Howard Thomas, MBA, JD

Wills, trusts & strategies to protect people & resources

Experience

Cost Engineering

 

Back when spreadsheets were paper, Howard developed estimates, forecasts, and pricing models for energy projects.  This work took Howard to the Orient where he was the lead cost engineer in several multi-currency bid evaluations which supported successful export loan acquisitions.  During his decade with a leading engineering firm, Howard analyzed projects ranging from exotic energy alternatives to mundane office leases. While with that firm, Howard added an MBA from CSU Long Beach to his engineering degree from UC Santa Barbara   Howard became involved in real estate and other investments.

 

Financial Advisor

 

With the decline in the energy industry in the 80’s, Howard took his analytical skills to a financial planning practice.  Initially, he worked with professionals and small business owners in the Los Angeles area.  His work involved business succession as well as investment, tax, and personal estate planning.  After a few years, Howard was hired by an insurance company as a consultant to other estate planners.  From his office in Sherman Oaks, Howard worked behind the scenes to develop plans that, in Hollywood speak, his people took to their people.   That insurance company later transferred Howard to its home office as its variable life insurance product manager.  In consultation with independent financial advisors, Howard coordinated the work of actuaries and investment managers to develop public and private financial products.  Howard held a general securities (i.e. stockbroker) license as well as several insurance licenses.  He remains a Chartered Life Underwriter and a Fellow of the Life Management Institute as well as a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

 

Financial Industry Consultant

 

Recognizing the need for a more robust financial model, Howard learned Visual Basic and developed a flexible tool which financial advisors used to compare benefit funding alternatives.  He joined the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting.  Because his model incorporated GAAP as well as cash flow considerations, Howard frequently addressed industry meetings on the subject of benefit accounting. The success of this model led to consulting and training assignments with insurance companies, independent advisors, and corporate management. Ultimately, Howard sold his technology, allowed his securities and insurance licenses to lapse, and fulfilled a long held desire to attend law school. 

 

Attorney at Law

 

After being named the outstanding law student at JFK University and passing the California Bar Exam on his first attempt, Howard commenced practicing law in 2007.  Drawing on the estate planning work he began in 1984, the focus of Howard’s legal work is drafting wills and trusts to protect people and their resources.  On a selected basis, Howard drafts commercial leases and advises on other real estate matters.  Following training programs at JFK University, UC Berkeley, and Pepperdine University, Howard has mediated over100 commercial disputes and serves as a volunteer mediator for the courts.

 

Howard is a member of estate planning sections of several bar organizations, Estate Planning Council of Diablo Valley, Association for Advanced Life Underwriting, and National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.  Continuing his interest in real estate, Howard is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers.  Howard serves on the board of the Congress of Neutrals and is a trustee of the Diablo Regional Arts Association.

Multi-currency bid evaluations teach the importance of breaking complexity down into actionable elements.

From engineering to finance to law