National Association of Estate Planners & Councils Committee Reports.pdf · Our ouncil Relations...

Distributed at the 51st Annual Conference

San Antonio, Texas

November 5, 2014

National Association of Estate Planners & Councils

2014 Committee Reports

The Association of Choice for Estate Planning Professionals

National Association of Estate Planners & Councils and

The NAEPC Education Foundation

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President’s Remarks

Gregory E. Sellers, CPA, AEP® At the beginning of this board term, I challenged our board members, volunteer committees and national staff to build upon the recent successful years of NAEPC by “Putting Meat on the Bones”. What did that mean? Simply - add more value to membership, both local council membership in NAEPC and individual membership in local councils. Our framework is solid – year upon year of membership growth, year upon year of AEP® growth, and year upon year of outstanding professional educational opportunities. “Putting Meat on the Bones” was embraced by our board and committees, building upon the momentum of prior years, enhancing the benefits provided to our membership, all the while maintaining fiscal responsibility. Goals and budgets were set. Attention to the future, with focus on strategic, multi-disciplinary, and multi-committee action was established. In our mid-year board meeting, I asked the board to be “Looking Forward with an Eye to the Past”. Again, your board planned for the future, with an understanding of where we had been. In the following reports, you will read about the many plans and successes our committees have undertaken, all in an effort to support and add value to each and every council, individual member and designee of this organization. Committees offered “outside the box” thinking. Several task forces were created to investigate new initiatives. Our Council Relations Committee has developed and is announcing the “Council of Excellence Award” program, which will focus on recognition of affiliated councils who are positioned toward success. The Website/Technology and Council Relations Committees are collaborating to bring new enhancements and usefulness to councils with new technology platforms, social media, and “apps”. Our AEP® Committee has enhanced the value of obtaining the AEP® designation by providing the tools and resources of Broadridge/Forefield Advisor. Also, the AEP® and Council Relations Committees collaborated to bring support to councils who are willing to invest in the Council Nominated AEP® program. Providing affordable and high quality professional education to our membership is a tenet of the NAEPC vision statement. The Annual Conference and the monthly Robert G. Alexander Educational Webinar Series provides just that, in person and on your computer screen. The “annual no charge speaker program” provides every affiliated local council the opportunity to have a speaker from our board, with no honorarium cost. Also, the NAEPC Journal of Estate & Tax Planning collects technical materials each quarter from a variety of publication sources that every estate planning professional will find beneficial. Let’s peek into a task force - we all adhere to the concept of “multi-disciplinary teaming”, but what does that mean and how do you accomplish it? Our Multi-disciplinary Teaming Task Force has been studying what it looks like, and is developing training programs, so we all, young and old, can learn and share the traits of working as a team, for the benefit of our estate planning clients. This initiative embodies “Putting Meat on the Bones”.





These and many more “value benefits” are discussed in these reports. We ask that you take the time to read them, see what your association has been doing for you, and if you are truly interested in contributing your time and energy to the progress of our association, volunteer to be a part of “Putting Meat on the Bones”. As exciting and productive as this year has been, I so look forward to what is in store for the coming years. I am sure future NAEPC themes can be “The Best Is Yet to Come”.





The NAEPC Education Foundation Report Joanna Averett, MBA, CFP®, AIF®, AEP®, President

Over the past year, the NAEPC Education Foundation spent time considerable time streamlining our internal structure and processes to help our councils understand just who we are and what our mission truly is. Our newly revamped mission follows:

Educate the public regarding the benefits of the multi-disciplinary team concept of estate planning as espoused by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils

Provide information to the public on estate planning and financial literacy to improve their understanding of the process

Encourage and support the development of nationwide educational conferences, seminars, forums, and meetings with regard to estate and financial planning for estate planning councils, professionals, related disciplines, and the public

National Estate Planning Awareness Week, established in 2008 by House Resolution 1499 and held the 3rd week of each October, remains the Foundation’s signature event. This year, The Foundation assisted the estate planning councils by offering written guidance, sample letters, and documents for those who wish to host an Estate Planning Day in their community or with a “quick start” guide for those councils who desire to start smaller and offer their members and professional community the basics about National Estate Planning Awareness Week.

