Attorney Advertising Material * CPA Advertising Material
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NEERAJ SHAH, Esq., MBA, CPA
owner of Shah CPA Firm, PLLC
owner of Shah Law Firm, PLLC
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
I graduated with a BA from the University of Rochester, an MBA from Cornell University and a JD from Washington University in St. Louis. As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), I am able to prepare taxes in all 50 states. In addition, I am also an Attorney - admitted to practice in New York State courts and the US Tax Court.
Not to be overlooked, my dad Lalit Shah established his own tax practice. His practice was one of the more successful accounting practices around. I learned so much from him - 1) substantive tax issues and how to resolve them, 2) the importance of hard work, and 3) ethics and family values. This is the second generation of accounting tax preparation business - going strong 💪!
Taken together, I am uniquely positioned to serve the financial, estate planning, and business needs of my clients.
WORK HARD, PLAY HARD!
There aren't enough hours 🕝 in the day to take on every project or to please every person. I have learned to prioritize what is most important to me.
MY ETHICS AND FAMILY VALUES
Of most importance, I try to lead a life of strong ethics and expect the same of my clients. Similarly, I hold my family values in high regard. I am a proud husband and father of two boys. 🏠
I learned so much from my parents. My only goal in life is to be a CHAMPION OF ETHICS AND FAMILY VALUES 🏅 in the eyes of my wife and boys.
Very Qualified
HAT TRICK 🏒
Sometimes I feel like I scored a hat trick! As a CPA, an Attorney, and MBA, I can offer clients a depth of knowledge, skill, and business acumen that very few practitioners can match. For example, when forming new businesses, I educate my clients on both risk mitigation and potential tax consequences. When formulating an estate plan, I do a deep dive into the client's balance sheet. Other attorneys engage me to prepare transfer tax returns such as estate tax or gift 🎁 tax returns.
You can see how my CPA practice and law practice dovetail 🕊 nicely with each other. The accounting firm is legacy second generation strong. I work hard to build a long-term trusting relationship with my clients.
The hat trick! Neeraj Shah is a CPA, an attorney and MBA
FEW PRACTITIONERS CAN MATCH
CPA - expertise when it comes to money 💰
- identify and solve financial problems
- handle financial responsibilities
LAW - expertise when it comes to managing risk 🪂
- recognize potential risk
- help guard against these risks
MBA - expertise when it comes to business strategy 🎲
- think critically about business
- understand business concepts
Centers of Expertise by Professional Type
WORK EXPERIENCE
My prior work experience stems largely from Citigroup, where I was Vice President. Some of the areas that I supported include: asset management, audit, business planning, mortgage and financial control (both domestic and international). I worked in a variety of localities including NYC 🗽, St. Louis and Hong Kong 🇭🇰. In addition to Citigroup, I also worked for the IRS (Office of Chief Counsel) and Ernst & Young (tax services). I have been featured on leading local news channels 📺 - 13WHAM and FOX Rochester - to talk about current tax issues. Lastly, I have been quoted on tax and legal issues in the Daily Record 🗞, and have presented on legal and tax topics to several organizations in the Rochester area.
Neeraj Shah, Esq., MBA, CPA
EDUCATION AND DESIGNATIONS
Esq. New York State Bar - admitted as Attorney and Counselor at Law
- Admitted to practice law in New York State courts. Also admitted to practice before the US Tax Court. Let me know if you have a business (legal entity) formation issue, an estate planning question, or any problem with the IRS.
CPA Certified Public Accountant - New York State
- Licensed by New York State as a CPA, but able to prepare individual, business, trust or estate tax returns throughout the US (all 50 states).
JD Washington University in St. Louis 🐻, School of Law
(tax and estate planning)
Such a great time learning with great classmates and professors. I was about 10 years older than my peers, but that allowed me to apply my work experience to my course selections. Focused early with tax and estate planning courses. Most of my 3rd year courses ended up being advanced LLM courses in these disciplines. And what a beautiful campus to walk - everything from landcape and facilities was perfection. Favorite memory: Oct 2, 2008 VP debate between candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden.
MBA Cornell University 🐻, Johnson School of Management
(finance)
So many great memories - and why not. Felt blessed to walk this Ivy's campus - far above Cayuga's waters, the waterfalls and the hills - "Ithaca is Gorges." Equally grateful to form close bonds with my classmates - and still in contact with many. Focused mostly in accounting and finance courses to prepare me for the family business. Season tickets and the Frozen Four run of 2003 for our men's hockey team was a dream. Favorite memory: May 29, 2004 commencement speaker, our 42nd President Bill Clinton.
