Congratulations to Tina Salandra for her contribution to
the New York Times coverage of gay marriage!

Tina Salandra, CPA
Principal of Numerical, LLC & Christopher Street Financial Associate

The New York Times, June 2011
How Gay Marriage Will Change Couples' Financial Lives

"Couples may marry for love, but the partnership is also an economic one. And now that New York has become the sixth state to perform same-sex marriage, couples who tie the knot here will gain a variety of financial benefits and legal rights.

Some of the changes will be significant. While New York had already recognized same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, that recognition didn’t extend to state income taxes. Now, couples who marry and live in New York will be able to file their state tax returns jointly. Wealthier couples may end up paying more in taxes, but families with lower incomes may owe less.

Couples who decide to marry will also be first in line to inherit their spouses’ assets, even in the absence of a will. They’ll gain an array of smaller benefits as well, down to the ability to transfer a lobstering license."

  Click here to read the full article.

Winter 2011

Jennifer Hatch, CFP®
Christopher Street Financial President and Managing Partner

Edge New York's Sept 20th article on marriage equality:
	"When Yonkers, N.Y., residents Michael Sabatino and Robert Voorheis first became involved in the fight for marriage equality a dozen years ago, there was little interest around the issue, even among gays and lesbians."
"We first got involved with Marriage Equality New York during a seminar by Christopher Street Financial on maintaining the wealth of gay couples," said Sabatino. "We thought we had our legal documents all in a row, and then realized we still weren't legally protected. This propelled us to get involved in MENY."

    Click here to read the full article.

2010 is the year we will be celebrating Judith Woodard's five-year anniversary with Christopher Street Financial. This gives us the opportunity to spotlight her many accomplishments, so we sat down with her to talk about her practice.

Q: What do you do for your clients as a Financial Planner?

A: "I strive to create a real dialogue about my client's life, and take the mystique out of the numbers. My goal is that they understand their numbers, and that they feel more secure about being able to finance the life that they want to live. I take in their concerns and problems, and assess what's important to them. I then reconstruct their investments so that they can feel comfortable that their financial resources will meet their needs."

  Click here to read the full interview.

Congratulations to Jennifer for being named one of the 2010 Best Wealth Managers of Greater New York  by Newsweek Magazine.

Jennifer Hatch, CFP®
Christopher Street Financial President and Managing Partner

The Advocate, April 2010
Wealth Matters

... "The denial of federal marriage equality in particular presents a money problem for gays. Straight married couples are viewed as one economic entity and are automatically protected when one spouse dies or when that couple divorces. Yet same-sex couples have no such protections and are vulnerable to onerous tax rates or attacks on shared assets by blood relations, whom the government often sees as the next of kin, denying a spousal relationship.
'It boils down to marriage rights,' says Jennifer Hatch, CFP® and president of Christopher Street Financial, one of the oldest financial advisories for gays and lesbians, based in New York." ...

  Click here to read the full article.

Tina Salandra, CPA
Principal of Numerical, LLC & Christopher Street Financial Associate

The New York Times, February 2010
Answers About Same-Sex Couples and Taxes

... "Tax experts say the best way to minimize the tax bite is to look at both partners as an economic unit. If the higher-earning partner won't get the full child tax credit, should the lower earner take it? Who should file as head of household, which has more favorable rates than the single filing status?
'Gay taxpayers will do best when they look at their tax results as a household, and not as individuals,' said Tina Salandra, a certified public accountant in New York." ...

  Click here to read the full article.