IDFA Online Learning

This workshop will guide you through the structure and strategy needed to confidently use your CDFA designation. Not only will we begin with what is needed before your first divorcing client walks through the door, but this workshop will help you learn how to professionally handle prospects/clients and issues that arise as your CDFA practice grows to ensure your success. This workshop will be most suitable for those who have obtained their CDFA designation within the last few years and want to confidently take their divorce niche to the next level. Covered topics include:

Learning Objectives:

• Conducting initial conversations with prospects and clients
• Necessary literature and resources you will need to get started (engagement agreements, intake forms, etc.)
• Data collection and meeting protocol and putting systems into place
• Charging for your services and billing practices
• Preparing financial scenarios and projections for clients
• Ways to successfully work with other divorce professionals
• Ideas for marketing your divorce niche
• Post-divorce follow up

3.5 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Donna M. Cheswick, CDFA® , CQS

Owner, Cheswick Divorce Solutions LLC

Donna M. Cheswick has over 35 years of experience in the financial services industry as a Financial Advisor. She is also the owner of Cheswick Divorce Solutions LLC, located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Education is the backbone of her business, and over the years she has taught workshops and CLE's on a wide variety of topics relating to finance and divorce, authored numerous articles for local/national print and online publications and has been a guest speaker on a variety of podcasts. She is a CDFA, Certified QDRO Specialist (CQSTM), a trained divorce mediator and a collaborative financial neutral.

From being revenue enhancer to your already existing practice, to providing this service full-time to your attorney clients, this course explores every aspect of QDROs and similar Orders making the CFA even more invaluable to your client base. The QDRO certification program is based on four (4) modules, each taken independently but also purchased as a package. From the history of QDROs to drafting QDROs, this course has an eye toward liability, that is reducing your liability and that of the attorney who retained you on as case; This is whether you elect to prepare QDROs for the attorney or someone else. The ability to understand QDROs, review QDROs, and advise intelligently on the issue will make you an invaluable part of the attorney’s team of experts.

The modules not only discuss the options available to the client, but the best strategy to help them come out ahead, for instance whether to even divide a retirement plan benefit by as QDRO or offset the value. Contained within the modules is the importance of settlement agreement language and how to provide expert witness testimony. From private sector retirement plans to federal and military retired pay, you will be considered a genuine expert to the court on the topic of QDROs. This course, as those who have gone through it beforehand will attest, will open the doors to many opportunities including being retained in QDRO malpractice to fix QDROs or compute damages.

Once you have completed the four modules, there will be a final exam to pass to becoming a truly Certified QDRO Specialist.

3.5 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Tim Voit

Certified QDRO Specialist, Certified QDRO Analyst

Tim Voit is the author of Retirement Benefits & QDROs in Divorce (published by CCH), as well as Federal Retirement Plans in Divorce—Strategies & Issues. He has prepared QDROs and valued pensions for nearly 30 years and taught at the International College courses specific to the preparation of QDROs. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and has has been qualified as an expert witness in both state and federal courts.

Mr. Voit has been retained in legal malpractice cases by the insurance carrier to reverse QDRO transfers and/or compute damages and is often called upon to lecture on liability issues. He has been interviewed and quoted in Forbes, BusinessWeek, NewsWeek, and Rueters. Mr. Voit has developed online courses for CCH, IOMA, and the International College, specifically the Introduction to QDROs in Divorce and Effectively Drafting QDROs in Divorce.

Speaker(s):

Carol Lee Roberts, CDFA, CFP

Carol Lee Roberts, CFP®, CDFA®, is the President of the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts™, and has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst®, Certified Financial Transitionist, and Certified Cybersecurity Business Professional designations.

Carol Lee received her undergraduate degree from Augustana College and her Master’s Degree in Financial Planning from DePaul University. As the Director of the Office of Professional and Continuing Education at DePaul University, her Financial Planning Education Center had the third-largest Financial Planning Certificate program in the country and also offered classroom courses for the CDFA® designation. Carol Lee also has experience in the field of certification having served as the Managing Director of Education and Examination at the CFP Board of Standards in Washington, D.C., and has also obtained the Institute for Credentialing Excellence Certified Credentialing Professional designation. 

As President of IDFA, she has seen the number of certificants in both Canada and the U.S. grow substantially and hosts an annual conference that continues to grow significantly year over year.  Carol Lee authored the publications Tools & Techniques and Divorce Planning. and is the editor of the Divorce Survival Guide.

An overview will be provided of five high conflict personalities which drive most high conflict cases, including: Borderline, Narcissistic, Histrionic, Antisocial and Paranoid. What to do and what not to do with clients with these traits will be addressed, including four key skills: Connecting with empathy, attention and respect (EAR); Analyzing Options with clients and others; Responding to hostility and misinformation with responses that are Brief, Informative, Friendly and Firm (BIFF); and Setting Limits on misbehavior with clients and others. Helping clients communicate and cope with difficult ex-spouses will be addressed.

1.5 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.

Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of the High Conflict Institute in San Diego, California

Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. is the co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of the High Conflict Institute in San Diego, California. He pioneered the High Conflict Personality Theory (HCP) and has become an expert on managing disputes involving people with high conflict personalities. He was the Senior Family Mediator at the National Conflict Resolution Center for 15 years, a Certified Family Law Specialist lawyer representing clients in family court for 15 years, and a licensed clinical social worker therapist with over 12 years of experience.

Bill serves on the faculty of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University School of Law in California and is a Conjoint Associate Professor with the University of Newcastle Law School in Australia. He has been a speaker and trainer in over 35 U.S. states and 13 countries.

He is the author or co-author of over 20 books, manuals, and workbooks. He is co-host of the podcast It's All Your Fault that he co-hosts with Megan Hunter, MBA, and has a popular blog on the Psychology Today website with over 6 million views.

Join Erika Wasserman, Tim Voit, Jody Bruns and Chris Bruser in learning how professionals in lending, transition planning, and divorce coaching can increase your efficacy as a CDFA professional.

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Erika Wasserman

Certified Financial Therapist, Your Financial Therapist

Erika’s personal and professional journey was not a direct one — and continues to evolve. For most people, specific experiences in life have influenced the way they feel about money. For her, there were many: growing up in a household where the topic of money was exciting dinner conversation, getting married, having three children,  living abroad, moving nine times for a corporate job, getting divorced, and losing a parent. Unsurprisingly, Erika found herself at a crossroads.

After a successful 10-year career at IBM, Erika shifted gears and left corporate America to work on growing brands in the organic-food industry where she transformed brands from innovative emerging products to household names, while juggling a growing family. Along her journey, Erika noticed a gap in how people all over the world talked — or didn’t talk — about money, both within family structures, relationships, and workplaces. Once she discovered Financial Therapy, Erika has dedicated her life to coaching individuals, couples, families, and corporate teams on how to communicate more comfortably and effectively on the otherwise taboo topic of money.

As one of 70 Certified Financial Therapist, she has been quoted in national media, including The New York Times, Yahoo! Money, and Times.  Along with being the creator of Let’s Talk Finances, which are Financial Wellness Conversation Cards that create a unique way to stimulate meaningful conversations about and around the taboo topic of money for couples and newly divorced.

Erika lives in South Florida with her three daughters and can be found driving to the beach with the top down of her Jeep, or planning her next overseas adventure.

Jody Bruns

President & Founder, Divorce Lending Association, LLC

Jody Bruns is the President and Founder of the Divorce Lending Association and is credited with establishing industry certification programs for both real estate and mortgage professionals working with divorcing clients. Jody takes her knowledge further as an approved continuing education provider for multiple state bar associations and financial planning boards educating attorneys, financial planners, and other divorce professionals on the underlying concerns when divorce and real estate meet head-on.

Through her own personal journey of a divorce involving real estate, Jody knows firsthand the emotions divorce carries with it. Utilizing her own personal experience combined with her 30 plus years in mortgage and finance, Jody has made it her career and passion to educate the divorce community while helping divorcing clients navigate the clash between divorce, real estate, and mortgage financing.

Jody authored the Certified Divorce Lending Professional (CDLP™) industry certification along with a book, A House Divided | The Clash between Divorce, Real Estate, and Mortgage Financing.

Jody has coached and trained over 3,000 mortgage and real estate professionals on how to successfully work with divorcing homeowners; divorce attorneys, and other divorce professionals with the ultimate goal of a more successful divorce when mortgage financing and real property are involved.

- Certified Mediator/Mediator Trainer - Real Estate Continuing Education Instructor - Approved Continuing Legal Education Provider with multiple State Bar Associations - Approved Continuing Education Provider with CFP® Board and Institute of Divorce Financial Analysts

Learn more here.

Tim Voit

Certified QDRO Specialist, Certified QDRO Analyst

Tim Voit is the author of Retirement Benefits & QDROs in Divorce (published by CCH), as well as Federal Retirement Plans in Divorce—Strategies & Issues. He has prepared QDROs and valued pensions for nearly 30 years and taught at the International College courses specific to the preparation of QDROs. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and has has been qualified as an expert witness in both state and federal courts.

Mr. Voit has been retained in legal malpractice cases by the insurance carrier to reverse QDRO transfers and/or compute damages and is often called upon to lecture on liability issues. He has been interviewed and quoted in Forbes, BusinessWeek, NewsWeek, and Rueters. Mr. Voit has developed online courses for CCH, IOMA, and the International College, specifically the Introduction to QDROs in Divorce and Effectively Drafting QDROs in Divorce.

Chris Bruser

Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage

Chris Bruser is a Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional and one of the nation’s leading advocates for incorporating housing wealth in retirement income planning.  Over the last 18 years he has helped over 700 families secure their retirement via a reverse mortgage. Not insignificantly, Chris has helped senior divorcing couples achieve equitable housing by using reverse mortgages as part of the settlement. Devoted to honest and transparent dialog, Chris serves as a trusted resource for those advisors demanding accurate and current housing wealth solutions for their clientele.

