AMARILLO AREA ESTATE PLANNING COUNCIL

Amarillo Area Estate Planning Council's Thirty-First Annual Fall Institute

Wednesday October 25th, 2023

Amarillo Club 31^st Floor

600 S. Tyler St. Amarillo, Tx

Please join us for our 31st Annual Fall Institute for a day of engaging speakers and meeting your fellow AAEPC members. This will be our final full day event for 2023.

7:30 am – Registration and light breakfast

8:00 am to 11:45 am – Morning session

11:45 am to 12:45 pm – Lunch

12:45 pm to 3:45 pm – Afternoon session

Featured Speakers:

Dr. Ray Perryman, the founder and CEO of The Perryman Group, has guided clients, subscribers, and audiences through the complexities of economic life for more than 40 years. He holds a BS in Mathematics from Baylor and a PhD in Economics from Rice. He has held numerous academic positions; authored several books, more than 400 academic papers and 3,000 trade articles; and received hundreds of prestigious awards for his academic and professional efforts. Some of his most gratifying work has been in the fields of economic development and social policy, where he has played a role in the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs, trillions of dollars in investments, and numerous initiatives to address pressing human needs. The Perryman Group is an economic research and analysis firm based in Waco, Texas. The firm has served the needs of more than 3,000 clients, including two-thirds of the Global 25, over half of the Fortune 100, the 12 largest technology firms in the world, 12 US Cabinet Departments, the 9 largest firms in the US, the 6 largest energy companies operating in the US, and the 5 largest US banking institutions. 

Chad Dziedzic, works with professionals and their clients to design and implement solutions and processes aimed maximizing their Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). In his current role, Chad educates professionals on the benefits of Social Security products and solutions that also tie into the broader context of portfolio construction. Chad has presented the BlackRock Social Security Seminar more than 1200 times to educate Financial Advisors, their clients, and COIs. In 2020, Chad delivered, in partnership with Financial Advisors, over 300 end-client webinars aimed to educate clients on macro events, their impact on markets, and the importance of staying invested.

Joseph Hinton, received his J.D. from Baylor University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Southern Mississippi with highest honors. Joe is a member of the Real Estate, Probate, and Trust Law section of the Texas Bar and serves as President for Amarillo Area Young Lawyers Association. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for Amarillo Area Young Lawyers Association, Amarillo Area Estate Planning Council, and Opportunity School. Joe’s work history includes serving as an Associate at Morgan Williamson LLP since 2016. Joe has received several awards during his career including Order of the Barristers, Baylor University School of Law; Federal Bar Association (FBA) National Moot Court Competition Team, Baylor University School of Law; American Bar Association Client Counseling Competition Team, Baylor University School of Law; Dawson & Sodd Moot Court Competition 2nd Place Advocate and Quarterfinalist Team, Baylor University School of Law; Baylor Law Client Counseling Competition, Finalist; and Dean’s List. Joe and his law partner, Paul Williamson, teach an annual business succession planning course at their alma mater, Baylor Law School. Joe also serves as a mentor for Baylor Law students seeking a transactional career path. Joe was born and raised in south Mississippi and got to Texas as fast as he could. After graduating from Baylor University School of Law, he followed his wife, a fellow Amarillo attorney herself, to Amarillo. Joseph enjoys eating Cajun food, cheering on his Baylor Bears and Ole Miss Rebels, and spending time with friends and family.

Sam Lovelady, is a partner and co-founder at LPT CPAS + ADVISORS, PLLC. His responsibilities include business development, tax research, planning and return. He also provides preparation for individuals, partnerships, corporations, fiduciaries and estates, personal financial planning, accounting, bookkeeping, litigation support, financial statement preparation, firm management and planning, and staff supervision and hiring. He is a member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. Listed – Marquis’. He was awarded Who’s Who in Finance and Industry and Amarillo College – Distinguished. Sam is an Alumnus, Outstanding CPA of the Year 1996-97, Panhandle Chapter of TSCPA. He graduated from WEST TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY (FORMERLY WEST TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY) BBA, 1979 (30 postgraduate hours in accounting and finance at WTA&MU).

Monty Blackman, is a current Shareholder and Vice President Brown of Graham & Company, P.C., where he manages and performs all aspects of tax preparation, consulting, and reviews for specialized niche areas and various industries. He has 50 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant and has a specialization in Tax Compliance, Planning, and Consulting. Monty also provides expertise in Agriculture, Estates, Trusts, and Estate & Gift tax planning. He also has specialization in Financial Institutions, Mergers & Acquisitions, Oil, Gas & Allied Petroleum Industries, S Corporations; C Corporations; Partnerships, Limited Liability Companies LLC, and Small Business Consulting. Monty has a BBA Accounting from West Texas State University and affiliation with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Texas Society of CPAs (TSCPA), and Texas State Board of Public Accountancy. Monty also served in the Texas Army National Guard from 1970-1976.