This year, we are delighted to have hosted our first free consumer webinar during National Estate Planning Awareness Week entitled “Estate Planning in 12 Steps.” Presented by nationally recognized speaker and author Martin M. Shenkman, CPA, PFS, MBA, JD, AEP® (Distinguished), this program was made available to the public to educate them on the importance of estate planning by a team of qualified professionals – our very mission!

If you missed out on National Estate Planning Awareness Week in 2014, make a commitment today for 2015! The NAEPC Education Foundation can help your council with all the tools you need to host a successful event! To further our mission, new educational materials for the public have been added to our consumer website, www.EstatePlanningAnswers.org. These materials address common estate and financial planning questions and bring public awareness of the need to see an estate planning professional. I want to personally thank the councils and individuals who contributed to support the NAEPC Education Foundation this year, a list is included within the 51st Annual Conference “e-book”. Without your financial support, our accomplishments wouldn’t be possible. I have enjoyed serving as the president of your Foundation in 2014 and look forward to continued involvement!





Accredited Estate Planner® Designation Committee Report M. Eileen Dougherty, CTFA, CFP®, AEP®, ChFC®, Committee Chair

William D. Kirchick, Esq., AEP®, Committee Vice-Chair Thomas M. Borchert, CLU®, ChFC®, LUTCF, AEP®, CLTC, Marketing Chair

Christopher P. Jakyma, JD, CTFA, AEP®, Technology Liaison

The mission of the NAEPC is to promote excellence, professionalism, and the team concept of estate planning among credentialed professionals. To this end, the AEP® Committee convened a number of task forces devoted to specific issues germane to the governance and promotion of the AEP® designation program during 2014, including:

Partnered with Broadridge/Forefield to provide Forefield Advisor – a sales, education, and client communication tool

– and Continuing Education programs to AEP® Designees at no cost for a one-year trial period

Continued promotion of the AEP® council nomination program and recognition of creative promotional initiatives sponsored by local councils such as the special reception held by the Estate Planning Council of Cleveland to introduce qualified members to the AEP® designation and council nomination program

Creation of “Social-in-a- Box” offered to 24 new affiliated local estate planning councils to encourage councils to host an event for qualified candidates to learn more about the AEP® designation program as well as the opportunity of local councils to nominate candidates for the designation

Task Force convened to continue to review alternative graduate coursework eligible for the designation for those applicants with less than 15 years of experience as well as review of other qualifying “gateway” credentials

Task Force convened to review current pricing structure for AEP® designation application fee and annual dues

Task Force convened to create a consumer-friendly AEP® brochure

Task Force convened to review LinkedIn and other social media for communication among AEP® designees

Established an editorial board for “The Technical Corner” in the AEP® ALERT

Continued review of the nomination and selection procedure for the NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame®

Fourth Annual Special Session held during NAEPC 51st Annual Conference for AEP® designees only presented by Gerry W. Beyer, JD, LL.M., JSD, on “Estate Planning for Digital Assets”

As you may know, the NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame® and Accredited Estate Planner® (Distinguished) designation are designed to recognize significant and outstanding lifetime achievement and contributions to the practice and profession of estate planning within the professional disciplines of accounting, insurance and financial planning, legal, trust services, and academia. We are pleased to report that the following individuals are being inducted into the 2014 NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame® as recipients of the Accredited Estate Planner® (Distinguished) designation:

Arthur J. Dixon (Posthumous) – Accounting Alexander A. Bove, Jr., Bernard A. Krooks, and John A. Wallace – Attorney

Paul S. Lee, Lee J. Slavutin, and Randy J. Zipse – Insurance and Financial Planning