Recently Chris’s work focuses on research published by thought leaders Barry Sacks, J.D., Ph.D., Jack Guttentag, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at the Wharton School, John Salter, Ph.D., CFP®, Harold Evensky, CFP®, Jamie Hopkins, Esq., CFP®, RICP and Wade Pfau, Ph.D., CFA.

These experts have demonstrated that the conservative use of housing wealth mitigates volatility risk in retirement distributions.

For example, in 2012, The Journal of Financial Planning published two papers (Sacks, and Salter/Evensky) advocating that planners take a fresh look at housing wealth as an antidote to sequence of returns risk and reverse dollar cost averaging.

Chris works with financial institutions that are advising those in retirement, or about to retire. These include divorce professions, financial planners, attorneys, accountants, and wealth managers. Chris is adept at helping advisors slow investment portfolio depletion with the prudent use of the housing asset.

As an instructor with the Retirement Resource Center, Chris has taught hundreds of financial advisors, real estate agents and institutions in sound retirement financing through the FHA-insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage.

Chris serves on the Board of Directors of NAIFA-Tampa and is a 2019 graduate of the NAIFA Leadership in Life Institute (LILI). He was named Outstanding Member of the Year in 2022. He is a member and Past President of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) of Tampa Bay, and a 20- year member of the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce, where he was named the 2023 Ambassador of the Year and is the Founder of the Taste of South Tampa, their signature event and largest fundraiser.

Chris has been a resident of Tampa since 2001 and is originally from Cincinnati. He has a 14-year-old son, Brantley who’s an avid golf nut and loves playing golf with his Dad.

With higher interest rates and lower housing inventory, keeping the house is currently more likely and even more dangerous during divorce mediation. This session will confirm divorce mortgage strategies to prevent legal, financial, and tax problems negotiating mortgage obligations and alimony. And features a deep dive concerning mortgage-related property settlement clause analysis with multi-state litigated case results.

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Prof. Kelly L. Murray, J.D.

Prof. Kelly L. Murray, J.D. is a legal scholar, lawyer, and serial entrepreneur focused on Advanced Realty Asset Dispute Resolution since 2007. She is passionate about helping preserve home ownership eligibility, especially in family disputes (Divorce, Probate, Elder).

She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford Univ. and cum laude from Harvard Law School (in the same class with Justice Neil Gorsuch and former President Barack Obama).  Prof. Murray recently retired as faculty for a top 20 law school (18 years/retired 2023). With an Illinois law license, and trained in family mediation (inactive) and collaborative practice (inactive), she co-founded DivorceThisHouse.com in 2008 along with Wendy Waselle.

Prof. Murray presented a 3 hour CLE program at the 2017 IACP 18th Annual Networking & Educational Forum in Philadelphia, PA and presented a plenary session for the American Bar Association Family Law Section at their spring meeting in 2010. As a speaker and interdisciplinary continuing education trainer, Prof. Murray has taught divorce real estate to over 2,000 judges, lawyers, mediators, collaborative and financial professionals in 16+ states, as well as over 1,000 real estate and mortgage professionals nationally.

Learning Objectives:

• Identifying Complex divorce issues (property division of illiquid and deferred assets, taxation impacts) and the questions to be resolved to make these complex
• Learning the methods and process of data entry into Family Law Software to correctly quantify and provide answers to these complex issues
• Learning to use the new tools in Family Law Software to help clarify and simplify the answers to these complex questions

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Nancy Chausow Shafer

Nancy Chausow Shafer remains a principal in the Highland Park IL firm, Sage Counsel, LLC, concentrating in Matrimonial Law, including Litigation, Mediation and Collaboration. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and has been awarded SuperLawyer/Leading Lawyer status for many years. A focus of her energies is to increase the education of professionals and the public on options for the divorce process and wise (sage) financial decisions, including Collaborative practice. Nancy is a frequent presenter and organizer at CLE programs. After over 40 years of family law practice, in March 2022 Nancy became a full-time product ambassador for Family Law Software, now a Centerbase company, https://www.familylawsoftware....

Learning Objectives:

• How to determine Disposable (Divisible) Retired Pay
• How to address the division of disposable retired pay and the Survivor Benefit Plan in the court orders
• How VA or disability benefits may affect the divisible portion of retired pay

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Gerard G. Zielinski, CDFA

Gerard is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®) and mediator who has spent the last 18 years providing individuals, couples, and family law attorneys with financial tools, resources, and expertise incident to divorce. Gerard specializes in the valuation and division of retirement benefits including Military Retired Pay and the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS). With over 5000 Qualified Domestic Relations Orders drafted, Gerard is a retirement plan expert with key competencies in plan terms, division options, valuation issues, tax implications, as well as election and survivorship options. Whether he is working in the role of retirement plan expert, neutral financial specialist or as an advocate for one party, Gerard prides himself on helping his clients achieve their financial goals by giving them the power to make well informed financial decisions before, during and after divorce.

Outside of his dedication to raising awareness on the pivotal role a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst can play, Gerard cherishes family time with his wife and four children, and he finds fulfillment in coaching youth sports.

