Institute Agenda

​

Sunday, January 29

5:00-6:00 pm – Registration and Reception

6:00-7:00 pm – Dinner

7:00-7:15 pm – Presentation of Ken Black Leadership Award

​

Monday, January 30

7:15 am – Registration and Continental Breakfast

​

8:00-9:50 am

Building Blocks of Blockchain: Planning and Taxation of Cryptocurrency

      Abigail Earthman, JD, LLM and Briana Loughlin, JD

Learn how a new disruptive technology and asset was mysteriously created, impacting the future of everything. This session will address the basics of what blockchain, bitcoin, and cryptocurrency are; their effect on transactions, tax, and nontax issues; and how to plan with this special type of asset for wealth transfer planning purposes. The session also addresses how to receive and make cryptocurrency donations.

Attendees will learn:

• What the blockchain is and its history and future impact

• A myriad of tax issues tied to the holding, selling, or exchanging of cryptocurrency

•  Sample drafting language that they should use to update their client questionnaires and documents

• A seven-step process of how charities can receive donations of cryptocurrency and how donors may make such donations

​

10:00-11:50 am

SECURE Act & Recent Developments in Estate Planning for Retirement Benefits

      Robert K. Kirkland, JD, LLM

The SECURE Act brought a sea change in planning for the disposition of retirement assets. The recently issued proposed regulations answered some questions and created new ones. This presentation will cover these and other developments in this important area.

Attendees will learn:

• The new rules for timing of distributions from a decedent’s IRA

• The consequences of naming a trust as IRA beneficiary

• Strategies appropriate for when a special needs beneficiary is involved

• Charitable strategies that might be considered with IRAs

 

12:00 pm – Sit-down Lunch

 

1:00-3:50 pm

Managing the Illusion within the Illustration

     Richard M. Weber, MBA, CLU, AEP (Distinguished)

The sale, management, and performance of most of today’s life insurance products has resulted in much confusion, frustration, and even litigation. This comes not only from clients, but their trustees, lawyers, accountants, and business partners. Is “the noise” because of the product itself, or is it the way these products are presented and demonstrated, and the illustrated “promises” that are made? The disconnect can be complicated, but ultimately resolves when matching expectations of tolerance for risk, cost, and purpose with the likelihood of achieving those expectations.

     Further, unfolding policy performance is often a disappointment when compared to the expectations created by the original sales illustration. How often have we heard, "Why aren't my policy values increasing the way the sales illustration originally portrayed?" Insurance professionals know how difficult the answer is to explain to clients and their advisors!

Attendees will learn:

• A new way to explore and support the client’s personal risk tolerance, and how this can serve as a guide to make appropriate insurance product choices

• How to explain why policy illustrations don’t meaningfully address the inevitable deviation between the numbers on the page and what is likely to happen–and how that affects the choices clients will want to make to meet their expectations

• How the planner, attorney, accountant—and yes, the professional insurance agent—can support the client’s emerging awareness of personal risk issues and translate them into appropriate mitigation and transfer techniques (including insurance)

• How to effectively manage life insurance policies and the client's expectations

 

4:00-4:30 pm – Q&A with Speakers

4:30-5:30 pm – Reception

​

Tuesday, January 31

7:15 am – Continental Breakfast

​

8:00-9:50 am

Protecting Your Professional Legacy: Best Practices for Succession Planning and Navigating Practice Breakups

      Scott Matasar, JD

For many financial advisors, their practice is their most valuable asset—providing them decades of predictable income as well as great professional satisfaction. There are two critical junctures that, if not handled correctly, can threaten that legacy: the bitter breakup of a team practice, and the botched sale of the advisor’s practice to a successor at retirement.  We’ll discuss how to navigate both scenarios successfully.