Finally, our designation program fosters the mission of the NAEPC to promote the multi-disciplinary approach to estate planning and is overseen by a committee that determines the eligibility requirements for the designation and works to insure that designation holders continue to maintain the necessary knowledge, skill, experience, and ethical standards for their continued certification. If you are an active designation holder and would like to be a part of maintaining this momentum, please consider joining our committee. We are grateful to the following committee members for their dedication, wisdom, and hard work during this past year:

Members

S. Mark Alton, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, CAP®, AEP®, MSFS, CPWA®, Syracuse, New York Hartman Axley, CLU®, ChFC®, JD, CFP®, MSFS, RHU, AEP®, Denver, Colorado

Christine S. Bell, CTFA, AEP®, Jacksonville, Florida Kathleen J. Belmonte, CTFA, AEP®, Tampa, Florida

Thomas M. Borchert, CLU®, ChFC®, LUTCF, AEP®, CLTC, Sioux City, Iowa Julie A. Buschman, CPA, AEP®, Dallas, Texas

M. Eileen Dougherty, CTFA, CFP®, AEP®, ChFC®, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Robert E. Fox, CLU®, AEP®, Ocala, Florida

John P. Garniewski, CPA/PFS, CFP®, AEP®, Wilmington, Delaware Pettus C. Gibbons, MEd, CLU®, ChFC®, LUTCF, AEP®, Addison, Texas

Robert P. Goodman, CPA, AEP®, CFP®, Phoenix, Arizona David D. Green, CPA/PFS, CFP®, AEP®, Spokane, Washington

Theodore L. Greenspan, JD, LL.M., AEP®, Mobile, Alabama Christopher P. Jakyma, JD, CTFA, AEP®, Cleveland, Ohio William D. Kirchick, Esq., AEP®, Boston, Massachusetts

John T. Midgett, JD, AEP®, Virginia Beach, Virginia Colleen D. O’Connell, JD, AEP®, Bedford, New Hampshire

Paul J. Pantano, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®, CASL®, MSFS, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Daniel A. Rich, JD, MBA, TO, AEP®, Denver, Colorado

Lawrence A. Schwartz, CPA, MST, AEP®, Boston, Massachusetts John C. Scott, CPA/ABV, AEP®, St. Louis, Missouri

Gregory E. Sellers, CPA, AEP®, Montgomery, Alabama Jeffrey M. Turner, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®, MBA, AEP®, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Eido M. Walny, JD, EPLS, AEP®, Fox Point, Wisconsin





National Conference Committee Report S. Mark Alton, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, CAP®, AEP®, MSFS, CPWA®, Committee Chair

Welcome to San Antonio! We hope you enjoy the world famous San Antonio Riverwalk, as well as many other attractions, including Six Flags, Fiesta Texas, San Antonio Zoo, and of course, The Alamo! It is the mission of the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC) to promote the multi-disciplinary approach to estate planning. Our conference is one of the many ways in which we support our mission. The 51st Annual Conference will, once again, give us the opportunity to network with professionals from around the country in a uniquely intimate environment. We will share with, and learn from, leading experts in the areas of law, accounting, insurance, financial planning, trust services, and philanthropy. Our conference has become well-renowned for the quality of its program. This year will not disappoint you. Once again, our speakers are from among the best and brightest in the business, and will share cutting edge tools and techniques, creative strategies and solutions, as well as industry trends and developments. Working together in today’s multi-disciplinary team environment requires new ways of collaborating across geographic and organizational boundaries through systems, processes, technology, and people, which requires effective leadership. Given the diversity of skills, conative strengths, personalities and social styles, teaming and collaboration can be challenging. This year’s conference will pique your awareness, and offer explicit ideas for extracting maximum synergy from your elite professional network. We invite all of you to join us at the Welcome Reception, to be held on Wednesday, November 6th. We also encourage all active AEP®s to attend a private educational session to be held on Thursday, November 7th. Please reference your conference “pocket guide” for information about the location and timing of these events. Special thanks to William F. Denney, CLU®, AEP®, ChFC®, who has led our marketing effort for the past two years. From our perspective, the conference is a well-kept secret, and we will continue to work hard to get the message out. Our surveys confirm the value we bring, and the benefit that accrues to all attendees and participants. Please help us spread the word, and grow our conference. As always, we are most interested in hearing from you. Many of our best ideas come from attendees and participants. Please provide any feedback that might contribute to changes and improvements in our conference. I would be remiss if I did not thank the entire conference committee for their time, dedication, new ideas, and talent. Please join me in thanking the following individuals when you see them during the conference.

