Thomas M. Forrest, CPA, is president and CEO of U.S. Trust Company of Delaware. Tom joined U.S. Trust in 1999 after serving as Vice President and manager of the Delaware Personal Trust office for First Union Trust Company, N.A.

Prior to joining First Union, Tom was Vice president and Manager of the Trust Tax and Financial Planning Division for Wilmington Trust for 18 years. Mr. Forrest is a past President of the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils, past President of the Delaware Estate Planning Council, past Treasurer of the Delaware Society of CPA's and past Chairman of the Tax Committee. Tom is a board member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, Delaware Chapter and has served as a board member of the Philadelphia Estate Planning Council. He is also a past President of the Bank and Trust Tax Association of Mid-Atlantic States, a member of the American Institute of CPAs, The Delaware Society of CPAs, and The Wilmington Tax Group. Mr. Forrest has lectured to professional groups on a variety of tax estate planning topics at numerous meetings and seminars around the county including the National Graduate Trust School, ABA Tax Compliance Seminar, Financial Planning Associates, American Bar Association Tax Section Meetings, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Bank Administration Institute, and The National Association of Estate Planners and Councils.

Tom graduated from the University of Delaware in 1982 with a B.S. in Accounting, and received his M.S. in Taxation from Widener University in 1985. He received the IRS Enrolled Agent designation in 1985, Certified Public Accountant in 1986, and the Accredited Estate Planner in 1995.

Tom has been active in estate planning and fiduciary income tax issues for over 25 years. He has discussed several issues over his career with U.S. Senators and Representatives on topics such as the common trust fund and trust conversions to calendar year end income tax purposes and the passive activity loss rules for trusts and estates. He also meets with state government officials regarding tax issues - such as the Section 645 Election to Treat a Revocable Trust as Part of a Decedent's Estate income tax issues with Delaware and other states and why the returns do not work for state income tax purposes in some cases.

Tom initiated discussions with the IRS to create magnetic tape filings of fiduciary income tax returns for trusts and estates. He assisted with the development of the product and was the first trust company to file federal fiduciary Form 1041 returns under magnetic media with the IRS.

During his tenor as president of the NAEPC, Tom initiated the creation of the NAEPC Web Site and assisted with the development.

Tom is a proponent of the team approach to estate planning and promoted the 5th category (CFPs, Investments, Appraisers, etc.) to many estate planning councils around the country. Tom and his staff continue to work with the estate planning team approach as they work with outside advisors across the country. They have developed advisor kits and attorney kits for the administrative trustee service to show how the team works together. The team approach works well for helping clients around the country by offering dynasty trust, asset protection trusts, total return trust and other Delaware advantages for estate and trust planning situations.

Tom and his wife, Marie, and 3 children reside in Wilmington, Delaware.