SHUMAN & EPSTEIN News & Community Involvement
March 2011
Shuman & Epstein Sponsors Peabody Rotary Taste of the North Shore
The staff of Shuman & Epstein LLC are once again supporting the Peabody Rotary fundraiser "Taste of The North Shore" on March 22nd at the Danversport Yacht Club. The S&E group have sponsored this event event since it's inception seven years ago. Funds raised from this annual event are donated to various local charitable organizations and community causes in Peabody. Managing Member Gary Epstein is currently serving as Secretary of the Peabody Rotary Club.
Peabody CPA Receives 2nd Consecutive Five Star Wealth Manager Award
For the second consecutive year, Shuman & Epstein LLC is pleased to announce that Managing Member and CPA Ken Drooks has been named a Boston 2011 Five Star Wealth Manager for Client Satisfaction. The FIVE STAR distinction, announced in the February issue of Boston Magazine, is awarded annually to wealth managers who have scored highest in client-based research conducted by a national independent research company and limited to just 3 percent of financial professionals in the Boston community. This is the second award for Ken who is placed in the top one percent of advisers in Boston.
In conjunction with Crescendo Business Services (CBS), an independent research firm, Boston Magazine annually identifies the “best in client satisfaction” wealth managers serving the Boston area, surveying more than 149,000 high-net-worth households and magazine subscribers by mail and phone before selecting. Managers must pass a regulatory review and meet the approval of a panel of financial services industry professional peers before making the final cut.
The list of 2011 Five Star Wealth Managers represents less than seven percent of the wealth managers in the Boston area. Wealth Managers are evaluated on customer service, integrity, knowledge/expertise, communication, value for fee charged, meeting financial objectives, post-sale service, quality of recommendations and overall satisfaction.
Shuman & Epstein LLC is proud to share the acknowledgement of this award and we congratulate Ken for this honor.
January 2011
November 2010
Shuman & Epstein, LLC was a sponsor of the first "Fed Up With Cancer" event hosted by MassPay and the North Shore Cancer Center on November 17th at the Danversport Yacht Club. In addition to a silent auction, food samplings were provided by a variety of restaurants from the North Shore. All proceeds were donated to the North Shore Cancer Walk. Picture (l-r) Carol Sanger, Harvey Alpert, Gary Epstein, Merle Shuman and Larry Shuman.
Other News: Managing Member Ken Drooks was re-elected for a second term to the Jewish Journal's Board of Directors as Treasurer.
February 2010
Boston Magazine Awards Ken Drooks 2010 Five Star Wealth Manager Award for Taxation
Ken Drooks was named by Boston Magazine as a 2010 Five Star Wealth Manager for Client Satisfaction in the Taxation area. Fewer than 7 percent of the wealth managers in the Boston area, including Ken Drooks, were selected. The final 2010 list of "Five Star Wealth Managers" appeared in the February issue of Boston Magazine.
According to the Five Star Web site, up to 200,000 high-net worth individuals and 10,000 financial service professionals were asked to name and evaluate up to three wealth managers. Wealth managers are individuals who help clients prepare a financial plan and/or implement aspects of their financial plan.
Each respondent was asked to evaluate only wealth managers whom they know through personal experience and evaluate them on nine criteria: customer service, integrity, knowledge/expertise, communication, value for fee charged, whether the wealth manager meets client financial objectives, post sale service, quality of recommendations and overall satisfaction. The questionnaires submitted to the reviewers are structured to make it equally easy for an individual to give negative or positive responses regarding each wealth manager evaluated. The company scores the survey responses to determine which wealth managers meet the identified standards, and screens wealth managers, based on their regulatory compliance history as reported by FINRA and other regulatory agencies. Only wealth mangers with five years of experience in the financial services industry are considered. Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be included in the evaluation process or to be named as a FIVE STAR Wealth ManagerSM.
November 2008
Ken Drooks Elected to Jewish Journal Board
On November 5th, Ken Drooks, Managing Member of Shuman and Epstein LLC joined the Jewish Journal's board of directors as Treasurer. Pictured in the photo along with Ken in the photo below (left to right) are fellow new board members Lisa Kosan, Bonnie Weiss and Jay Duchin. Click here to read the full story.
