Ben Vernazza, CPA/PFS

For a person who's earliest ambition was to be a percussionist, but who:

• was nicknamed Dow Jones in college because of calling his brokers between classes,
• developed his interest in becoming a CPA by taking a correspondence course to pass time while serving as an Air Force Air-Sea-Rescue pilot,
• built the first Shell self-service gas stations in California,
• took a self-paid year sabbatical to visit and study in the major world financial centers,
• was Principal Percussionist and Board Member for the Santa Cruz County Symphony,
• was one of the first CPAs to actively manage money as a CPA firm,
• assisted the U.S. Virgin Islands to adapt Foreign Sales Corporations (FSC) legislation,
• started a nutmeg factory in Grenada after the U.S. intervention,
• flies a a plane or helicopter to meet his clients to avoid traffic jams, and
• has organized The Overseas Oversight Group that provides affordable overseas asset protection trusts and continuing Oversight --

J. Ben Vernazza has traveled an interesting road to reach his current status as one of the nations respected international financial service professionals.

As testimony to his broad expertise in financial matters, Mr. Vernazza is a Certified Public Accountant, Economist, Registered Investment Adviser and has achieved a broad background of experience in all forms of accounting and tax as well as financial planning, investment counseling and asset management, international tax planning, overseas asset protection trusts, and entrepreneurial business ventures both here and abroad. He was in the first national group (certificate #90) to receive the specialist designation of Accredited Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).  He is a Registered Trust and Estate Practitioner.  He received the Private Sector Initiative Commendation from President Ronald Reagan.

Mr. Vernazza has been active in various professional organizations and has served on the International Tax Committee of the AICPA, the PFP Members Services Committee of the AICPA, the Investment Committee of the AICPA which has oversight of $325 million in investments of the Institute. He now serves on the International Tax Technical Resource Panel.  He is an active lecturer, writer and seminar developer. A native of San Francisco CA, Mr. Vernazza attended Stanford University from which he received both his bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees in Economics. He was certified in California as a CPA in 1961.

Led by Mr. Vernazza, a new CPA Assurance Service , The Overseas Oversight Group LLC, was formed by a group of CPA's and CFP's, and affiliated international lawyers. The firm provides affordable formation and on-going oversight and monitoring of overseas trusts and companies.

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