(economics and political science)
Rochester was the ideal place to challenge myself academically, and to find myself personally. Yes, I took courses, but more important I learned life lessons. As an ABCD (look it up), I knew very little about my Indian traditions and religion. I surrounded myself with international students, many of whom are still my friends today. I wasn't in their circle, but Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro graduated in 1995 and NY Giants head coach Brian Daboll in 1997, so our paths may have crossed in the UR tunnels - who knows? Favorite memory: the research portion of a religion elective course, REL 105 Asian Search for Self. Renowned Professor Douglas Brooks allowed me to learn the foundation of my religion, Jainism - and how it is intertwined with Buddhism and Hinduism. Bonus memory: running to the roof of Zornow Field House tennis courts to see the Concorde plane flyover for the 1995 Ryder Cup.
(Certificate in Accounting)
(Certificates in Management Studies)
(Certificate in International Relations)
(Special Achievement Citation in Finance)
JURISDICTIONS ADMITTED TO PRACTICE AS AN ATTORNEY
Courts of New York State, including:
- Court of Appeals, Supreme Courts, County Courts
- Surrogate's Courts, Family Courts, Court of Claims
U.S. Tax Court
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND VOLUNTEERING
Board of Trustees, Penfield Public Library 📚 (2016-2025)
- Current Member (2024)
- Current Committee Appointment, Finance & Budget Committee
- Current Committee Appointment, Policy and By-Laws Committee
- Chair, Communication Committee (2018 and 2020)
- Chair, Finance & Budget Committee (2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024)
- Chair, Nominating Officers Committee (2024)
- Officer, Secretary (2018, 2019 and 2020)
- Officer, Finance (2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024)
- Liaison, Penfield Public Library Foundation (2023 and 2024)
- Adhoc Committee Appointment, Officer Nomination Committee (2022)
- Longest current serving member of the Board of Trustees. Some of the more important accomplishments during my term are as follows: 1) extended operating hours to accommodate earlier mornings, 2) new logo 3) freestanding sign installation in front of library entrance, 4) hiring and transition to a new library director, 5) Ruth Braman Room capital improvements, 6) painting and carpeting of main library, 7) safety and emergency response improvements with new door and telephone ID accuracy, 8) patron-friendly fine policy for children and most adult items, 9) communication between Penfield Public Library Foundation and the Board, 10) pushed to revert back to in-person, onsite and not recorded Board meetings, 11) increased reach of high profile author visits year over year, 12) long term strategic plan of viability of the library and 13) fiscal responsibility.
New York State Bar Association, Trust and Estates Law Section, Business Law Section
Monroe County Bar Association, Tax Section
- Co-Chair-elect, Continuing Legal Education Committee, YLS (2010-2011)
- Former Member, Law Practice Management Committee
- Former Member, Elder Law Committee and Lawyer Referral Service Committee
Penfield Central School District, Town of Penfield
- Member, School Website Committee (2023 and 2024)
Penfield Recreation, Town of Penfield
- Member, Strategic Master Plan Update Committee (2024)
- Member, Strategic Master Plan Update Committee (2019)
Cub Scouts, Pack 250 (Penfield)
- Recruiting Lead (2018-2019)
Annual Penfield Charity Golf ⛳️ Tournament at Shadow Lake Golf Club sponsored by Town of Penfield, Penfield Rotary and Kiwanis Club of Penfield-Perinton Foundation
- Proud Supporter (2021, 2022 and 2023)
SUPPORTER, PENFIELD BOYS BASKETBALL 🏀 AND BOYS TENNIS 🎾
Booster Business 💰 Sponsor
- Two-year Sponsor (2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons)
Penfield Patriots Sports Boosters
Boys Tennis 🎾 Representative
- parent volunteer to support Boys Tennis and all 32 athletic teams at Penfield. Work as a liason between Coach and the Global Boosters organization.
Professional Basketball Buzzer Finger ☝️
- tendency to hold the buzzer button for several seconds when my son enters the game
Tennis Photographer 📸
- one of the designated photographers for the tennis team with an honest bias to take more photos of my son
Dad
ALL IN THE FAMILY - 40+ YEARS STRONG
LALIT SHAH, MBA, CA - my dad
🕉 Om Namo Arihantanam
What a great man. What a great dad. You are irreplaceable. I remember you for all your good deeds, your humorous nature, and loyalty to family and friends. I love you Dad ❤️ and miss you dearly 🙏.
My dad was a rock 🎸 star. I heard stories of him spending late nights (and early mornings) studying when he was a school-age boy. He enjoyed tutoring other children and was very proud of his hair style💈.
Dad ended up graduating from a distinguished college where he focused in commerce and economics. He took the Chartered Accountant (CA) exam, and earned one of the top scores in India! Mom and dad immigrated to America, and dad completed his MBA while working as a busboy to help make ends meet. He worked for a Fortune 500 company and a local accounting firm in Rochester, NY.