Julie A. Buschman, CPA, AEP®, Committee Vice-Chair Kathleen J. Belmonte, CTFA, AEP®

William F. Denney, CLU®, AEP®, ChFC® Deborah Erdmann

Katti Esp, JD, LL.M. (taxation), AEP®, EPLS Joseph V. Falanga, CPA, AEP®, TEP





Gary L. Flotron, MBA, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP® Pettus C. Gibbons, MEd, CLU®, ChFC®, LUTCF, AEP®

Michael W. Halloran, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®, CFP®, REBC, RHU, LUTCF, MSFS, MSM Lesley S. Hogan, JD, LL.M.

Michael E. Kitces, MSFS, MTAX, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®, RHU, REBC, CASL Lawrence M. Lehmann, JD, AEP®

Lawrence J. Macklin, JD, CPA, AEP® John K. O'Meara, JD, CLU®, ChFC®, CFP®, AEP®

Jason Oshins, MBA Nancy H. Place, CFP®

Jordon N. Rosen, CPA, MST, AEP® Neil Schoenblum, JD, LL.M. Robert C. Slane, CLU®, AEP®

Erin N. Tuggle, JD We are looking forward to the 52nd and 53rd Annual Conferences in Amelia Island and Phoenix/Scottsdale respectively. Respectfully submitted, S. Mark Alton, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, CAP®, AEP®, MSFS, CPWA® National Conference Committee Chair





Council Relations Committee Report Paul S. Viren, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®, Committee Co-Chair

Paul J. Pantano CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®, CASL, MSFS, Committee Co-Chair

This has been a landmark year for the Council Relations Committee! Our council ranks have swelled to over 250 for the first time in the 51 year history of NAEPC! I credit this growth to the hard work of our many dedicated volunteer committee members who regularly reach out to the councils in their territorial region. The outstanding efforts of NAEPC to provide viable and useful resources to the councils and their members have also led to this amazing growth and partnership we have together. We are extremely excited to announce that NAEPC will be offering a new recognition program to celebrate the success of exceptional estate planning councils – “The Council of Excellence Award!” The Council of Excellence program is designed to recognize those councils affiliated with the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils that are positioned toward success! The program criterion has been carefully developed to recognize all councils – no matter its size. The Council of Excellence Award is named for two individuals who truly sought to strengthen the bond between NAEPC and its affiliated councils during their volunteer terms on the NAEPC board of directors. Walter Lee Davis, Jr. and Leonard H. Neiman volunteered over a collective 25 years to advance the mission and vision of NAEPC and to support the excellence of each council. Beginning in 2015, Council of Excellence awards will be offered within the following council sizes:

Extra Small (1-40 members) Small (41 – 100 members)

Medium (101 – 250 members) Large (251 – 400 members)

Extra Large (401 members or more)



51st Annual Conference


Marketing Committee Report Thomas M. Borchert, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®, CLTC, LUTCF, MA, Committee Chair