Gerard is a 2008 Graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Finance). Along with receiving his CDFA® designation in 2012, he became a certified domestic relations mediator through the Mediation Training & Consultation Institute in 2014. Gerard is also a member of the Collaborative Family Law Council of Wisconsin as well as the renowned Divorce Financial Planning Training Center.

Join legal expert Joe Roosevans, MBA, CFP, CDFA, RICP, AEP, CLU, CLF, CAPP, CHFE, CTFA, CASL, WMCP, to unravel the pitfalls and common mistakes of dismantling Trusts and Wills during the Divorce Process.

This is genuinely a minefield that is easy to step on.

What to avoid, and uncover the traps and safeguards that CDFAs must know. This eye-opening and essential source of critical information should be a fountain of opportunity for CDFAs.

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Joe RoosEvans, MBA, CFP, CDFA, RICP, AEP, CLU, CLF, CAPP, CHFE, CTFA, CASL, WMCP

Founder, Financial Resources of America (FRA)

Joe RoosEvans is one of the top financial experts in the country. He started in the wealth services industry in 1982, and after several very rewarding years, he founded Financial Resources of America (FRA).

Ranked among the Top Five Percent of wealth service agencies in the world now – and a leading force in the financial and estate planning industry since 1986 - FRA is one of a group of several successful companies founded by Joe RoosEvans - all of which continue to further his reputation for leadership and innovation nationwide.

Over the years, FRA has served more than 17,000 clients who have come to Joe and his company for advice on how to best protect, preserve, and ultimately transfer their wealth. Today, FRA and its trust company manage billions of dollars in assets.

This accomplishment is largely the net result of Joe's passion and commitment for serving people in a quest for successful retirement lifestyles, as well as asset transfer and leaving legacies.

Joe RoosEvans has committed his entire career to helping individuals create, grow, and protect their wealth and to create retirement income streams that will continue to flow in for as long as they are needed.
 
All told, Joe RoosEvans is a widely recognized leader in wealth preservation, and in the financial services industry arena. An acknowledged wealth expert, radio talk show host, author of multiple bestselling books, and sought-after national speaker, his numerous professional designations include the following:

- Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA)
- Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
- Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC)
- Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU)
- Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP)
- Accredited Estate Planner (AEP)
- Certified Wealth Preservation Planner (CWPP)
- Certified Asset Protection Planner (CAPP)
- Chartered Advisor for Senior Living (CASL)
- Chartered Leadership Fellow (CLF)
- Wealth Management Certified Planner (WMCP)

Clients who rely on Joe RoosEvans and FRA know that they are working with well-established and experienced professionals in the wealth protection and preservation field whose sole purpose is to help them reach their goals.

Joe RoosEvans isn’t your cookie-cutter financial guru. He is an innovator, educator, and a passionate advocate of financial literacy, for everyone…everywhere. He is also supportive and generous, as the founder of Support Our Heroes, a charity that benefits current and retired uniformed services professionals.

His very active family includes wife, Lori, and son, Aidan, who follows in Joe’s footsteps as a motorcycle racing champion. By age 10, Aidan had won 14 National titles on motorcycles, before turning to 4-wheels. By age 14, he won numerous championships and rookie of the year awards in Karting, Open Wheel Micro, Midgets, and 360 Sprint Cars.

In 2020, Aidan turned pro in American Flat Track (national number 169) - and he is just getting started. Joe’s hobbies, after spending time with his family and being an active member of his church, include studying financial strategies and always asking “Why” and “Why not?”

Joe is the author of more than a dozen books that educate investors and retirees on how to generate tax-free income, and to transfer assets seamlessly by avoiding probate and reducing – or even eliminating – Uncle Sam’s taxable portion. You can find all of Joe’s books on Amazon by visiting: https://www.amazon.com and then typing Joseph (or Joe) RoosEvans into the search bar.

Learning Objectives:

• Enhance understanding of financial abuse, its prevalence, and impact. Educate CDFAs about the signs and tactics of financial abusers.
• Equip CDFAs with the skills to identify and assess situations of financial abuse effectively.
• Provide strategies for CDFAs to engage with and support financial abuse victims, focusing on building trust and understanding.
• Demonstrate how to empower survivors with long-term financial planning, including budgeting, financial management education, and goal setting.

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Leah Hadley, AFC®️, CDFA®️, MAFF®️

Founder, Great Lakes Investment Management and Great Lakes Divorce Financial Solutions

Leah Hadley, host of the Intentional Divorce Insights podcast, speaker, and published author is the visionary behind Intentional Divorce Solutions and Intentional Wealth Partners, located just outside Cleveland, OH. With her numerous credentials as an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC), Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), Master Analyst in Financial Forensics (MAFF), and mediator, Leah expertly guides clients in making sound financial choices, drawing from her extensive knowledge and nearly two decades of experience.

Leah's expertise extends further as her invaluable contributions can be found in numerous books and esteemed online publications. Deeply committed to her community, Leah serves as the Director of Corporate Partnerships for the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Cleveland Chapter and assumes the role of Membership Chair for the Center for Principled Family Advocacy.

