The Long-Term Value of NAPFA Conference Sessions

By Susan Weiner

NAPFA conferences are an important source of articles for this magazine. That’s reflected in the presence in this issue focused on estate planning of two articles written by presenters.

Why Conference Presenters?

I like to invite conference presenters to write for the magazine because the conference organizers stamped their approval on their topics as interesting to members. Also, the presenters’ experience means that they have some understanding of who NAPFA members are. For example, they won’t think of NAPFA members as commission-seeking brokers.

Sometimes, I am fascinated by the sessions that I attend at a NAPFA conference. One example is Elizabeth Morgan’s topic of “The Tools of Domestic and International Asset Protection,” presented at the spring 2022 conference. As an analytically minded observer, I was fascinated by the neat way that she divided asset protection techniques into three tiers that should be pursued sequentially. I love anything that brings order to what could be a messy process. That’s why we have Morgan’s “The 3 Tiers of Domestic and International Asset Protection Pools” in this issue.

I look at NAPFA conference ratings. Bob Morrison’s “25 Estate Planning Mistakes to Avoid” was a top-rated session at the fall NAPFA conference. His list was provocative, but his time was limited and he could only skim over his 25 topics at the conference. As a result, I asked him to dig into more details in “5 Estate Planning Mistakes Every Planner Should Avoid.” His article includes a case study that goes into much more detail than could fit into his rapid-fire session.

Other Sources of Contributors

Bob Morrison’s article in this issue is his second contribution to the magazine, following his June 2022 article on helping clients evaluate residential real estate. He’s not the only repeat contributor in this issue. We also have Joanna Adu’s “Beyond special needs trusts: 3 additional estate planning considerations for special needs families.” She contributed “3 critical questions for LGBTQ+ clients’ estate planning” in 2022.

Of course, I’m always looking to NAPFA members for suggestions for contributors and topics. Email me if you or someone you know has a great idea. Remember that contributing comes with the benefits that you:

• Establish yourself as a thought leader
• Take advantage of professional editing to achieve a highly polished writing sample
• Gain articles you can share via social media

I look forward to hearing from you!