Attendees will learn:

• Business and legal considerations in designing a team practice that secures your ownership interest in your book of business

• Best practices for navigating a contentious practice breakup

• Legal and practical considerations in planning for and documenting the sale of your practice at retirement

​

10:00-11:50 am

Not Your Old-School Employee Stock Ownership Plan: Modern Design, Creative Trends, and Advisor Opportunities

      Daniel M. Zugell, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, AEP

This presentation examines how modern employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) not only remain a very tax advantaged method of transferring a closely held business to family or key management, but also how current corporate structuring methods and creative financing techniques create unapparelled current and future seller benefits and corporate growth opportunities. The four major ESOP tax advantages, including family estate and charitable planning, will be discussed. Corporate control and valuation concerns will also be addressed, as well as how to approach your client/prospect. Additionally, the numerous insurance and investment sales opportunities will be highlighted.

Attendees will learn:

• A working knowledge of modern ESOP design techniques, valuation, control, and financing

• The four major ESOP tax advantages

• How to approach your client or prospect

• Financial planning products and services inherent to ESOPs

 

12:00 pm – Sit-down Lunch

​

1:00-3:50 pm

IRA and Retirement Income Planning Workshop for 2023

      Jamie Hopkins, Esq., MBA, CFP, LLM, CLU, ChFC, RICP

Retirement income planning remains one of the most important topics in financial planning after massive legislation has shifted the field in the past 6 years. Social Security rules have changed, RMDs became far less favorable, and new tax laws encourage more retirement plan savings. However, despite all these legal changes, the behavior aspect of retirement income planning also remains important. This presentation will do a deep dive into the best practices in retirement income planning today, the current legal structure of income planning around RMDs, the SECURE Act, and other legislation, concluding with the best ways to incorporate behavioral finance into your retirement income approach.

Attendees will learn:

• How the SECURE Act 2.0 can impact IRA planning

• How the NEW IRS regulations impact inherited RMDs

• The impact of the RMD rules and landscape post SECURE Act

• How to better incorporate behavioral finance into retirement income planning

​

4:00-4:30 pm – Q&A with Speakers

5:30-7:30 pm – Reception, dinner, and entertainment

 

Wednesday, February 1

7:15 am – Continental Breakfast

 

8:00-9:50 am

Planning for the Impact of Parent Care on the Sandwich Generation    

      David Russell, CFP, CSA

This session will discuss the personal, financial, and career impacts of providing support to aging parents and how advisors can facilitate the issues with client families. The session will include a deep dive into a case study involving a family facing parent-care decisions, and how a dynamic modeling process helps them in their decision making.

Attendees will learn:

• The personal, financial, and career impacts of providing support to aging parents using national studies and surveys

• How family dynamics determine roles in the parent-care decision process

• How to create a family meeting agenda to avoid the stress of crisis-mode decision making

• The tax-efficient strategies available for providing support to aging parents

• How to model the impact of parent-care costs in a client’s financial plan

 

10:00-11:50 am

Social Security: Your Clients’ Largest (Underappreciated) Asset Hiding in Plain Sight      

      Martha Shedden, RSSA, CRPC

Only 4 percent of retirees optimize their Social Security benefits. Understanding the rules that apply to your clients’ personal circumstances can increase their benefit by tens and even hundreds of THOUSANDS of dollars over their lifetime. From this presentation you will learn how you can help clients optimize their benefits.

     After a brief overview of the basics, we will cover: rules related to unique claiming strategies, spousal and survivor benefits, the impact of noncovered pensions on Social Security benefits, dependent benefits for minor and adult disabled children, Social Security-Based Self-Employed Tax and Retirement Analysis, pitfalls of the earnings test, why Social Security can be considered an asset, and more. Analyses of real client case studies will provide insight into the claiming complexities and amount of money involved with these examples.

Attendees will learn:

• Which pensions affect Social Security and the financial impacts of those pensions on retirement and dependent benefits

• Who qualifies for dependent benefits and how their benefit amount is calculated

• Claiming strategy options for a widow(er) who is eligible for retirement and survivor benefits

• Optimal claiming considerations for client case examples

• Factors that can maximize benefits while minimizing federal income tax for self-employed clients

​

12:00 pm – Adjournment