We created this conference agenda to provide educational opportunities for divorce professionals of all experience levels. Tailor your conference experience by choosing sessions that fit your interests and needs.
Best Practices for Incorporating a CDFA Professional into the Collaborative Team
Collaborative law is gaining momentum in many states across the country, but there is often a disconnect among collaborative lawyers on how, when, and why a financial neutral should be included as part of the team. In this client-centered, interest-based settlement model, financial information should be defined and shared from the start as a basic tool for developing mutually advantageous settlement scenarios. However, no one really seems to know how to go about incorporating a financial neutral into the process, and because it represents such a paradigm shift for most family law attorneys, CDFA professionals are often faced with resistance. Breaking down this resistance, by defining the CDFA professional’s role and offering best practices for incorporation, is paramount to helping attorneys and clients arrive at financially informed settlements. Both Diane and Jessie have extensive knowledge in the collaborative process and will present workshop information based on MCLC Guidelines and their own experiences as a part of the collaborative team.
CDFA CE Credit: 3.5 hours
Speaker
-
Diane Pappas
-
Jessie Foster
I Got the CDFA Certification: What Now?
You have just received the CDFA certification, but now how can you use this accomplishment to grow your business? Creating the right marketing plan can help you build your credibility, gain recognition, and increase prospecting.
To take the next step in building a successful firm you will need to develop a comprehensive marketing plan that includes public relations, speaking engagements, networking, and hosting events.
In this workshop, Stacy Francis will help you create that plan to move your firm forward. From press pitches to social media, she will give you a step-by-step guide on how to effectively grow your business through marketing.
Takeaways:
- Build a personal marketing plan that supports the specific goals of your firm
- Increase client retention and referrals and reach a broader customer base
- Enhance your image and gain credibility on a local and national level
Speaker
-
Stacy Francis
IDFA Update
Speaker
-
Carol Lee Roberts
The Gray Divorce Phenomenon: AARP to Academia and the Financial Media In-Between
How do we serve the Baby Boomer generation most effectively?
Approximately one in four divorces occurs among couples over 50. This rate is more than double that of 1990. The phenomenon was first studied by the AARP in 2004. Media and academia have not lost interest. “The Devastation of Gray Divorce for Older Women,” “Divorce is Destroying Retirement,” “The 37 Year Itch,” and “Why Your Grandparents are Finally Calling It Quits” dominate the media from The Wall Street Journal to Bloomberg, Psychology Today, and the LA Times.
Chances are most of your Baby Boomer clients are lumped as “gray divorces.” How and why are they different from other generations? How do they experience divorce differently? Most importantly, how do we serve them most effectively?
Justin Reckers, CFP, CDFA will share common client concerns, creative settlement examples, practice tips, thoughts on behavioral finance, and maybe even answer, “Why now after all these years?”
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
CFP CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Justin Reckers
Sponsored by: Smarter Divorce Solutions
Nancy Hetrick founded Smarter Divorce Solutions in 2011 after experiencing her own, less than optimal divorce. When the resources she needed weren’t available, costly mistakes were made and the family suffered. She learned about becoming a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™ and vowed to help others not make the same mistakes.
Our Mission Statement:
- We envision a world where the divorce process is not adversarial, financially confusing, or unreasonably costly.
- We believe that by providing thorough written analysis, recommended solutions, advice on negotiation, and a shoulder to lean on, we can turn fear and uncertainty into peace and confidence at an affordable price.
We are committed to a kinder, gentler divorce process for all involved. Learn more at www.SmarterDivorceSolutions.com.
Keynote Address: Five Industry Trends Shaping Financial Advice
After years of steady growth, the world of financial advice has reached a crossroads, driven by the simultaneous trends of technology, regulation, and demographics. In the past, different financial services channels co-existed simultaneously, but going forward the commoditization of everything from brokerage to banking to investment management is driving everyone towards delivering financial advice to add value. The good news of these trends is that they’re bringing more and more financial planning advice to consumers. The bad news, however, is that they’re driving secondary trends that create a challenging landscape for financial advisors themselves, including a crisis of differentiation, and a struggle to meet consumer demand for an engaging client experience. In this session, we’ll look at how broad industry trends are reshaping the future of financial advice, and how financial advisors themselves must adapt to survive and thrive.
CDFA CE Credit: 1.5 hours
CFP CE Credit: 1.5 hours
Speaker
-
Michael Kitces
Same-Sex Divorce: Recent Developments in Same Gender Marriage and Custodial Issues
With the Supreme Court’s rulings in 2015, same-sex marriages are now recognized across the country. For many couples this transition created a host of questions about the status of domestic partnerships, civil unions, co-parenting agreements, separations, and dissolutions. With the ever-evolving climate, how do we best provide counsel and services for our clients? How do we best protect our clients from any possible future rollbacks to their status?
David Horowitz, Esq. will address the current climate, best practice tips, and thoughts on how to most effectively serve your clients.
