Philadelphia Estate Planning Council upcoming events

September 2026 Educational Program & Welcome Back Party (Wednesday, September 23, 2026)

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 19:30:00 GMT

"Washington, Wealth, and What Comes Next:
Tax Policy After the 2026 Midterms"

AGENDA

Our September education program will be held as an in-person program in the late afternoon. Immediately following our program, attendees are welcome to join us for our Annual Welcome Back Party.

3:30 – 4:00 p.m. Registration
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Program
5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Welcome Back Party/Reception

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The 2026 midterm elections will shape the tax policy debate heading into the second half of the decade. With rising federal deficits, expiring tax provisions, and growing political pressure to raise revenue from high-net-worth individuals and business owners, estate planners and wealth advisors face an increasingly uncertain legislative environment.

This session will provide a nonpartisan analysis of the post-election landscape, including the likelihood of changes affecting transfer taxes, income taxation of wealthy households, grantor trusts, dynasty trusts, executive compensation arrangements, life insurance planning, and other advanced planning strategies. Attendees will gain practical insights into potential legislative scenarios, the political forces driving them, and planning considerations for clients and families as Congress begins laying the groundwork for the next major tax debate.

Joshua Caron serves as Vice President, Government Relations for M Financial Group, one of the nation's leading financial services distribution and advisory organizations serving affluent and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, business owners, and institutions. He leads M's federal and state government relations efforts, working with policymakers, regulators, and industry organizations on issues affecting life insurance, retirement planning, executive benefits, wealth transfer strategies, and advanced markets.

Prior to joining M Financial, Josh worked in public policy and advocacy roles focused on financial services and tax policy. He regularly speaks before industry groups, advisors, and policymakers regarding legislative developments impacting estate planning, wealth management, insurance, and retirement security. Josh lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota with his wife and daughter.

One Education Credit for CLE (PA Only), Insurance (PA Only), CFP, CPA (PA Only), PACE and CTFA will be offered.

This Program is Being Sponsored by

No-shows will be billed. No refunds after September 18, 2026.

Click here to download a printable registration form.

Coffee Break Networking Event (Thursday, October 01, 2026)

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Join us for the Philadelphia Estate Planning Council’s Coffee Break Networking Event on October 1st from 2:00 to 3:30PM at Glenmede’s in-house coffee bar! Take a break, enjoy a cup of coffee, and connect with professionals in the estate planning community. This informal yet engaging event provides the perfect opportunity for a mid-afternoon re-energization before heading back to the office to finish your day!

October 2026 Luncheon Program (Tuesday, October 20, 2026)

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:45:00 GMT

"Trust, But Verify: What Estate Planners Need to Know About AI"

COFFEE MEET AND GREET: The PEPC organized a meet and greet coffee station prior to our luncheon program. It will be located in the Farragut Room from 11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. All meeting attendees are welcome to join!

AGENDA
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Coffee Meet & Greet
11:45 - 12:00 p.m. Registration
12:00 - 1:45 p.m. Luncheon & Program

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Estate planning and wealth management professionals increasingly use AI, but not all AI is built the same. This session contrasts general-purpose AI tools with those purpose-built for estate, trust, and tax work, showing how the right approach turns reactive planning into proactive opportunity-spotting — while covering the guardrails (human review, source-grounding, audit trails, data de-identification) practitioners should demand from any AI tool used with confidential or regulated client work.

SPEAKERS:

Larry Gincel JD, LLM is an estate planning attorney that previously supported clients and advisors in the HNW marketplace. At Vanilla, Larry bridges the gap between technical products and the customer’s needs by combining his sales and estate planning expertise. Larry holds a JD and LLM in Tax from Temple University Beasley School of Law.

Patrick Carlson is Associate General Counsel for Estate & Tax Product at Vanilla, working at the intersection of legal expertise and financial technology to build innovative estate planning solutions for advisors. Before joining Vanilla, he led a financial planning, estate strategy, and tax team at an $8 billion AUM RIA serving high-net-worth clients. Patrick holds a JD from the University of Oklahoma and an LLM in Tax from the University of Florida. He resides in Chicago.

One Education Credit for CLE (PA Only), Insurance (PA Only), CFP, CPA (PA Only), PACE and CTFA will be offered.

This Program is Being Sponsored by

No-shows will be billed. No refunds after October 16, 2026.

November 2026 Luncheon Program (Tuesday, November 17, 2026)

Tue, 17 Nov 2026 16:45:00 GMT

"Review of the Past Year’s Significant, Curious, or Downright Fascinating Fiduciary Cases"

AGENDA
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Coffee Meet & Greet
11:45 - 12:00 p.m. Registration
12:00 - 1:45 p.m. Luncheon & Program

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

This session will review selected reported fiduciary litigation decisions from 2025 that relate to multiple areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration, the fiduciary duties of agents, administrators, trustees, and other fiduciaries, related trial practice, and identifying and navigating contemporary fiduciary challenges.