The American Psychiatric Association tells us that money is our #1 cause of stress.

The most popular car loan is now 96 months, 70% of millennials permanently carry a credit card balance and 64% of Americans will retire with less than $10,000. 

All of these issues become even more pointed for divorcees who face a 50% reduction in their assets and income. 

Most personal finance advice is less than inspiring: save 10% (how!), give up things you love (no!) and do detailed financial budgeting (no thanks!).

In Zero to $1 Million in 60 Minutes, Gordon explodes those hackneyed ideas and shows his audience a powerful path to help clients rebuild wealth. His storytelling style creates a fun and engaging environment that shows advisors how to set their clients on a path to a brighter financial future with an extra million…or more!

Learning Objectives:

1. Help clients free up significant cashflow for incremental investment
2. Use the cashflow to dramatically accelerate their wealth
3. Provide divorced clients with a concrete set of steps they can use to reorganize their finances and restore lost wealth

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Gordon Stein, BESc, MBA, CSC, CFEI

Professional Speaker & Author, Cashflow Cookbook

Gordon Stein is an international keynote speaker, blogger, personal finance expert and author of Cashflow Cookbook - $2 Million of Financial Freedom in 60 Easy Recipes. He delivers transformational talks that help people crush their number one stress – their finances.

Building financial wellness helps his audience regain focus, balance, and joy in their lives. Gordon combines his trademark wit and storytelling style to speak with employee and association groups, financial advisors, and the media about a breakthrough path to financial wellness with no risk, minimal effort, minimal sacrifice, and no budgeting.

In his earlier career, Gordon was a senior sales, marketing, and operations executive at high tech companies. While at Apple he led the Education and Enterprise segments to record sales and was a featured speaker at the Executive Briefing Centers in Toronto and Cupertino. At Rogers Communications he managed the $1.5B B2B market and built the learning and development function for 30,000 learners. Prior to that, at Dell he was responsible for the small business segment and had the second highest sales productivity worldwide.

Gordon holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Western University, and an MBA from the Rotman School of Business. He has also completed the Canadian Securities Course and the U.S. Certified Financial Education Instructor designation from the National Financial Education Council. He has volunteered with the Western Alumni Board, the Western Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council and the Crescent School Board of Governors. He is currently a member of the National Financial Educators Council and the National Speakers Association. His content is used for CE credits with the Financial Planning Association, Financial Experts Network, and the Institute of Divorce Financial Analysts.

In his free time, Gordon is a downhill ski racer, kayaker, cyclist, and not-yet-great (ok, not even good) guitar player. His thoughts on personal finance can be found at cashflowcookbook.com.

Learning Objectives:

• How to identify the RIGHT attorney partners for your business
• Contact Strategies for best impact
• Choosing the right channel for the greatest impact

Not CE Eligible

Speaker(s):

Nancy Hetrick, CDFA®, AWMA®, MAFF®

Founder and CEO of Smarter Divorce Solutions in Phoenix AZ and the Divorce Financial Planner Training Center

Nancy Hetrick CDFA®,MAFF®  is the founder and CEO of Smarter Divorce Solutions LLC, and the Divorce Financial Planner Training Center as well as a Financial Planner with Smarter Money Solutions.

As a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and forensic specialist, she assists divorcing clients by providing the financial expertise necessary to ensure the best possible outcomes. For financially complex cases, her team ensures all of the puzzle pieces are clearly identified and all strategies for division are explored.

She has over 25 years of experience in both investment management and financial planning and has specialized in divorce since 2011.

Nancy has become a nationally known trainer for Divorce Financial Planners and offers continuing education and intensive advanced training for CDFA® holders through www.DivorceFinancialTraining.com.

She is the author of “Divorce Financial Planning; Building a Successful Niche Business”, Divorce Is Not For Dummies; How To Cover Your Assets and the co-author of The Stress-Free Divorce, Volume 2.

We will cover:

• Stock Options
• RSU’s

And discuss: 

• Are they marital?
• Are they vested?
• Will they be valued?
• How will they be divided?
• What are the tax implications?
• Will they be considered and asset, income or both for purposes of spousal maintenance and child support?
• And much more!

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Nancy Hetrick, CDFA®, AWMA®, MAFF®

Founder and CEO of Smarter Divorce Solutions in Phoenix AZ and the Divorce Financial Planner Training Center

Nancy Hetrick CDFA®,MAFF®  is the founder and CEO of Smarter Divorce Solutions LLC, and the Divorce Financial Planner Training Center as well as a Financial Planner with Smarter Money Solutions.

As a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and forensic specialist, she assists divorcing clients by providing the financial expertise necessary to ensure the best possible outcomes. For financially complex cases, her team ensures all of the puzzle pieces are clearly identified and all strategies for division are explored.

She has over 25 years of experience in both investment management and financial planning and has specialized in divorce since 2011.

Nancy has become a nationally known trainer for Divorce Financial Planners and offers continuing education and intensive advanced training for CDFA® holders through www.DivorceFinancialTraining.com.

