Travis J. Schroeder

Travis Schroeder is a member with Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman where he is engaged primarily in estate and wealth transfer planning, wills, trusts, probate law, taxation, general business and corporate law, and agricultural law. He also serves on the firm's board of directors.

Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, and Wealth Transfer. Mr. Schroeder advises individuals and families regarding wealth preservation, estate and gift planning, tax planning (income, gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer), succession planning for closely-held businesses, and charitable gifting. Mr. Schroeder frequently designs and implements estate and succession plans for farmers and business owners, which can include the use of Installment Sales, Installment Sales to Grantor Trusts, Limited Liability Companies and Family Limited Partnerships, Family Settlement Agreements, Purchase and Lease Options, Corporate Recapitalizations to Separate Ownership from Control, and Buy-Sell Agreements. In this regard, Mr. Schroeder drafts estate planning instruments, including, but not limited to: Simple Wills and Revocable Trusts, Contingent Estate Tax Planning (Disclaimer) Wills and Revocable Trusts, Marital Deduction Formula Clause Wills and Revocable Trusts, Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Exempt Trusts, Dynasty Trusts, Incentive Trusts, Perpetual South Dakota Trusts, Special and Supplemental Needs Trusts, Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts (“IDGTs”), Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (“GRATs”), Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (“QPRTs”), Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (“ILITs”), Minor’s Trusts, Charitable Lead Trusts (“CLTs”), and Charitable Remainder Trusts (“CRTs”). Mr. Schroeder also commonly prepares Premarital Agreements, Financial Powers of Attorney, Healthcare Powers of Attorney, and beneficiary designations for life insurance and retirement plans.

Probate. To help families after the loss of a member of the family, Mr. Schroeder assists clients with the administration of trusts and estates and works to resolve trust and estate controversies.

Taxation. Mr. Schroeder advises individual and farm/business clients regarding the tax aspects (income, gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer) of proposed business transactions, pass-through entities (limited liability companies, partnerships, and S corporations) and estate planning techniques. In addition, Mr. Schroeder prepares estate tax returns, gift tax returns, fiduciary income tax returns, individual income tax returns, corporate tax returns, and partnership tax returns.

Agricultural Law. Mr. Schroeder advises and represents farmers, farm families, and others in the agricultural industry. Drawing on his small town roots and past personal involvement in his family’s farming operation; Mr. Schroeder understands the multifaceted nature of agriculture and the individuals and families who make a living from farming. Mr. Schroeder’s representation of clients in the agricultural industry includes, but is not limited to, the following matters: Estate and Farm Succession Planning, Tax (Income, Gift, Estate, and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Planning, Business Entity Formation & Organization, Entity Ownership Agreements, Real Estate Transactions and Issues, Farm Leases, and Contracts.

General Corporate and Business Matters. Mr. Schroeder advises farmers and other business owners regarding entity organization, operation, governance, reorganization, and tax and succession planning. In this regard, Mr. Schroeder reviews, negotiates, and drafts organizational documents, reorganizational documents, redemption agreements, shareholder agreements, buy-sell agreements, operating agreements, partnership agreements, and stock purchase agreements.

Hometown: Odebolt, Iowa

Honors & Awards

• Heart of America Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, 2019 Graduate
• Included in Great Plains Super Lawyers Rising Star list, 2014 - 2018
• Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class, 2010 - 2011

Memberships

• Iowa State Bar Association
  
  • Agricultural Law Section
  • Business Law Section
  • Probate & Trust Law Section
  • Taxation Section
• Linn County Bar Association
• Johnson County Bar Association
• Cedar Rapids Area Estate Planning Council (CRAEPC)
• Iowa Academy of Trust and Estate Counsel (IATEC)

Community Involvement

• Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, North Liberty, Endowment Committee
• Indian Creek Nature Center, Former Board Member
• North Liberty Community Food Pantry, Former Board Member

Presentations

• Revocable Trusts, Clayton QTIPs and Disclaimer Planning - Iowa State Bar Association Webinar, "Estate and Tax Planning Basics for those with Modent Non-Taxable Estates" April 17, 2019
• Planning After the 2017 Tax Act - Planning for Success Seminar (Coralville, IA) February 1, 2019
• Business Succession Seminar (North Liberty, IA) December 12, 2018
• Estate and Succession Planning in 2018 (Ames, IA) September 25, 2018
• Squeezing Profit from the 2018 Tax Law Change - Big Country Seeds (Tiffin, IA) January 24, 2018
• Estate Planning for Farm Families and Implications of Proposed 2704 Regulations - University of Iowa Fall Probate Seminar (Iowa City, IA) September 16, 2016
• Estate and Business Succession Planning for Owners of Corporations and LLCs – Planning for the Best Seminar (Iowa City, IA) November 4, 2015
• Estate and Succession Planning for Farmers and Business Owners – LattaHarris, LLP and TD&T Seminar (Cedar Rapids, IA) October 21, 2015
• Estate and Succession Planning for Clients with Corporations – MidWest One Bank and SPMB Summer Seminar (Iowa City, IA) July 30, 2015
• Panelist re Family Farm Estate and Succession Planning – Farm Bureau’s “Take Root” Program Series (Independence, IA) March 12, 2015
• Panelist re Family Farm Estate and Succession Planning – Farm Bureau’s “Take Root” Program Series (Tipton, IA) August 19, 2014
• Panelist re Family Farm Estate and Succession Planning – Farm Bureau’s “Take Root” Program Series (Eldora, IA) March 6, 2014
• Estate Planning With Life Insurance, From Soup to Nuts – University of Iowa Fall Probate Seminar (Iowa City, IA) November 22, 2013
• Estate and Business Succession Planning Concepts for Farmers and Farm Owners – Seminar for Latta Harris, LLP (Cedar Rapids, IA) October 15, 2013
• Estate and Business Succession Planning Concepts for Farmers and Farm Owners – Seminar for Iowa Farm Business Association (Cedar Rapids, IA) September 18, 2013
• The Importance of Integrating the Estate Plan - Planning for the Best Seminar (Iowa City, IA) November 16, 2012
• Practical Strategies for Assisting Farmers and Business Owners with Their Estate Plans in 2011 and Beyond - University of Iowa Fall Probate Seminar (Iowa City, IA) November 11, 2011
• Business Succession Planning - Iowa Small Business Development Centers (Emmetsburg, IA) May 3, 2011
• Business Succession Planning - Iowa Small Business Development Centers (Cedar Rapids, IA) April 27, 2011