NANCY L. SKEANS CPA, CFP®, MBA

Nancy has more than 30 years of experience providing financial consulting, investment management and tax planning services to corporate executives, high-net-worth individuals, foundations and pension plans. She joined Schneider Downs Wealth Management Advisors (SDWMA) in 2003 and became a partner in 2009. Nancy served as the Managing Director of the Personal Financial Services practice until she was named CEO of SDWMA in 2017.   In 2018, she was asked to become a Shareholder of Schneider Downs & Co., Inc. At the end of 2023, she decided to transfer the role of CEO to our Managing Partner, Derek Eichelberger so that she could focus on clients and mentoring her team of advisors.

As a Senior Wealth Advisor, Nancy is actively involved in her client relationships, investment strategies and is a voting member of the firm’s Investment Committee.  Nancy also oversees the development and training of the advisory team for the Personal Financial Services team. Additionally, she is the Chief Compliance Officer for SDWMA.

Prior to joining SDWMA, Nancy spent many years as an Investment and Tax Advisor to high-net-worth individuals in a private firm in the Pittsburgh area.  She began her career in finance and accounting at Deloitte & Touche after separating from the United States Air Force at the rank of Captain.

Professional and Community Involvement

Member – American and Pennsylvania Institutes of Certified Public Accountants
Member – The Financial Planning Association
Member of Board of Directors – YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh

SHARE

Do you have a hobby/personal passion?
My personal passion is to always continue to learn new things.

What was the best advice you’ve ever received?
Never be afraid to speak up.

Who is your role model?
My mother.

What was your childhood dream?
My dream was always to have a career. While the dream changed from doctor to lawyer to Air Force Officer, I always knew I wanted to be financially self-sufficient.

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your college self?
You should have purchased acres and acres of land near Colorado Springs (when it was still available).

People would be surprised to know that I…
I have a black belt in Tai-Kwan-Do.

What is the best or most interesting thing about your career?
I love helping people become more secure in their financial decisions and long-term plans.

What was your first job?
Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Do you have a “motto”?
Be positive.

When you have an hour of free time, what do you like to do?
Take a walk while listening to a great book.

Do you have advice for young professionals?
If you want to become the best in your field, challenge yourself to be better at your job every day.

Our Thoughts On

FEATURED

Big Problem: Large Tax Burden In The Succession Plans Of A Family Business.


Big Thinking: Creating A Grantor Trust To Save $1.5 Million.

GREG ALLISON is responsible for estate and succession planning for business owners, executives and high-net-worth individuals. He also prepares annual income tax returns for estates and trusts in addition to gift tax returns, federal estate tax returns and state inheritance tax returns.
One of Greg’s clients was a father wanting to retire and give his son 100% ownership of their company. Giving his 80% share in the company would result in a $1.5 million tax due on redemption. Greg’s team was able to avoid the $1.5 million tax and introduce asset protection by having the father creator a grantor trust instead. “By creating a grantor trust, the father was able to sell his shares under the same terms as redemption but save money since no gain is recognized on the sale,” said Greg. “We were also able to integrate asset protection into the structure and procure the recurring tax and attest services.” Schneider Downs provides Big Thinking and Personal focus in delivering a variety of services for large and small businesses, both publicly and privately held, as well as nonprofit organizations, government entities and more. Through our commitment to thought leadership and knowledge management, we deliver the solutions our clients need with a personal commitment to service.

Have a question? Ask us!

We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a note, and we’ll respond to you as quickly as possible.

Breached?

Every moment counts. For urgent requests, contact the Schneider Downs digital forensics and incident response team at 1-800-993-8937. For all other requests, please complete the form below.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.