Quick Facts

The Fact Sheet

Firm
Cohen Partners CPA
Founder
Ido Cohen, CPA (Israel)
Founded
2010
Headquarters
BSR Towers 4, Bnei Brak, Israel
Specialty
US-Israel Cross-Border Tax & Advisory
Practice Area
Aliyah, FBAR, GILTI, Real Estate, Inheritance, Director & Trustee Services
Languages
Hebrew (native), English (fluent)
Cross-Border Deal Experience
$50M+ (cumulative client transactions)
Average Client Tenure
7+ years
Press Contact
Time Zone
Israel Standard Time (UTC+2/3)
Founder Bio

About Ido Cohen

Short Bio (~100 words) — for press use

Ido Cohen is the founder and managing partner of Cohen Partners CPA, an Israeli accounting firm specializing in US-Israel cross-border tax and strategic advisory for the English-speaking diaspora. A licensed Israeli CPA with 14+ years of experience, he advises American Jews making Aliyah, US owners of Israeli companies, families inheriting Israeli assets, and dual-jurisdiction investors on the technical issues that live in the gap between Israeli and US tax systems. Cohen Partners is based in Bnei Brak, Israel, and works coordinated alongside US CPAs, US estate counsel, and Israeli legal counsel.

Long Bio (~250 words) — for feature articles

Ido Cohen, CPA (Israel), is the founder and managing partner of Cohen Partners CPA, an Israeli accounting firm focused entirely on US-Israel cross-border tax and strategic advisory work for the English-speaking diaspora. He founded the firm in 2010 with a deliberate mission: to build the kind of senior, English-fluent Israeli CPA practice that he wished existed when he started serving cross-border clients — one that combines deep technical expertise in both Israeli and US tax systems with the cultural fluency needed to bridge them.

Over more than a decade of practice, his work has spanned the full lifecycle of Anglo-Israeli financial life: pre-Aliyah tax planning for olim moving to Israel, FBAR and FATCA compliance for Americans living in Israel, GILTI and Section 962 strategy for US owners of Israeli companies, real estate structuring and inheritance for diaspora families with Israeli assets, and trustee/director services for foreign-owned Israeli entities. He also serves on multiple Israeli company boards and as trustee for several charitable foundations supported by American donors.

Cohen Partners works in coordination with US CPAs, US estate attorneys, and Israeli legal counsel — operating as the dedicated Israeli specialist in cross-border teams. The firm's typical client engagement spans 7+ years and several major life events. Ido is based in Bnei Brak, Israel, and is available for interviews and commentary on Israeli and US-Israel financial topics in both Hebrew and English.

Available for Comment

Topics Ido Speaks To

Ido is regularly available to journalists and podcasters for expert commentary on the following topics. Quotes can typically be provided same-day on email; live interviews can usually be scheduled within 48 hours.

Aliyah Tax PlanningPre-Aliyah moves, the 10-year exemption, common olim tax mistakes, post-Aliyah compliance
FBAR & FinCEN 114The $10K threshold, kupot gemel and keren hishtalmut as reportable accounts, the Streamlined Filing path back
GILTI for Israeli CompaniesSection 962 election, the GILTI High-Tax Exception, why Israeli founders need this strategy from day one
Form 3520 and Foreign InheritancesThe 25% penalty trap, when reporting is required, common mistakes by American heirs of Israeli assets
Israeli Real Estate for AmericansBuying, holding, renting, inheriting Israeli property as a US person; tax implications on both sides
Form 5471 & CFC ReportingWhen required, common compliance gaps, the categories of US shareholders
Israeli Director ServicesWhy foreign-owned Israeli companies need local directors, dahatz vs nominee distinction, fee structures
Cross-Border Estate PlanningCoordinating US estate plans with Israeli probate, dual wills, foreign trust issues
Foreign Trust ReportingForm 3520-A, throwback rules, when Israeli arrangements qualify as US trusts
PFIC Issues for Diaspora InvestorsIsraeli mutual funds, ETFs, kerenot — why they create US tax problems and how to navigate them
US-Israel Tax TreatyWhat the 1995 treaty does and doesn't do, treaty-based positions, dual residence tiebreakers
Diaspora Philanthropy StructuresUS 501(c)(3) friends-of organizations, Israeli amutot, cross-border donor-advised funds
Israeli Banking for AmericansThe KYC tightening, account opening challenges, FATCA reporting from the Israeli bank side
New Olim and Returning ResidentsToshav Chozer status, exempt income categories, the 10-year window in practice
Renouncing US CitizenshipThe exit tax under §877A, when renunciation makes financial sense for Israeli olim, the practical process
Press Mentions

Recent Media Coverage

Press List Available on Request

For a current list of recent media appearances, podcast guest spots, conference speaking engagements, and published articles, please contact ido@cohen-partners.co.il. We share an updated press list with credentialed journalists upon request.

Speaking Topics

Talks for Conferences & Events

Ido is available to speak at Aliyah events, Jewish community programs, Israeli business conferences, family office gatherings, and CPA continuing-education events. Below are signature talks; custom topics are available on request.