She is the author of “Divorce Financial Planning; Building a Successful Niche Business”, Divorce Is Not For Dummies; How To Cover Your Assets and the co-author of The Stress-Free Divorce, Volume 2.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the impact of security awareness on secure behavior
• Explain the processes of developing security awareness and maintaining it
• Discover the top five cybersecurity threats to individuals in separation processes

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Tom Carpenter, CASP+, CWNE, CWISE

Tom is the Director of Education at CWNP as well as a Certified Wireless Network Expert (CWNE®) the highest-level designation within the CWNP family of wireless IT certifications. He is also the Director of Education for AACSP, the creator of the CyberSecure certification. Day-to-day he uses his expertise to guide the development of certifications and learning materials across all CWNP and AACSP certifications, leading a team of technical writers.

Prior to joining CWNP in 2012, Tom spent 15 years working as a consultant in Wi-Fi technologies, security, and Microsoft solutions, advising global companies such as Proctor & Gamble, Wells Fargo, Scotts as well as the Department of Defense. Before that, he spent several years as a systems administrator in an organization with more than 60 locations and over 20,000 nodes. All told, Tom has more than two decades of experience in the IT industry, has authored 31 books on technologies ranging from Wi-Fi to security, has garnered numerous industry recognitions, and can be followed on Twitter at @carpentertom.

When Dementia begins its long journey during a marriage, the various stages of financial requirements are often overlooked and can result in utter devastation during the Divorce process.

If critical and smart planning is not done correctly, all parties (attorneys, financial counselors, family members) will point fingers and seek retribution.

Learn about these critical issues from Longevity Care expert Kerry Morris.

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Kerry Morris, CFP®, CFEd®

Founder, HonorShield LLC

Kerry Morris, CFP®, brings over 25 years of financial planning expertise, rooted in integrity and dedication. Through his extensive experience, Kerry has assisted numerous families, particularly focusing on supporting seniors and optimizing their financial resources amidst the challenges of aging. Under his guidance, significant funds have been directed towards end-of-life care using innovative financial strategies. Additionally, Kerry's team has facilitated access to millions in benefits, ensuring veterans and their widows can afford essential care services.

Expanding upon his dedication to serving others, Kerry authored "When Retirement Goes Bad, Life Sucks". With his creative storytelling skills, he recounts four, true life stories shedding light on the vital intricacies of longevity planning. Concurrently, he founded HonorShield LLC, a visionary initiative dedicated to pioneering Longevity Care Allocation Planning (LCAP). Through LCAP strategies, Kerry is building a nationwide network of advisors helping families mitigate the financial strains of aging, empowering them to maintain autonomy and continuity in their final years.

Due to their extensive experience in aiding U.S. families with the financial challenges of aging, HonorShield was specifically approached to introduce a revolutionary care funding model. Branded by HonorShield as "Forever Funding," this solution has been successfully utilized in the UK for over two decades. While aging may be unpredictable, paying for care doesn't have to be with "Forever Funding."

At each point in the aging process, Kerry leverages insights gleaned from his extensive interactions with families, reshaping the narrative of aging as a journey marked by empowerment, resilience, and enduring purpose.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn the basics of a business valuation to help in reading them.
• Understand when to hire an expert versus performing your own calculations.
• Understand professional goodwill versus enterprise goodwill.

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Denise French, CVA, MAFF, CDFA, CRPC, Mediator

Managing Partner at SHFD Forensics

Denise is the managing partner at Stewart, Hurst, French & Dodson (SHFD) Forensics and has 28 years of professional financial experience.

She is an IRS Enrolled Agent (EA), a Master Analyst in Financial Forensics (MAFF), a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA), a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), and holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) designation. She is an Investment Advisor Representative and a Collaborative Law Financial Expert.

Denise has provided financial expertise on hundreds of cases throughout Montgomery County, Harris County, Fort Bend County, Galveston County, Hays County, McLennan County and Travis County. She has testified in Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend and McLennan Counties. She provides characterization and separate property tracing services, business valuation expertise and general financial expert services for family law attorneys.

This is a 1 hour presentation on QDRO malpractice issues and malpractice avoidance, emphasizing as well how to resolve complex issues.  Malpractice doesn’t always involve a party to a divorce predeceasing the other, and the money is gone. Malpractice can result from poorly drafted QDROs, poorly drafted settlement agreements, or anything resulting in erroneous distribution, or none at all. The goal is to keep a client, any client, from coming back into your office 20 years from now asking where did their awarded share go? This presentation gives you peace of mind with tips and tricks (disclosures) to better advise your attorney clients. Be the hero - not the victim.

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Tim Voit, Certified QDRO Specialist, Certified QDRO Analyst

Tim Voit is the author of Retirement Benefits & QDROs in Divorce (published by CCH), as well as Federal Retirement Plans in Divorce—Strategies & Issues. He has prepared QDROs and valued pensions for nearly 30 years and taught at the International College courses specific to the preparation of QDROs. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and has has been qualified as an expert witness in both state and federal courts.