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
CFP CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
David Horowitz
Perspectives from a Family Law Judge
This presentation focuses on what family court judges face during the multidimensional process of divorce. While child custody issues are complicated enough, family court judges are also faced with complex financial decisions with respect to division of property and support.
There are two parts to resolving divorce matters: what to do before you get into court and what to do when you are in court. From a judge’s perspective, his or her role is to be a pre-court problem-solver to narrow the issues of contention between the parties, and to be an adjudicator over complex financial decisions. Judge Sue Burch of the 18th Judicial District of North Carolina will explain what you need to know to achieve successful financial resolution in the divorce process.
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
CFP CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Sue Burch
Sponsored by: eMoney Advisor, LLC
eMoney Advisor, LLC (“eMoney”), based in Radnor, Pennsylvania, is the only wealth-planning platform for financial professionals and firms that offers superior transparency, accessibility, security, and organization for everything that affects their clients’ financial lives. A technology envisioned and created by advisors for advisors, eMoney's award-winning software and resources are tailored to transform the advisor's ability to implement comprehensive financial plans and prepare their clients for a secure financial future. For more information, please visit: www.emoneyadvisor.com.
Marketing Your CDFA Practice Panel
Identifying your target market and crafting your message to appeal to your audience are keys to successfully marketing your CDFA practice. Our experts will share detailed tips and how-tos to help drive your CDFA practice to the next level. Topics covered include:
- CDFA marketing must-haves
- Creating and maintaining your online presence
- Making headway with the media
- Advertising: What works and what doesn’t
- How to become a “thought leader”
- Specialized networking
- Leveraging marketing using a “mastermind group”
- Discovering writing and speaking opportunities
- Differences between marketing to individuals vs. divorce attorneys
This workshop will provide specific action plans that you can implement to immediately improve your CDFA marketing efforts.
Speaker
-
Heather Brountas
-
Donna Cheswick
-
Stacy Francis
-
Nancy Hetrick
Ethics and the CDFA Designation
Very few people are deliberately unethical. Many CDFA professionals are solo practitioners and aren’t sure how to handle some of the gray areas. The goal of this presentation is to discuss some of the more common issues that arise. Ethical scenarios will be presented and discussed.
CDFA CE Credit: 1.5 hours
CFP CE Credit: 1.5 hours
Speaker
-
Barbara Shapiro
Divorce Dissipation and Fraud
Many divorces deal with the financial effect of assets that are missing, hidden, or dissipated. It’s valuable to understand the basics of investigative accounting and how direct evidence can often change the entire divorce settlement to our client’s advantage.
This talk provides a basic knowledge of marital fraud and situations where dissipation of marital assets might occur. Types of fraud evidence and examining for fraud will be discussed. Ethics are an underlying theme throughout the session. The Fraud Triangle will be used to further our understanding of why and when divorce fraud can occur. Another area of importance will be reviewing the tax and financial planning effects of fraud and/or dissipation on the marital assets. Fraud and misappropriation of those assets can wreak havoc on a family’s portfolio and retirement assets and have a long-term, detrimental effect to achieving their goals.
The presentation will use many life examples of actual fraud uncovered and what the process was to uncover the wrongdoing. It’s all in the paper trail!
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
CFP CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Peggy Tracy
Executive Compensation: The Ultimate Guide for Divorce Financial Planners
This session will provide participants with the knowledge and tools to successfully value stock options or RSUs in a divorce case. Participants will be fully armed and ready to take on a case with complex executive compensation assets. This is NOT a beginner level workshop. Participants should already be familiar with the basics of these instruments.
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
CFP CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Nancy Hetrick
Dividing Retirement Benefits: QDRO Basics for Divorce Financial Professionals
Dividing retirement assets in divorce cases often causes confusion and frustration for everyone involved (clients, lawyers, and financial professionals). But, it doesn’t have to be this way! This program will serve to provide a basic explanation of how retirement assets are divided in divorce cases, to enable financial professionals to provide retirement planning services and advice to their divorcing or divorced clients. We will pay particular attention to common mistakes (and strategies to avoid these mistakes). QDRO expert and popular speaker Emily McBurney will explain this complex area of law and financial information in this entertaining and fun (really!) presentation.
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
CFP CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Emily McBurney
Taking the Next Financial Steps: Top Ten Post-Divorce Financial Challenges
When all your clients want to do is put the paperwork away and forget about the divorce, that's when they need you the most.
Clients often wake up the morning after all the divorce negotiations are complete and the judge has signed off on the settlement agreement expecting that everything will be different. Really, they are no more prepared to deal with the hands-on, practical issues involved in dissolving their economic partnership the next day than they were while negotiations were still underway.
More than ever, to be able to turn the page and move on, they need the help and support of their divorce team. For the most part, the attorney’s job is done when the agreement is reached and the documents and the entry of the divorce decree are signed. Clients generally don’t wish to pay any further legal fees after all that! But newly-divorced clients need you, their CDFA professional, to help them actually put the financial pieces of the settlement terms into place.
