Advisor Highlight: Randall Yee: Inspired by Giving Back
As an estate planning attorney at Yee & Kawashima LLLP, Randall M.L. Yee loves helping clients reach their philanthropic goals.
“It’s very rewarding working with these individuals who really have a strong personal need to give back—either because of their own history, or just from a broad standpoint of helping others who are less fortunate.”
And when he can help them find ways of giving that provide tax advantages in addition to benefitting the community, “that’s a win-win,” Yee says.
Yee says his approach to advising clients starts with listening.
“First and foremost, it’s about listening to what your clients want to accomplish, their goals and needs,” he says. As an advisor, Yee doesn’t steer the conversation, but presents options and information. That might include details on tax strategies, but it can also involve connecting people in his network and helping them learn more about charities and programs through Hawai’i Community Foundation (HCF).
Yee learned the importance of giving from his parents. Like his father, former State Senator Wadsworth Yee, who served on numerous nonprofit boards over the course of his career, Yee has served on numerous boards, too, including Aloha United Way, ʻIolani School, the American Cancer Society, and Drug Addiction Services of Hawaiʻi, as well as the Professional Advisors Advisory Council for HCF.
In 2019, as chair of the board for Saint Francis School, Yee and the board made the heart-wrenching decision to close the school after 95 years of service, commitment, and caring for students and the community. Despite the closure, the board wanted “to create a legacy so the school wouldn’t be forgotten,” says Yee.
Working with HCF, the board established the Saint Francis School Endowment Fund for Hawai‘i residents in good academic standing with a minimum GPA of 2.5 with preference for students who attended or completed their grade level (Pre-K to 12) at Saint Francis School during the 2018-2019 Academic Year. The first scholarships were awarded for the 2021-2022 school year to two former students. Each received a $5,000 grant to help them pursue their college education in Utah and Oregon. With this scholarship, the legacy of Saint Francis School lives on for generations.
HCF is proud to work with advisors like Yee to help support the growth and success of their clients and the community.
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