Mr. Voit has been retained in legal malpractice cases by the insurance carrier to reverse QDRO transfers and/or compute damages and is often called upon to lecture on liability issues. He has been interviewed and quoted in Forbes, BusinessWeek, NewsWeek, and Rueters. Mr. Voit has developed online courses for CCH, IOMA, and the International College, specifically the Introduction to QDROs in Divorce and Effectively Drafting QDROs in Divorce.

If you're not using artificial intelligence in your practice, this session is for you. This session will help attendees understand Artificial Intelligence and explore ways to use it responsibly in their businesses to save time, improve client communication, and market their practices more effectively. There will be live demonstrations and handouts with specific guidelines for future use.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the source of Artificial Intelligence and the impact on the finance industry
• The ability to use AI to create marketing content that is brand specific and consistent
• Use AI to create optimal client communication for email and newsletters
• Use AI to aide in creating work product and client deliverables
• Understand ethical considerations
• Resources for continued learning

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Nancy Hetrick, CDFA®, AWMA®, MAFF®

Founder and CEO of Smarter Divorce Solutions in Phoenix AZ and the Divorce Financial Planner Training Center

Nancy Hetrick CDFA®,MAFF®  is the founder and CEO of Smarter Divorce Solutions LLC, and the Divorce Financial Planner Training Center as well as a Financial Planner with Smarter Money Solutions.

As a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and forensic specialist, she assists divorcing clients by providing the financial expertise necessary to ensure the best possible outcomes. For financially complex cases, her team ensures all of the puzzle pieces are clearly identified and all strategies for division are explored.

She has over 25 years of experience in both investment management and financial planning and has specialized in divorce since 2011.

Nancy has become a nationally known trainer for Divorce Financial Planners and offers continuing education and intensive advanced training for CDFA® holders through www.DivorceFinancialTraining.com.

She is the author of “Divorce Financial Planning; Building a Successful Niche Business”, Divorce Is Not For Dummies; How To Cover Your Assets and the co-author of The Stress-Free Divorce, Volume 2.

Financial advisors are taught to use social media transactionally when seeking new clients, spamming people’s feeds and inboxes. This short-sighted approach makes it way harder than it needs to be and moreover sets them up for massive failure. In this seminar, you’ll learn how to build long term relationships in a non-salesy way and how to nourish a nurturing, long-term community using social media platforms.

Attend this session to learn how to use social media as a tool to make a major impact on the world around you.

• Why most advisors will fail at social media
• Who the “client” is on LinkedIn
• How social media algorithms work, and why this understanding is critical in your pursuit of community
• How to post on social media and send direct messages in a way that will yield new relationships for the long term
• Strategies for maximizing impact on your online community both on the platform and in real life
• The traps to stay away from

Not CE Eligible

Speaker(s):

Sara Grillo, CFA

Sara Grillo, CFA, helps financial advisors market themselves on social media without sounding like they are selling washing machines. She is a devout Catholic, a lector in her local parish, and a mother to four children. Prior to launching her own firm, she was a financial advisor and worked at Lehman Brothers.

Authentic Intelligence is the new AI for financial planning, it is the unification of the human and the technical sides of money. The other AI, Artificial Intelligence, is here to stay with many benefits but it is incomplete without the human side. This session focuses on the measurable difference the new AI can make for client’s in transition and three things you can do to consistently deliver an elevated experience for both you and your clients.

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Susan Bradley, CFP, CeFT

Susan is the founder of the Sudden Money® Institute, which develops processes and tools for the personal side of money and for clients going through transitions. The group created the Certified Financial Transitionist® (CeFT®) designation, and a division for training and certification called the Financial Transitionist® Institute. Susan speaks frequently in the US as well as internationally, and is the author of Sudden Money: Managing a Financial Windfall (Wiley 2000). Susan has served as a member of the FPA’s National Board of Directors, as well as on the National Football League’s Players Association's Financial Education Advisory Board.

Learning Objectives:

• Reviewing both individual and corporate tax returns for items relevant to divorce proceedings.
• Discussion of income items relevant for child support calculations.
• Review of tax deductions/credits that impact newly divorced individuals.

1.5 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Jason Llewellyn, CPA, PFS, CDFA

Jason prides himself on investing the time and attention to become a complete financial partner to his clients. He takes a holistic, personalized approach to financial well-being, providing his clients the tailored guidance and advice necessary to invest based on their needs, help secure their futures, and achieve their goals.

Jason graduated from Ball State University in 1999 with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and received his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license in 2002. After graduating, Jason specialized in providing high-level tax and financial solutions with a national accounting firm where he advised individuals, families, and companies for 10 years. During his time there, he co-founded the financial services division of the firm for the Indianapolis area, helping to build the division from the ground up.

From there, Jason went on to serve as a financial advisor at a nationally recognized brokerage firm for 7 years. During this time, he received his Certified Divorce Financial Analyst license (CDFA®). The insight and expertise he gained during that process is critical to the advocacy he provides clients going through divorce.

Today Jason is actively engaged in helping the legal community understand the financial needs of their clients, especially those navigating the complexities of divorce. He is a regular speaker at the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum and the Indianapolis Bar Association.

