Kenneth B. Anker

Kenneth B. Anker is a partner at Smith & Downey, P.A., whose practice focuses on employee benefits, employment law, and executive compensation law. He advises clients on tax and ERISA issues involving benefit programs, deferred compensation, retirement plans, welfare arrangements, and flexible benefits. His work also covers equity-oriented and performance-oriented incentive structures. He brings substantial experience developing, documenting, operating, and evaluating compensation and benefits arrangements designed to address complex organizational objectives, compliance needs, and tax considerations for clients and related planning matters.

Anker earned an LL.M. in Tax Law from New York University School of Law. He received his J.D., with Honors, from George Washington University School of Law. He completed his undergraduate education at the State University of New York at Binghamton, earning a B.S., magna cum laude. His academic background in law, taxation, and related disciplines supports his work on sophisticated employee benefit, compensation, planning, compliance, and transactional matters involving detailed federal tax and ERISA requirements for clients in practice.

Anker has significant experience tailoring executive compensation programs to meet specific organizational objectives. He analyzes and structures compensation strategies involving insurance products and regularly counsels clients on tax consequences connected with corporate and individual transactions, compliance matters, and planning issues. His broader benefits practice includes tax-qualified and non-tax-qualified deferred compensation arrangements, retirement plans, welfare programs, flexible benefits, and incentive structures. He has also contributed to professional publications addressing nonqualified deferred compensation and other specialized compensation topics for practitioners in practice.

Kenneth B. Anker is admitted to practice in New York and before the United States Tax Court. His professional work combines employee benefits counseling, executive compensation planning, tax analysis, and ERISA guidance. The official Smith & Downey profile also identifies him as a contributing author to the Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Answer Book and lists several published articles concerning deferred compensation and compensation strategies. His background reflects sustained work with complex benefits programs, compensation structures, compliance concerns, and tax-sensitive planning matters.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, Smith & Downey, P.A.
• Member, New York State Bar Association

Licensed State

• New York

Education

• New York University School of Law
  Master of Laws (LLM) in Tax Law
• George Washington University School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• State University of New York at Binghamton
  Bachelor of Science (BS) (Magna Cum Laude)

Awards & Badges