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Special discount for NAEPC members to attend Society of FSP Audio/Web Conference: The Glenn Neasham Case: Lessons Learned See complete details

Message from the President

Clark B. McCleary, CLU, ChFC, MSFS, AEP®
McCleary & Associates
Houston, Texas

Dear Colleagues,

In my March letter I asked you to consider the many excellent reasons that you should apply for your Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) designation. Many of you did exactly that because Susan Austin Carney, JD, NAEPC's Designation Administrator in our Cleveland headquarters, reports a significant increase in application requests. If you do not hold that designation or were not one of the responders during the past month, please do contact Susan now so that every member of a local estate planning council can demonstrate a commitment to his/her clients that they are dealing with a professional who is confident enough in her/his abilities to subscribe to the TEAM concept of estate planning. Let's have hundreds more attending our AEP® Hour at our National Conference in Orlando on November 7 -9!

Although earning the AEP® designation is one of the most important and valuable benefits available to NAEPC members, it is far from being the only significant reason for your local council to enjoy NAEPC membership. Our Member Benefits Committee has done a remarkable job in its short existence by creating over 40 relationships with firms who offer discounts to you in goods and services that all relate specifically to your estate planning practice. Utilizing just a few of these discounts can save you several times the amount you pay in local council dues! Scroll down within this newsletter in order to view all the benefits available to you. And while we are on the subject of Member Benefits, I want to personally thank the Chair of that committee, Cindy Causby, CTFA, AEP®, and her committee members, M. Eileen Dougherty, CTFA, CFP®, AEP®, ChFC®, Pettus C. Gibbons, MEd, CLU®, ChFC®, LUTCF, AEP®, Paul S. Viren, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®, and NAEPC Administrator Eleanor M. Spuhler. These dedicated professionals are just four of the dozens of board and committee volunteers from almost every state who make NAEPC the vibrant and growing professional association that is has become!

Finally, I mentioned above our National Conference in Orlando. John O'Meara, JD, CLU®, ChFC®, CFP®, AEP®, and his National Conference Committee have once again put together an outstanding program. Every first time attendee with whom I have visited over the past several years has expressed his/her pleasant surprise over the quality of the speakers, the involvement of the sponsors and exhibitors, and the opportunity to rub shoulders and visit with the top practitioners in the estate planning profession during the breaks in the Exhibit Hall and during the other social events that are so much an integral part of the conference. It is now only April, but November 7 - 9 will be here before we know it, so block off those dates on your calendar now and register to attend early. Some of you with young children or grandchildren may want to piggy-back some extra days at Walt Disney World, and others may want to enjoy the Festival of the Masters art show or the Epcot® International Food & Wine Show. I look forward to saying hello to each of you at the Buena Vista Palace in just a few short months!

COUNCIL SPOTLIGHT

This quarter the Palm Beach County FL Council referred 5 new AEPs® and Hampton Roads VA, referred 4 new AEPs®, and Lehigh Valley PA referred 2 new AEPs®. We feel the love and thank you for the support. Councils who have each referred one new member this quarter include; Bergen County, NJ, Boulder County, CO, Central New York, NY, Fox Valley, IL, Milwaukee E & F Forum, WI, Northwest Washington, WA, and Red River Valley, ND. Thank you for spreading the news, and in many cases leading by example, as more and more council leaders and board members earn the AEP® credential.

Featured Benefit

Society of FSP Audio/Web Conference: The Glenn Neasham Case: Lessons Learned
Monday, April 30, 2012 · 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm ET

EVERY advisor...EVERY planner...EVERY agent
who has ever sold a product or given advice to someone 65 or older needs to be at this webinar.

Program Overview

In 2008, insurance agent Glenn Neasham sold an indexed annuity to a female senior citizen in the state of California, where such sales are approved for people her age. He was later arrested and convicted of felony grand theft on the claim that the woman was suffering from dementia at the time of the sale. In the course of his defense, he has lost his license, his home, his assets, and his dignity. He now subsists on charity while waiting to see if he will get a new trial or return to jail to finish out his sentence.

This program is a live interview with attorneys and agents on the facts that brought this case to trial, what Neasham might have done to prevent the problem, and what you can do to avoid finding yourself in a similar situation. Richard M. Weber, MBA, CLU, AEP® (Distinguished), a consultant to insurers and their agents on the topic of effective and ethical selling, will moderate a discussion of the case with industry experts John Olsen, CLU, ChFC, AEP®, Marc Silverman, MBA, CLU, ChFC, CFP®, Guy Kornblum, JD, Burke Christensen, JD, CLU, and national reporter Steven Morelli. The program is NOT to judge the guilt or innocence of Glenn Neasham but to inform attendees of the new thresholds of peril in selling products to seniors.

Attendees will explore:

• The facts of the case as they were presented at trial
• The California statute under which criminal charges were brought
• The ethical issues surrounding sales to the elderly
• The lessons to be learned

Featured Speakers:

Richard M. Weber, MBA, CLU, AEP® (Distinguished), is a 44-year veteran of the life insurance industry, having been a successful agent, an insurance company executive, and now a consultant to insurers and their agents on the topic of effective and ethical selling. Author of more than 200 articles encompassing products, sales practices, and the due diligence necessary to buy and sell insurance, his newest book is Revealing Life Insurance Secrets: How the Pros Pick, Design, and Evaluate Their Own Policies, published by Marketplace Books. Mr. Weber has been a member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals since 1974 and currently serves as secretary of its board of directors. In addition, Mr. Weber was inducted into the NAEPC Estate Planning Hall of Fame® in 2009.