Jason – a life-long resident of Indiana – is originally from Terre Haute and now resides in Fishers with his wife, Melissa, and their two daughters, Grace and Macy. He is an avid Indianapolis Colts fan and enjoys spending time with his family and playing golf.

Mark Hildebrand, CPA, CFP, CDFA

Unlike other advisors who are focused on selling financial products, Mark takes pride in providing a valuable service that is carefully tailored to meet each individual client’s unique needs. In many cases, these needs arise when individuals facing divorce need expert consultation to protect their long-term financial interests. Whatever the need may be, Mark finds fulfillment in his role by developing a long-term relationship with his clients. He considers it both a privilege and an incredible responsibility to be a trusted advisor as clients work to ensure financial security and pursue their long-term goals.

Mark graduated from Liberty University in 2004 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business. Shortly after graduation, he decided to pursue credentials that would enable him to provide a more comprehensive advisory service to his clients. In 2010 he earned his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license and in 2012 he earned both his Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) and his Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®) licenses. He is also a trained Financial Professional in the area of Collaborative Law and serves as Secretary of the Central Indiana Association of Collaborative Professionals.

Mark and his wife, Patricia, reside on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis with their two children, Caroline and Gabriel, and their dog, Joey. At this stage of life he has little free time, but when he does get a moment to relax, he loves doing Crossfit, going fishing, and reading. He and Patricia also regularly participate in mission trips with Hope Road Nicaragua where they focus on orphan care and underprivileged community development.

Outline:

1. Overview of Peak 65 and Divorce Demographics
2. How the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Has Changed
   1. Consumer Safeguards and the 4 “Nevers”
   2. FHA Borrower Counseling
   3. Underwriting that Ensures Sustainable Solutions 
   4. New Protections for Younger Spouses
3. What Happens at Loan’s End?
4. The Distribution Options
   1. Lump Sum “Buy-Out the Other Side”
   2. Tenure Payment “Mom Can Stay in the House Due to Improved Cash Flow”
   3. Line of Credit “Supporting Future Needs, ex. LTC, After Portfolio Has Been Split”
   4. Lifestyle Home Loan “Like Paying Cash for New Home with No Payments”
5. Case Studies in Gray Divorce
6. Conclusion 

1 CFP & CDFA Credits

Speaker(s):

Chris Bruser

Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage

Chris Bruser is a Certified Reverse Mortgage Professional and one of the nation’s leading advocates for incorporating housing wealth in retirement income planning.  Over the last 18 years he has helped over 700 families secure their retirement via a reverse mortgage. Not insignificantly, Chris has helped senior divorcing couples achieve equitable housing by using reverse mortgages as part of the settlement. Devoted to honest and transparent dialog, Chris serves as a trusted resource for those advisors demanding accurate and current housing wealth solutions for their clientele.

Recently Chris’s work focuses on research published by thought leaders Barry Sacks, J.D., Ph.D., Jack Guttentag, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at the Wharton School, John Salter, Ph.D., CFP®, Harold Evensky, CFP®, Jamie Hopkins, Esq., CFP®, RICP and Wade Pfau, Ph.D., CFA.

These experts have demonstrated that the conservative use of housing wealth mitigates volatility risk in retirement distributions.

For example, in 2012, The Journal of Financial Planning published two papers (Sacks, and Salter/Evensky) advocating that planners take a fresh look at housing wealth as an antidote to sequence of returns risk and reverse dollar cost averaging.

Chris works with financial institutions that are advising those in retirement, or about to retire. These include divorce professions, financial planners, attorneys, accountants, and wealth managers. Chris is adept at helping advisors slow investment portfolio depletion with the prudent use of the housing asset.

As an instructor with the Retirement Resource Center, Chris has taught hundreds of financial advisors, real estate agents and institutions in sound retirement financing through the FHA-insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage.

Chris serves on the Board of Directors of NAIFA-Tampa and is a 2019 graduate of the NAIFA Leadership in Life Institute (LILI). He was named Outstanding Member of the Year in 2022. He is a member and Past President of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) of Tampa Bay, and a 20- year member of the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce, where he was named the 2023 Ambassador of the Year and is the Founder of the Taste of South Tampa, their signature event and largest fundraiser.

Chris has been a resident of Tampa since 2001 and is originally from Cincinnati. He has a 14-year-old son, Brantley who’s an avid golf nut and loves playing golf with his Dad.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to attract media coverage to your business
• Learn the basics of persuasive public speaking
• Learn how to interview with media outlets and how to journalists' language

Not CE Eligible

Speaker(s):

Mike Petchenik

Founder and CEO, Petchenik Media Group

Mike Petchenik, founder and CEO of Petchenik Media Group, is a National Emmy Award-winning veteran communicator and strategic storyteller. With more than two decades of experience as a reporter/anchor, producer, copywriter, PR practitioner, and public speaker, Mike brings a wealth of expertise to the table. Whether you're a business seeking to promote your brand, an individual facing a crisis, or someone striving to be a more persuasive communicator, Mike has the knowledge, experience, and passion to help you achieve your goals.