* Vice-President, 2015-2016
* Treasurer, 2014-2015
- Member, Colorado Bar Association
- Member, Denver Bar Association
- Member, Rocky Mountain Estate Planning Council
- Colorado Rising Star, 2020-2022
* Selected to the Rising Stars 2020-2022 for Estate Planning and Probate by Colorado Super Lawyers. - Prior to joining Wood Pearce Nelson, Caroline was a Member at Sherman & Howard L.L.C., in its estate and tax planning department.
Community Involvement and Interests:
- Board Member, Alpine Legal Services, 2021-Present
- When not helping clients, Caroline enjoys playing in the great outdoors of the Roaring Fork Valley with her two children.
EDUCATION
- Juris Doctor, University of Colorado Law School, 2010 (Order of the Coif; Associate Editor, University of Colorado Law Review)
- Bachelor of Arts in French and Anthropology, University of Colorado, 2007 (Summa cum laude; Student of the Year)
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:
- Admitted Colorado, 2010
- Member, Pitkin County Bar Association
* President, 2016-2017
* Vice-President, 2015-2016
* Treasurer, 2014-2015
- Member, Colorado Bar Association
- Member, Denver Bar Association
- Member, Rocky Mountain Estate Planning Council
- Colorado Rising Star, 2020-2022
* Selected to the Rising Stars 2020-2022 for Estate Planning and Probate by Colorado Super Lawyers.
- Prior to joining Wood Pearce Nelson, Caroline was a Member at Sherman & Howard L.L.C., in its estate and tax planning department.
Community Involvement and Interests:
- Board Member, Alpine Legal Services, 2021-Present
- When not helping clients, Caroline enjoys playing in the great outdoors of the Roaring Fork Valley with her two children.