In the late 1970s, dad established an accounting practice to serve the local community. He was brilliant when it comes to analyzing numbers and offering business strategies to his clients. He always had a knack of thinking outside the box 📦 and offered a different take on any given project or opportunity.
His firm in Penfield was one of the more successful accounting practices around. People trusted 🤝 him. It is hard to go around town without bumping into someone who knew him. Dad's big smile seemed to be contagious on the people he met. He was a man with a huge heart.
Dad lived for his family - especially mom, my brother's family and my family. He loved his grandkids so much, that's 100%. It brought him so much joy to feed the kids after school, play the most simple games, or just hear their voice on the phone.
The community is grateful for the decades-long service, and I am thankful for the close mentorship of hard work ethic and family values.
Thanks dad - you are a great role model. You accomplished so much, and have given so much. I love you! ❤️ ... and miss you dearly.
🙏 Micchami Dukkadam
1947-2024
Lalit Shah, MBA, CA - my dad 🙏 1947-2024
Photo by J. Thakar, long-time loyal, bosom buddy... dost!
Mom
ETHICS AND VALUES - Thanks Mom!
I thank my mom for all the values 🙏 she instilled in me because those values are really at the core of my thoughts and actions today. Parenting isn't easy, and parenting in a foreign land can be overwhelming - she and my dad immigrated to America 🗽 in the 1970s.
Mom delicately balanced western norms with traditional eastern values. She never let us forget where we were from. At night, mom would lead my brother and I in reciting religious scriptures - there wasn't any temple to visit in Penfield. She and dad spoke to us in our native tongue, and always reminded us of proper grammar when speaking Gujarati. Today - because of my mom (and cousins), I am one of few A.B.C.D.'s (look it up) who can speak, read and write in Gujarati. I'm also one a select few A.B.C.D.'s to travel to India solely for a religious tap (Jainism) - a form of restraint to willingly give up some of our bodily comforts to discipline our mind. Anyways, in 1998 I completed an eight-day fast (aathai) - a fast of no food for eight consecutive days, but could drink boiled water during sunlight. I'm just so grateful to have had the opportunity to play alongside my American friends, while still holding onto my Indian 🇮🇳 values.
I chose to settle my family close in Penfield - and very close to my parent's house 🏠. My boys have benefitted so much from this proximity - and I am forever grateful 🙏. Mom is a stronger person because she has delicately balanced giving my family some space, while being there for us whenever we need her help. We try to return the favor to her, and I can only hope that our boys can hold on to some of these values. I am fortunate because my boys have a close relationship with my mom, and some of her value set is being passed on unfiltered. Thank you for taking care of the boys, mom!
Give respect to your elders.
Remember to say thank you.
Treat your family and friends with care.
Those are some of the value statements that my mom told me as a boy - and the same set of ethics and values that guide me today.
Thanks mom - I love you! ❤️
my mom! ❤️
Photo by J. Thakar, long-time loyal, brother-friend... bhai!
ON THE PERSONAL SIDE
I grew up in Penfield and graduated from Penfield High School. Spending time with my family is my #1 priority. We love all kinds of family hikes, but some family adventures were 100% more daring than others like:
* flying in a hot air balloon with my family over Letchworth State Park,
* snorkeling among the fish at Turks and Caicos,
* sand-boarding down the dunes at the Great Sand Dunes NP
* hiking up to Grinnell Glacier with inadequate water supply but feeling on top of the world when overlooking the magical blues of the lakes below at Glacier NP
We are huge fans of the National Parks. We just visited Glacier NP and booked a vacation to Hawaii Volcanoes NP in the short-term. We really have a beautiful country, which is the backdrop of great family memories. Speaking of country - I fell in love with mainstream country a couple years ago and listen to 100.5 in the car. I love the morning show, The Bobby Bones Show - and Lunchbox is my favorite!
More routinely, however, we enjoy seasonal activities and watching our boys play. In the summer, we are usually outdoors. When the temperatures cool down, Kansas basketball 🏀 and Buffalo Bills football 🏈 dominate our TVs. I have yet to take the family to a Cornell Hockey 🏒 game at Lynah Rink, but I will.
MY WIFE AND OUR LOVE AFFAIR WITH COFFEE ☕️
Last but not the least, one of my most favorite thing to do is to share a small cup of Dunkin coffee with my amazing and accomplished wife - we always get 1 pump of mocha swirl to make our mornings extra special.
Life is short, and love is simple. ❤️
Haiku poem by Neeraj
Making Cents 🪙
Little different,
Attorney and CPA.
Penfield tax dot com