After much discussion over several years, regarding marketing, 2014 is the first year NAEPC has had a formal Marketing Committee. It is composed of a representative from each committee and additional appointed personnel. This year's roster included: Hart Axley, Chair - Borchert, Julie Buschman, Bill Denney, Charlie Douglas, Pete Gibbons, Larry Lehmann, Greg Sellers, Eleanor Spuhler, and Paul Viren. Initially, President Sellers requested that the Chairman provide a more formal structure, in terms of quantifiable numbers, for each committee to identify its goals for the coming year. A form was developed and distributed to all committee chairs. Each organizational committee was to identify each of its goal, explain the reason the goal was selected, approximate the time and people required, indicate the potential costs associated with achieving that goal, and describe the ultimate impact achievement will have on the organization. These completed goal analyses were then consolidated to provide a clearer picture of the annual objectives of the entire organization. As the Marketing committee held its meetings each month the goals were compared to progress made to date. Often discussion that followed was focused around how to better meet the stated goals or whether the goals needed to be adjusted. The committee also began a process of identifying the primary functions which it should focus on moving from year to year. These included:

develop a mission statement aligned with NAEPC's mission statement define the "customers" NAEPC serves recommend overall marketing strategies to the NAEPC board conduct ongoing research into new and alternative marketing methods identify the need for and implementation of third-party marketing support

A preliminary Mission Statement was proposed, but has not been formally adopted, as follows:

It is the mission of the NAEPC marketing committee to manage the image and marketing goals of NAEPC as determined by the board of directors, and to design tactics for the approval of the board of directors. The committee will facilitate these goals through collaborative actions at the committee level, in support of the approved plan, by initiating, promoting, implementing, and assisting with innovative ideas and solutions within accepted professional and ethical standards.

The committee has determined that primary emphasis in marketing should initially be pointed toward the local councils, which are NAEPC's principal members and from which all growth can be enhanced. Discussion suggested grassroots campaigns of personal communication, membership kits, and working more closely with council staff. The council relations committee is seen as a key partner in this process and suggestions were made regarding a need for increased volunteer personnel to accomplish this. Current research efforts suggested included content marketing, in-bound marketing, discussion forums for developing topics such as decanting statutes and broader use of video and webinars. It became evident early in our discussions that this committee serves a vital role in allowing for and encouraging regular and open dialog supporting NAEPC's effort to improve the service it provides to estate planning professionals and facilitate its growth as an affiliation of choice among them.





Member Benefits Committee Report

Julie A. Buschman, CPA, AEP®, Committee Chair

The member benefits committee continues to be excited about offering new opportunities to our member councils and their professional memberships. This includes providing the benefit of services and products at a discounted price. We also continue to seek increased participation in our online speaker’s bureau for the benefit of local councils. Please be sure to visit NAEPC’s website listing for member benefits, both “For Professionals” and “For Councils”. All “value partners” receive special recognition at our annual conference by strategic placement in the exhibit hall. You will also be able to recognize them by the special ribbons to be attached to their name badges. Please take a moment to visit these booths during your time at our 51st Annual Conference. Our committee meets monthly to review applications received for the value partner program. Applications to become a value partner are located on our website, www.naepc.org. In addition to several time-specific conferences and events, the following benefit applications were reviewed and accepted since December 1, 2013:

American Bar Association RPTE Paralegal eLearning Program Cloudia Assistant

DST EstateAssist

Family Wealth Map, LLC International Association of StoryKeepers (I-ASK)

Washington Institute for Graduate Studies Complimentary resources are also available and are listed on our website. At this time, the following companies are listed:

International Genealogical Search Inc. Laminated Consanguinity Chart NAEPC Journal of Estate & Tax Planning

The Charitable Planning Desk Reference for Advisors provided by Strategic Philanthropy, Ltd. This dynamic and valuable list of value partners is available in one of two places for council members. First, for those councils that have an advanced website hosted through NAEPC, the list can be found on the local council’s website! For those councils that do not have a website through NAEPC, the list should be accessed from www.NAEPC.org. All members must utilize a user name/password to access the detailed ordering links and information. If your council has a website hosted through NAEPC and utilizes passwords, its members can use the “I forgot my password” option to access the benefits page that appears right on your website. Other councils should contact NAEPC to obtain the appropriate user name and password combination for their council and must use the national site to access the benefits.