Talk 1 · 45–60 min

The 12-Month Pre-Aliyah Tax Planning Window

What every American Jew planning Aliyah should be doing in the year before the move — from the Roth conversion that's now or never, to the brokerage account decisions you can't undo, to the residency-trigger date that determines a decade of tax exposure. Practical, decision-by-decision walkthrough with worked examples.

Talk 2 · 30–45 min

Why Your Kupat Gemel Is a US Tax Problem

The American olim's most common compliance failure: kupot gemel and keren hishtalmut as foreign trusts under US law. FBAR, 8938, 3520-A, and the path back through Streamlined Filing. Designed for the Anglo community in Israel and US CPAs serving them.

Talk 3 · 45–60 min

GILTI for Israeli Founders: The Math That Saves $300K/Year

Why every American who incorporates an Israeli company faces an immediate tax decision worth hundreds of thousands of dollars annually — and why most founders find out about it too late. Section 962 vs HTE explained with real numbers. For Israeli tech communities, founders' clubs, and accelerator programs.

Talk 4 · 45 min

Inheriting Israeli Assets: A Survival Guide for American Heirs

Israeli probate, Form 3520, step-up basis, and the practical playbook for the first 90 days after inheriting Israeli real estate, accounts, or business interests. For Jewish federation programs, family wealth events, and estate planning conferences.

Talk 5 · 30–45 min

The US-Israel Tax Treaty in Practice

What the 1995 treaty actually does for dual taxpayers, the tiebreaker rules for residency, and the treaty-based positions every cross-border practitioner should know. For CPAs, attorneys, and continuing-education programs.

Talk 6 · 60 min · Workshop

Cross-Border Real Estate Investing for Americans

Tax mechanics of buying, holding, renting, and selling Israeli real estate as a US person. Mas Rechisha, Mas Shevach, the foreign tax credit math, depreciation rules, and the structures that work (and don't) for diaspora investors. Workshop format with case studies.

Talk 7 · 30 min

FBAR Penalties Are Real: A Compliance Wake-Up Call

The penalty math that most Americans abroad don't appreciate, the Bittner v. United States decision and what it changed, and the safe path back through Streamlined Filing. Designed for general audiences of Americans living abroad.

Talk 8 · 45–60 min

Foreign Trusts and the American Beneficiary

When an Israeli arrangement is a "trust" under US law, the throwback rules, Form 3520-A, and how American beneficiaries of foreign trusts navigate the most punitive corner of US tax law. For estate planning and trust counsel audiences.

Frequently Quoted Statistics

The Stats Behind the Stories

Useful figures for journalists working on US-Israel financial topics. All figures sourced from public Israeli government data, IRS publications, and Cohen Partners' aggregated practice data.

$500K+
Maximum FBAR penalty per willful violation per year (50% of account balance)
25%
Maximum Form 3520 penalty for non-filing of foreign inheritance over $100K
~3,500
American Jews making Aliyah in a typical recent year (Israeli Jewish Agency data)
10 years
Israeli new immigrant tax exemption window for foreign-source income and assets
23%
Israeli corporate tax rate (above the 18.9% GILTI High-Tax Exception threshold)
$10,000
FBAR aggregate threshold (in foreign accounts) — and per-form Form 5471 penalty for non-filing
$100,000
Form 3520 reporting threshold for inheritances/gifts from foreign individuals
37% → 10.5%
Top US individual rate vs Section 962 effective rate on GILTI for Israeli company owners
Visual Assets

Headshots & Logos

Founder Headshots

High-resolution professional headshots of Ido Cohen (multiple poses, suit and casual, color and B&W) available for editorial use. Email ido@cohen-partners.co.il with a brief description of the publication and intended use.

Firm Logos

Cohen Partners CPA logo files (light, dark, monochrome variants) available in PNG, SVG, and EPS formats. Brand guidelines provided on request.

Office Photography

Photographs of the firm's Bnei Brak office and Tel Aviv-area work spaces available for editorial features. Site visits welcome by appointment.

Custom Charts and Visuals

Original tax data visualizations, calculations, and charts (e.g., the GILTI math, FBAR penalty stack, Aliyah exemption timeline) available for editorial use with attribution.

Media Inquiries

How to Reach Us

For Quote Requests & Interviews

Email: ido@cohen-partners.co.il

Phone (also WhatsApp): +972-50-938-3080

Email is fastest. Most quote requests answered same business day (Israel time, Sunday–Thursday).

For Speaking Engagements

Email: ido@cohen-partners.co.il

Include event date, location, audience size, audience profile, and topic of interest. Speaker fee structure varies by event type — pro bono availability for Jewish community and educational programs.

For Background & Research

Email: ido@cohen-partners.co.il

For deep-dive research projects (book chapters, long-form features), background conversations are available on a non-attribution basis.

Office Address

BSR Towers 4
Bnei Brak, Israel

10 minutes from central Tel Aviv. Visitors welcome by appointment. Studio-quality video recording space available for podcast guesting.

Working on a US-Israel Story?

Email Ido directly. Quote requests are typically answered the same business day, and full interviews can usually be scheduled within 48 hours.