June 2008 Gary Epstein serves as Peabody Rotary's Secretary for the 2008/2009 year.
Gary Epstein serve another year as Secretary of Peabody Rotary for 2009. He is a long time member of the club who is previously served terms as Treasurer and President.
March 2008 Shuman & Epstein LLC participates in Peabody Rotary's Annual Taste of the North Shore.
A variety of restaurants will offer menu samplings at the Danversport Yacht Club in Danvers MA from 6 to 9 pma on March 11th. For more information on tickets, please call the office at 978-531-2600
August 2007 Managing member Ken Drooks and family travels to Wilkes-Barre, PA to participate in a week long Tikku n Olam Family Work Project.
August 12-17 The Tikkun Olam (meaning “repair of the world”) Family Work Project coordinated a group of about 20 parents and children (11 years old up) to travel to Wilkes-Barre, PA, to complete the rehab of a condemned home, fence in a community vegatable garden and improve a church run book store that employs unemployed people. Wilkes-Barre is an old coal mining town which is economically depressed.The project was run In conjunction with First United Methodist Church of Wilkes-Barre PA. Ken Drooks and his family participate in the project.
June 2007 Gary Epstein Installed as Secretary of Peabody Rotary
Managing Member Gary Epstein was installed as Secretary of the Peabody Rotary Club at the annual installation dinner. He's been a member of the club since 1987 and is a past president and a Paul Harris Fellow.
May 2007 Shuman and Epstein is a Patron of the NSWIB Taste of Success
North Shore Women in Business (NSWIB) is hosting their third annual fundraiser at Overture Restaurant at the Beverly Music Theater May 17th from 6 to 9 pm. Shuman and Epstein is once again a supporting patron for this fundraiser and a portion of the funds raised will be donated to the Home for Abused Women and Children (HAWC) in Salem MA. NSWIB is a women's business organization serving women in business throughout the north shore region.
April 2007 Gary Epstein serves on Peabody Chamber Scholarship Committee
Gary Epstein, Managing Member of Shuman and Epstein, served on this year's Peabody Chamber Scholarship Committee. A total of$6,000 of award money was approved by the committee and will be presented to 12 Peabody high school graduates at the annual Chamber scholarship breakfast May 30th.
April 2007 Lawrence Shuman Attends Mass Bankers Convention
Lawrence Shuman, Managing Member of Shuman and Epstein, attended the Massachusetts Bankers Convention in Naples, Florida representing Eagle Bank as their Chairman of the Board.
March 2007 Shuman & Epstein Staff & Friends to Attend the Third Annual Peabody Rotary "Taste of The North Shore"
For the past three years the staff of Shuman and Epstein have supported the Peabody Rotary fundraiser, "Taste of The North Shore", and will once again attend this year's event on March 13th at the Danversport Yacht Club. The staff and their friends have been known to enjoy the tasty food samplings of participating area restaurants. For more information about the "Taste of North Shore", contact Gary Epstein.
March 16, 2007
Carol Sanger, Webmaster for Shuman & Epstein LLC, was invited to attend an informal meeting between local small business owners and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick following the annual St. Patrick's Day Breakfast in Salem, MA.
At the invitation of Christine Sullivan, Director of The Enterprise Center at Salem State College, Carol Sanger was invited to attend an informal discussion about the challenges of growing a business in Massachusetts along with 21 other North Shore business owners . Owners, which included sole proprietors and micro-businesses, voiced concern over rising health care costs, funding for businesses looking to borrow less that $50,000 in funds to propel growth, as well as independent contractor regulations and other issues related specifically to the smaller business. The Governor asked for comments from all invitees and will use feedback to investigate ways to improve the business climate for smaller companies in the Commonwealth.
January 2007 Managing Member, Kenneth A. Drooks Celebrates One Year with Shuman & Epstein, LLC
Ken Drooks, a Certified Public Accountant, who lives in Marblehead, has been a managing member since January 18, 2006. Ken has 25 years experience with various national and local CPA firms including PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He was also one of the founding partners in 1986 of Sullivan & Drooks CPAs of Beverly and Danvers, which in 1997 was transitioned into the national accounting firm of American Express Tax & Business Services. Ken has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts, and a master of science in taxation from Bentley College.