We have the opportunity available to deepen our relationships with our partners who participate with NAEPC in a more advanced fashion. These partnerships are to be referred to as an “elite value partner”. To qualify, the value partner must:

Participate in 2 or more consecutive annual conferences at an entry level of $2,500 or more Have been an existing value partner for one year or more Participate in yearly benefit review process Participate in a royalty program with NAEPC or offer NAEPC membership a discount greater than any other available

offers to professional organizations. Benefits to the elite value partner are:

Special recognition on www.naepc.org in member benefits section Enhanced publicity at annual conference Special mention in NAEPC News and NAEPC Monthly Minute newsletters Offered as a “featured benefit” in no less than one NAEPC News newsletter per year. Inclusion on the elite value partner slide of NAEPC council recruitment presentation Included in yearly mailing to NAEPC affiliated local councils

Our committee is also responsible for reviewing applications from individuals who wish to be included in the NAEPC online Speaker’s Bureau. This year the following individuals were added:

James S. Aussem, JD, AEP® Kelly O. Finnell, Atty, CLU®, AIF®

Steven M. Rosenbloom We appreciate referrals from all of our professional members for opportunities to add to our value partners and online speaker’s bureau. Please contact NAEPC if you have any recommendations. Finally, please join me in thanking the member benefits committee for their time and commitment:

M. Eileen Dougherty, CTFA, CFP®, AEP®, ChFC® Pettus C. Gibbons, MEd, CLU®, ChFC®, LUTCF, AEP®

Paul S. Viren, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®

National Association of Estate Planners & Councils 1120 Chester Avenue - Suite 470, Cleveland, Ohio 44114


Telephone (866) 226-2224 www.naepc.org [email protected] Facsimile (216) 696-2582

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Officers Category Home State President Jordon N. Rosen CPA Delaware President-Elect Lawrence W. Lehmann Atty Louisiana Treasurer Paul S. Viren CLU® Washington Secretary M. Eileen Dougherty Trust Officer Pennsylvania Past President Gregory E. Sellers CFP®/ChFC®/AEP® Alabama Directors Category Home State

Term Ending December 2015

Charles V. Douglas Atty Georgia Thomas M. Borchert CLU® Iowa S. Mark Alton CFP®/ChFC®/AEP® New York Robert P. Goodman CPA Arizona Julie A. Buschman Trust Officer Texas


William D. Kirchick Atty Massachusetts Jeffrey M. Turner CLU® Tennessee Christopher P. Jakyma CFP®/ChFC®/AEP® Ohio John P. Garniewski, Jr. CPA Delaware Lawrence J. Macklin Trust Officer Maryland


Susan P. Rounds Atty Georgia Shane Westhoelter CLU® California Mary Katherine Mac Nee CFP®/ChFC®/AEP® California John C. Scott CPA Missouri Al W. King, III Trust Officer New York

Director Emeritus _____ Home State Hartman Axley Colorado

http://www.naepc.org/

mailto:[email protected]





Publications Committee Report

Charlie Douglas and Susan Rounds, Committee Co-Chairs

A library of best-in-class thought leadership regarding estate and tax planning

This report provides an overview of key projects or developments for The NAEPC Journal of Estate & Tax Planning in 2014. They are: Facelift to Journal Home-Page ∙ The home-page of the Journal was updated from the brown color to more closely resemble the blue theme of the national site. Secured Publisher’s E&O Insurance Coverage ∙ Quotes were obtained from several reputable insurance carriers and coverage was secured. PDF Wrapper ∙ Recognizing that the Journal is pdf-based, which were often “stand alone” to the reader, a wrapper linking the viewer back to the Journal’s current issue home-page now accompanies all Journal pdfs on a go forward basis. Event Ticker ∙ To help promote events, such as the upcoming webinars & annual conference, a “ticker” was added at the top of the Journal home page. Similar to a stock ticker, the event ticker has an eye catching scrolling feature.