We will deal with the top ten challenges you can help your clients overcome to move on to their new financial reality. You can step in seamlessly to finish what has been brought to a legal conclusion. It is a vital service for your clients, and very good business for you.
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
CFP CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Adrienne Rothstein Grace
Psychographics in Marketing
In this discussion, we will review the study psychographics and how it can be used to not only define but strengthen your marketing efforts. We will talk about ways you can build a networking system that doesn’t drain your time, money, and energy. By thinking through the process and your desired outcome, you can design a marketing plan that is both rewarding and profitable. Together, we will discuss how to target clients based on a shared values system which will make you look forward to every meeting.
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Heather Brountas
Critical Divorce Strategies for Families with Special Needs
Statistics show that 20 percent of the United States population is affected by special needs. While the divorce rate among families with special needs is often the topic of great debate, there is one fact that remains certain: the complexity of divorce proceeding increases exponentially when working with families with special needs. Mary Anne Ehlert, a financial professional with extensive expertise in this area, will discuss how child support and alimony can adversely affect eligibility of potential government benefits; how to preserve assets with the use of a special needs trust; and how to address conflicts related to quantifying future care needs and selecting future trustees.
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
CFP CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Mary Anne Ehlert
Introduction to Family Law Software
Many leading CDFA professionals use Family Law Software for their financial planning. This is a session where you will gain information you absolutely will use in your practice.
This session will feature Family Law Software president and co-founder Dan Caine giving an overview (or refresher) of the software.
The strengths of the software lie in: 1) its ability to capture virtually every financial situation; and 2) its ability to present a very large array of tables, charts, and graphs to explain to clients what is happening now and what may happen in the future.
Along with this ability comes a certain amount of complexity. This presentation will give you an overview of the software that will leave you with a basic understanding of how it all comes together, so that you may begin to use it in your practice.
This presentation will be good both for novices and for people who would like a refresher in the fundamentals.
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Dan Caine
Beyond Basics: What Every CDFA Professional Needs to Know About QDROs Today (and Why)!
To remain competitive in today's market CDFA's need to know more than just the QDRO basics. Drawing on over 20 years of experience preparing QDROs for Michigan and Illinois attorneys, Jacki will guide you through the most critical ways CDFAs can add value to cases. Topics include understanding the difference between private and public sector plans, assisting with Discovery and Retirement Plan research, a deep dive into survivor benefits, coverture fractions, addressing non-qualified plans and more.
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
CFP CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Jacki Roessler, CDFA®
Dissecting Spousal Support: Understanding the Components that Drive the Analysis
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to provide exceptional value to your clients as you work through the issues of spousal support with them.
We will go behind the numerical calculations to identify related issues that are sometimes overlooked involving employment, assets, etc., which can have a significant impact on how you accurately guide your client discussions regarding spousal support analysis.
This is an emotional issue for families, so making sure that you have applied all the necessary processes will instill a sense of confidence in your clients that you have the required professional tools to assist them through the divorce finance analysis journey.
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
CFP CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Karen Sparks
Advanced Topics in Family Law Software
This session will cover the latest enhancements in Family Law Software, any topics that arise that are of current interest, and a presentation of selected advanced topics. We will also leave time for questions.
While the presentation will assume a fundamental knowledge of how the software works, it should be comprehensible and valuable for anyone who is using or is planning to use Family Law Software in his or her practice.
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Dan Caine
Networking on the Lawn
Please join us for a casual happy hour on the Coquina Lawn. Mingle with your peers and enjoy some sunshine! Sponsored by Divorce Alliance.
A Survey of IRC Section 1041: Fundamentals, Planning, and Pitfalls
Let’s read IRC Section 1041 together. The basic tenet is “asset divisions pursuant to divorce are tax-free.” But…but what? We will go subsection-by-subsection and bring practical applications to each. Reading Section 1041 does not required a J.D., CPA, or Masters in taxation. It is written in fairly plain English, and it is something you can read and apply in your practice. As we take our journey through the Code, we will explore planning opportunities, tax pitfalls, and a variety of asset types from retirement assets to small businesses and more. We will also discuss tax bases and tax carryforward issues.
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
CFP CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Mark Prendergast
CDFA Case Studies: A Practical Look at the Niche
CDFA CE Credit: 1.5 hours
CFP CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Peggy Tracy
From “I Do” to “I’ll Sue:” Building a Thriving Divorce Niche Practice
To close the 2017 conference, the founders of popular divorce workshop, Second Saturday, will round up some of the important divorce topics covered in Orlando. This dynamic session will cover several essential practice-building areas, including:
Trends in divorce:
- Divorce as a niche market
- Same-sex marriage
- Wives out-earning husbands
- Changes in health care insurance
Tricky issues in divorce:
- Tax traps in converting rentals to residences
- Lump sum buyouts
- Business interest transfers
- Social Security planning
What to do now?
- Marketing through seminars
- Creating referral relationships with other professionals
- Next steps to take
CDFA CE Credit: 1 hour
CFP CE Credit: 1 hour
Speaker
-
Ginita Wall
-
Candace Bahr
Schedule subject to change.