Nathan K. Griffin, is an attorney and mediator specializing in Estate Planning and Probate, with an emphasis on Estate Administration, Guardianships, Probate, and Trust Litigations, and also servient as Mediator in all of these areas. He is a current member of the State Bar of Texas: Member, Real Estate, Probate and Trusts Section and the Dallas Bar Association: Member, Probate, Trusts, and Estates Section. He was also a Member of Committees which drafted revisions to the Texas Probate Code (1992) and the Dallas County Probate Manual (1997), and a Special Judge Dallas County Probate Courts No. 2 and No.3. Nathan got a B.A. (History) with high honors from Texas Tech University and a J.D. from Texas Tech University School of Law.

Keith Brown, holds both the BBA and MBA degrees from West Texas A&M University and currently serves as Major Gift Officer for his alma mater. He previously served as executive director of Opportunity Plan, Inc., Educational Loans and Scholarships and the WTAMU Alumni Association. He is a past president of the Texas Plains Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals where he has served as educational conference chair the last two years and has presented to the CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) District IV conference.

Lesly Bosch Annen, is the Assistant Vice President for Leadership Gifts and Development at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. She holds the Certified Fund Raiser Executive® (CFRE) professional credential and in 2012 was recognized as the Outstanding Fundraising Executive for the Greater Dallas Chapter of Association of Fundraising Professionals. She is also a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP), through The American College, and sits on the boards of two private family foundations. Lesly currently serves as president of the board of the Texas Plains Chapter of AFP and president-elect of the Amarillo Area Estate Planning Council board. She is a member of the 2021 class of Leadership Women Texas, and The Dallas Foundation and the Communities Foundation of Texas Advisory Councils. She has a bachelor of science degree in Animal Science with a minor in Agricultural Business from California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, and a master of Agriculture degree with an emphasis in Public Relations from Texas Tech University, Lubbock.

Courses:

Dr. Ray Perryman - The Economic Outlook for the United States, Texas, and the Amarillo Area - Dr. Perryman will speak on an overview of projected growth in the United States. Inflation, Federal Reserve responses, and the likelihood of a recession, worker shortages and future expectations, geopolitical risk factors. He will also go over Texas economic strengths, challenges, and Key industry patterns (energy, technology, and others). He will end with Amarillo's projected five-year economic growth and key industries/patterns driving future performance.

Sam Lovelady and Monty Blackman - CPA Panel - Hear from an experienced panel of Certified Public Accountants with key insights on some of the following topics: Review of 1041s, 663(b)/65 day distributions, differences in taxable income, accounting income and DNI, distributions of capital gains on fiduciary return, how long can an estate be open, estimated tax payments for an estate, IRS Form 8855 Election to Treat a Qualified Revocable Trust as Part of an Estate, basis step up issues for trusts, and IRS audits of trusts/estates. (Some of these topics may change due to time constraints.)

Lesly Bosch Annen and Keith Brown - Assisting Clients Leaving Legacies - Lesly and Keith will provide an overview of the WT Foundation Leaving a Legacy program and its impact. By sharing case studies from the One West campaign, the pair will share different ways individuals and families have worked with their advisors and structured their philanthropic legacies.

Joseph Hinton - The Corporate Transparency Act - 

Nathan K. Griffin - Mediation Strategies and Considerations - Most courts now order mediation. Even if mediation is not required, clients need to be informed of the option to mediate in order to resolve their disputes according to Rules 1.03 (explanation to make informed decisions) and 3.02 (unreasonable costs/delays) of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct. Should a case involve mediation, the following strategies will lead to an effective and ethical mediation, leaving the client satisfied. Even if an agreement is not reached, a successful mediation consists of a better understanding of the other side's arguments as you move closer to a resolution. 

Chad Dziedzic - Understanding Social Security Retirement Benefits - We will be discussing Social Security survivor benefits, the taxation on Social Security benefits, and the changes to premiums based off of income. Chad will also discuss Social Security Disability Insurance and go over misconceptions some clients may have on its benefits.

The SECURE 2.0 Act - The legislation provides a slate of changes that could help strengthen the retirement system - and Americans' financial readiness for retirement. This meeting will highlight the tax and non-tax provisions of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2023. Although many of the provisions are not effective until after December 31, 2024, some are effective upon enactment of the legislation. For example, the 50 percent excise tax for failing to take an RMD has been reduced to 25 percent and the RMD age increases to 73 in 2023. Thus, clients are going to hear a lot about the new legislation from the media and are going to expect you to be up on the issues.

Anthony Curatola, joined the faculty of Drexel University as the Joseph F. Ford Professor of Accounting in 1989. In addition to his academic position, he serves as the coordinator of the accounting doctoral program. He is the Editor of the Tax Column for Strategic Finance since 1992 and has served as the editor of the Journal of Legal Tax Research. He has been called on to provide information to the House Judiciary Committee concerning the source tax law, and he is a regular contributor to numerous academic and professional journals. Received funding from Louisiana Accounting and Education Foundation and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans for his research on the taxation of retirement income across states and across gender. 

Please check the "RSVP November CE Meeting" if you know you'll be able to attend. Additional details will be provided soon.

CE has been approved for 6 credits for ABA (CRSP & CTFA) and CPE. CFP has approved 5.5 hours. TX MCLE has approved 6 hours.  Please see the November CE Meetings page for what CE has been approved.

Questions, please contact Sheena Martinez at 757-714-4276 or aaepc1@gmail.com

Please Note: We will not be able to provide refunds for cancellations after October 18th or for no-shows.