3rd Party AEP Promotion ∙ To help promote the critical concept of teamwork of the multi-disciplinary participants who serve estate planning clients, and to advance the value an AEP® as part of the team, John Midgett’s recent article, Professional Collaboration, from Trust & Estates was republished. Reader Feedback ∙ Recognizing that reader interactive feedback is increasingly important on the www, a test-pilot program was initiated to access reader’s reviews of articles. Currently, readers can review articles and assign a Star Rating up to five stars. Key Metrics ∙ The 2nd quarter of 2014 saw 25,800 visits, down just slightly from prior years. Page views went up slightly to 18,000, attributable to the new banner on the pdf files. The most popular downloads were from prior issues. The top referrer was Google, followed by NAEPC.org and some council websites. In addition, the following search phrases were popular: “the 1.2 estate tax exemption portable between spouses,” “41 real prop,” “estate or Marian Welding vs. Commissioner,” etc.



51st Annual Conference


Webinar Committee Report Lawrence M. Lehmann, JD, AEP®, Committee Chair

The NAEPC Webinar Committee is charged with organizing and scheduling monthly educational webinars featuring renowned speakers with expertise in a myriad of estate planning topics. One-hour programs are offered monthly on the 2nd Wednesday at 3:00 pm ET (with the exception of November of each year) and are available to affiliated local estate planning councils, Accredited Estate Planner® designees, members of affiliated local estate planning councils, and non-members. Content will complement the core value of NAEPC, the multidisciplinary concept of estate planning. Continuing education credit will be available at each webinar for Accredited Estate Planner® designees. In addition, a certificate of completion will be made available for those professionals who feel the program satisfies their continuing education requirements and are able to self-file. Councils may also file the program in their home state for programs offered in a group setting. The registration fee is just $40 for Accredited Estate Planner® designees (dues must be current at the time of registration), $60 for members of an affiliated local estate planning council or at-large member of NAEPC, $100 for individual non-members, and $250 for a council meeting or group gathering (council dues must be current at the time of registration).

Our Next Program

December 10, 2014 ∙ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm ET Avoiding the Twilight Zone of Estate Administration

M. Holly Isdale, JD If you had died last night, would your family, partners, executors, or clients know how to access your online information - and more importantly, what to do with your digital footprint? Our lives are increasingly online - our correspondence is often virtual, our “assets” now include online content, IP addresses, and music, books or memorabilia that exist only in the "cloud." The average home has 6 or more internet connected devices. To access these, most adults use at least five unique passwords that update at least quarterly. Could someone find, much less manage, all of your information if you died? What are the planning considerations for these unique assets? Attend this webinar to learn what structures or language you should be adding to your client's wills, revocable trusts, HIPPA documentation, and powers of attorney. The topic of digital death encompasses issues of access to data, in all its forms, as well as the problems of collecting, valuing or transferring these digital assets. Understanding the risks to investments, businesses and families from failing to plan for “digital death” is critical to preserving these assets intact. The webinar will also review the limits on digital assets, impediments to transferring assets, the current state of the law, the recently released Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets proposed legislation, and will recommend action steps advisors can take help clients organize and protect their digital assets. Please check our website http://www.naepc.org/events/webinar for information about this and future webinars as well as an opportunity to replay past presentations. Each month, all affiliated councils are provided with email text with which to share with their members. Those councils that also have a website hosted through NAEPC can find the webinar in their calendar of events, clearly marked as a “national event.” We ask for the help of each and every council to forward these programs along to their membership. After all, doing so provides just one more benefit that your members can take advantage of (with the added bonus of no work on behalf of your board!)





