Business Succession Planning: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

Tara concentrates her practice in the areas of estate, tax and business succession planning, as well as estate and trust administration. She represents and advises high-net-worth individuals, owners of closely held businesses, individual and corporate fiduciaries, and nonprofit/charitable entities. Her practice involves designing and implementing a wide range of estate plans, and specifically estate plans that include closely held businesses; handling all aspects of estate and trust administrations; advising clients on estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax issues; counseling clients in planned charitable giving; advising clients on issues related to life insurance and retirement plans; counseling beneficiaries and fiduciaries in Orphans’ Court matters; and forming nonprofit organizations.

As director of the Private Wealth Advisory team, “Chip” Bauder provides guidance on advanced planning strategies to the firm’s largest private clients to improve their overall wealth management plan. He joined Raymond James & Associates in 1993 and later managed the Financial Planning & Wealth Solutions departments from 1997 to 2011. Chip left the firm to oversee a private family office and manage a boutique hedge fund for sophisticated investors. Mr. Bauder returned to Raymond James in 2015 and is additionally focused on providing personal wealth management solutions to Raymond James’ investment banking clients.

Steve graduated from Farleigh Dickinson University with a degree in accounting. After a short stint as an Accountant and serving in the Military, he joined his brother Jim, who passed away in 2001, in developing what is now known as Berger Rental Communities.

Steve is very proud of the fact that in recent years BRC has been able to transform its operations from one that relied on the professionalism of a handful of staff to one that thrives on the daily commitment of over 250 team members, working together, to provide thousands of residents a housing experience that exceeds their expectations. As a founding Partner, Steve has witnessed the growth and sophistication of a company that never waivers in holding onto its core values and purpose while becoming increasingly innovative in developing more techniques to provide explementary service while effectively managing its finances. 

Steven provides practical and strategic legal advice to executives and owners of both private and public businesses in connection with a variety of transactional matters. As co-chair of Stradley Ronon’s Closely Held & Family Owned Businesses practice, Steve’s business succession planning engagements encompass corporate, tax, estate planning and family issues, including complex intergenerational shareholder and voting trust agreements and numerous liquidity transactions.