Bruce Ferry is a tax partner with DZH Phillips.  His expertise includes high net-worth individual and trusts and estates.  Bruce has advised clients on a variety of estate-planning strategies designed to minimize the impact of income, gift, and estate tax consequences, and to maximize personal financial security. 

Bruce maintains a high level of professional and strategic knowledge in both income tax and accounting.  To effectively reduce the size of the clients’ taxable estate, Bruce considers both tax and non-tax issues and utilizes a variety of tax saving techniques and tools such as Family Limited Partnerships (FLPs), Charitable Lead Trusts (CLTs), Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRTs), Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs), irrevocable trusts, Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), charitable giving, Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRTs), revocable trusts, and wills. 

As part of the process of defining a client’s long-term financial goals, Bruce devises tax-saving alternatives to existing estate plans, presents options to fund the education of children and grandchildren, develops gifting programs, and works closely with clients’ other professional advisors. 

Prior to the formation of DZH Phillips, Bruce was a partner at one of the predecessor firms, Smith, Lange & Phillips LLP.

Education

Bruce holds an undergraduate degree in business economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Masters degree in taxation from Golden Gate University. 

Associations

He is a member of the Guardsman and a volunteer fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  Bruce leads tax seminars for the California Lawyers for the Arts, a nonprofit agency that helps struggling artists with the rigors of doing business.