Website & Technology Committee Report Robert P. Goodman, CPA, AEP®, CFP®, Committee Chair

2014 was a great year for our committee! We reached new records for the number of member councils using our website platform, including many that upgraded their service level. As of the date this report was prepared, we are providing website services to nearly 65% of our affiliated councils! Our volunteer committee works very hard to provide the best website and communication platform at an excellent value for our member councils, as well as providing service to all of the committees associated with NAEPC, handling the association’s social media efforts, and maintaining the national website, www.NAEPC.org. We monitor and measure our success via a “development agenda” of new features and enhancements, built primarily from suggestions received from active users like you, the leaders of our affiliated councils. We continually strive to improve our platform with an emphasis on ease of use and security. We engage several member councils to ‘beta test” the new enhancements throughout the year, a collaboration that has proven successful. We truly believe that the NAEPC platform is the best option available for those councils looking for a website - built by and for estate planning councils - all the while being continually enhanced. I am extremely grateful for the contributions of our committee members, with special recognition to our webmaster, Bruce Newburger, and Eleanor M. Spuhler, executive manager of NAEPC. Please join me in thanking the entire committee as you see them at the annual conference. They are:

Christopher P. Jakyma, JD, CTFA, AEP®, Committee Vice-Chair S. Mark Alton, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, CAP®, AEP®, MSFS, CPWA®

Thomas M. Borchert, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®, CLTC Dan H. Florence, JD, AEP®, CTFA

Pettus C. Gibbons, MEd, CLU®, ChFC®, LUTCF, AEP® Jason E. Havens, JD, LL.M. (EP), LL.M. (Int'l Tax), BCS, EPLS, AEP®, TEP

Laura Malone, CAP®, CEPA Michael R. Miranda, CPA, QKA

National Association of Estate Planners & Councils 1120 Chester Avenue - Suite 470, Cleveland, Ohio 44114


Telephone (866) 226-2224 www.naepc.org [email protected] Facsimile (216) 696-2582

National Association of Estate Planners & Councils

Committee Volunteer Application

NAME____________________________________________________________________________________________

Primary Professional Discipline: ___Attorney ___Accountant (CPA) ___Financial Planner (CFP® / ChFC®)

___Life Insurance Professional (CLU®) ___Trust Officer

Designation(s) held ___AEP® _____EPLS ___ CFP® ___ChFC® ___ CLU® ___CPA ___JD ___ CTFA

Please List Other Designation and/or Degrees _____________________________________________________________

POSITION_________________________________________________________________________________________

FIRM/COMPANY__________________________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS_________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE (Business)______________________________(Cellular)_______________________________________

Fax_______________________________E-Mail__________________________________________________________

I am a member of the ____________________________________________________________Estate Planning Council.

I am current on all continuing education requirements required by all degrees/designations held ___Yes ___No

List Professional/Trade Organizations to Which You Now Belong in Addition to NAEPC:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Committee Interest (check all that apply)

_____Accredited Estate Planner® Designation (meets monthly on the 1st Friday at 11:30 am ET) Responsibilities: designation program maintenance & growth, must be a current designee

_____Annual Conference (meets monthly on the 2nd Thursday at 4:00 pm ET) Responsibilities: site selection, program development, fundraising for upcoming annual conference & general event policy

_____Council Relations (meets monthly on the 4th Thursday at 11:00 am ET) Responsibilities: affiliated local council retention & growth within territory structure, promotion of benefits, programs & services for council consumption

_____ Member Benefits (meets monthly on the 4th Monday at 11:00 am ET) Responsibilities: review and refer member benefit applications, online speaker’s bureau review

_____ Publications (meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday at 4:00 pm ET) Responsibilities: oversight of the NAEPC Journal of Estate & Tax Planning

_____Robert G. Alexander Webinar Series (meets monthly on the 4th Tuesday at 2:30 pm ET) Responsibilities: programming and oversight for webinar series

_____Website & Technology (meets monthly on the 3rd Tuesday at 10:30 am ET) Responsibilities: development of affiliated local website platform, www.naepc.org, oversight of association’s social media strategy, and varied committee requests

National Association of Estate Planners & Councils Committee Reports.pdf · Our ouncil Relations...

Documents

Transcript of National Association of Estate Planners & Councils Committee Reports.pdf · Our ouncil Relations...