Panelists:

Burke Christensen, JD, CLU
Guy Kornblum, JD
John L. Olsen, CLU, ChFC, AEP®
Marc Silverman, MBA, CLU, ChFC, CFP®
Steven A. Morelli (reporter who brought the case to national attention)

NAEPC members and members of affiliated local councils receive a $20 discount off the non-member price of $99.95 – use the link below to receive the $79.95 discounted price. There is no charge for current Society of FSP members. See online registration.

New Educational Programs, Benefits, Programs & Services!

BizActions, enewsletters for practitioners—see more information

BizActions has been a leader in the e-newsletter industry for over 10 years and maintains a strong reputation among professional service firms and related associations. As a “Best in Class” provider of e-newsletters and integrated online solutions, BizActions has been helping professional service firms dispense valuable and relevant information on a timely basis, generate and identify qualified leads, enhance brand awareness, improve market visibility, retain clients, measure return on marketing investment and build their business one impression at a time. What can BizActions suite of tools do for your estate planning practice?

• Enhance your client relationships with consistent communications and thought leadership - with a complete e-marketing solution that is easy and customizable.
• Achieve better branding position, revenue and growth goals with strategic marketing initiatives - develop a communication and marketing plan that is cost-effective and purposeful.
• Increase the effectiveness and support of your client development efforts - leverage your resources by implementing an integrated e-newsletter marketing approach with a focus on your estate planning expertise and potential for growth.
• Expand new business opportunities with targeted marketing campaigns - nurture prospects, clients and referral resources by sending out communications at consistent regular intervals.
• What are your options with BizActions estate planning e-newsletters?
• Newsletter delivery frequency: up to 2 times per month.
• Plus "on-demand" email radar messaging to targeted groups.
• An extensive library of current articles in legal practice categories that include: estate planning issues, wills, probate, investments, trusts and general family planning topics.
• For inclusion in your email newsletter, we provide a comprehensive online catalog of re-usable banners that emphasize your firm's focus, strengths, and skills.
• An online branded estate planning guide posted to your website or linked to the newsletter showcases professional expertise.
• Dashboards to get a direct link to newsletter readership one click away from your computer desktop.
• Deliver specific content to specific groups with specific frequency.
• Target specific messages based on what people are reading.
• Direct unlimited customer support anytime during normal business hours.
• Delivery rates will be higher than other email newsletters due to our personal sending domain technology. CAN-Spam compliant.

BizActions will offer NAEPC members 20% off of the standard BizActions pricing for estate planning and legal e-newsletters (an additional 3-year discount program may also apply). This pricing includes use of the full integrated BizActions solution launching a fully customizable estate planning e-newsletter 2 times per month. Due to the nature of this product, orders are handled by a sales consultant. Each client is assigned a team including a sales consultant and a customer service representative. Call Brenda Sleeper at 866.240.8477 ext. 202.

WealthManagement.com, a Community Destination—see more information

WealthManagement.com is a community destination developed by Penton Media's Wealth Management Group who produces two of the leading financial trade publications, Registered Rep. and Trusts & Estates. As a community member you will have the ability to establish a profile that will give you valuable targeted exposure to the community. You will also have ongoing access to Penton's financial service properties and expertise which includes a Concierge Program that will support you as needed to effectively market to your prime audience in a way no other website can offer. The Concierge Program can provide you with an initial competitive analysis so you can gauge the market and where you're currently positioned. Penton is then able to help you develop content including white-papers, press releases, videos and webinars. Content can then be plugged into a lead generation program like an eblast or newsletter and distributed to a database of over 280,000 professionals.

Because of this new partnership, NAEPC members and members of affiliated local councils can take advantage of a 50% discount on gold and platinum community profiles! Simply enter "NAEPC" as the discount code when prompted.

You may also view the NAEPC profile on WealthManagement.com.

• ABA Book Publishing / The ABA Checklist for Family Heirs
• Acquire Direct Marketing
• Adams-Hall Publishing / A Parent's Guide to Wills and Trusts…
• Advisys
• AfterSteps
• Amicus Creative Media & Legal Vault
• Business Valuation Resources, LLC
• CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business
• Charitable Planning Desk Reference for Advisors / Strategic Philanthropy
• CiviCom
• Civic Research Institute / Family Foundation Advisor & Journal of Taxation of Investments
• CrummeyService
• DocuBank
• Estate ++, created by Vaulting Systems International
• EstatePlanningBinders.com
• Estate Planning Smarts by Deborah Jacobs
• Evaluation Services Inc.

• Family Business Magazine
• Florida Domicile Handbook
• Heart2Hearts Workbook & Deck of Cards / Discuss Directives, LLC
• Klark Proposal Software
• Konica Minolta Business Solutions
• LegacyQuest, LLC
• Midwest Transaction Group
• My Estate Planning Organizer and Financial Partner
• My Perfect Will
• Oswald Companies Personal Excess Liability
• Private Wealth Magazine
• PS Awards (discounted trophies and award pieces)
• Robert Keebler's Exclusive IRA Converstion Decision Chart & Health Care Surtax Chart
• Ruby Receptionists
• Sterling Cut Glass
• Trusts & Estates, $129 discount subscription
• Wealth Management Business

Subscription Options

You are receiving this message because of your affiliation with NAEPC or because your local estate planning council asked for its members to be included, no more frequently than six times per year. To unsubscribe from messages like this one, please use the link at the bottom of this message to remove your address from our distribution list.

If you want to receive more frequent and timely communication about the NAEPC and its educational programming and member benefits, please be sure to subscribe for more frequent communications.