SPEAKER:

Dana G. Fitzsimons Jr. is Managing Director and Senior Fiduciary Counsel at Bessemer Trust. In this role, he is responsible for working with clients and their advisors to develop practical and efficient wealth transfer plans, and for guiding the firm on fiduciary issues. He serves as Chair of the firm’s Fiduciary Counsel Committee and its Diminished Capacity Working Group.

Prior to joining Bessemer, Dana was a partner with McGuireWoods LLP, where he practiced in the areas of fiduciary litigation and estate planning.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and currently serves on its Board of Regents. He has been recognized in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, is a 2021 inductee into the NAEPC Association Estate Planning Hall of Fame and a member of The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, and he frequently lectures on fiduciary topics.

Dana earned a J.D. from William & Mary Law School, where he was a member of the law review and graduated Order of the Coif, and a B.A. in music from Ithaca College School of Music. He continues to actively perform and record as a jazz and rock drummer.

One Education Credit for CLE (PA Only), Insurance (PA Only), CFP, CPA (PA Only), PACE and CTFA will be offered.

No-shows will be billed. No refunds after November 13, 2026.

Click here to download a printable registration form.

January 2027 Luncheon Program (Tuesday, January 19, 2027)

Tue, 19 Jan 2027 16:45:00 GMT

"Secrets of Successful Families: Creating a Lasting Legacy"

AGENDA
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Coffee Meet & Greet
11:45 - 12:00 p.m. Registration
12:00 - 1:45 p.m. Luncheon & Program

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

How can you help families avoid the “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations” phenomenon? Not only is it important to prepare the money for the family, but it also is important to prepare the family for the money. This seminar will present the common characteristics of families who have successfully transferred their values—in addition to their wealth—to future generations and will provide examples of practical planning techniques that have helped such families build lasting legacies.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the challenges for families attempting to transfer wealth to future generations.
Identify opportunities to minimize the impact of federal and state income taxes on trusts and estates while preserving family harmony.
Determine ways to help clients align their tax planning strategies with their values to create a lasting legacy.

SPEAKER: Justin Miller, J.D., LL.M., TEP, CFP®, AEP® is a Partner and National Director of Wealth Planning at Evercore Wealth Management and a Managing Director of Evercore Trust Company. He also is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University. In addition, Justin is a frequent keynote speaker at major conferences, has authored numerous articles on estate and tax planning, is regularly quoted by the media as an industry expert, and has been inducted into the Estate Planning Hall of Fame® by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. He earned a B.A. with honors from the University of California, Berkeley, and both a J.D. and an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law.

One Education Credit for CLE (PA Only), Insurance (PA Only), CFP, CPA (PA Only), PACE and CTFA will be offered.

No-shows will be billed. No refunds after January 15, 2027.

Click here to download a printable registration form.

February 2027 VIRTUAL Program (Tuesday, February 16, 2027)

Tue, 16 Feb 2027 17:30:00 GMT

"Watch for more information soon!"

The February program will be offered as a virtual meeting only.
We will not be offering an in-person option.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Watch for more information soon!

One Education Credit for CLE (PA Only), Insurance (PA Only), CFP, CPA (PA Only), PACE and CTFA will be offered.

No-shows will be billed. No refunds after February 12, 2027.

March 2027 Educational Program & Reception (Tuesday, March 16, 2027)

Tue, 16 Mar 2027 19:30:00 GMT

"Watch for more information soon!"

AGENDA

Our March education program will be held as an in-person program in the late afternoon. Immediately following our program, attendees are welcome to join us for a cocktail reception.

3:30 – 4:00 p.m. Registration
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Program
5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Watch for more information soon!

One Education Credit for CLE (PA Only), Insurance (PA Only), CFP, CPA (PA Only), PACE and CTFA will be offered.

2027 Annual Meeting, Seminar & Reception (Thursday, May 13, 2027)

Thu, 13 May 2027 20:00:00 GMT

"Watch for more information soon!"

Agenda
4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Registration
4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Council Remarks/Annual Meeting/Election
4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Presentation
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Watch for more information soon!

Speaker:

Samuel A. Donaldson [J.D. University of Arizona; LL.M. (Taxation) University of Florida] is a Professor of Law at Georgia State University in Atlanta, where he teaches a number of tax and estate planning courses, as well as courses in the areas of property, commercial law, and professional responsibility. Prior to joining the Georgia State faculty in 2012, he was on the faculty at the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle for 13 years, where he served as the Director of the law school’s Graduate Program in Taxation as well as Associate Dean for Academic Administration. In addition to Georgia State and the University of Washington, Professor Donaldson has taught law school classes at Northwestern University, the University of Florida, and Emory University. He has won seven “professor of the year” awards from three different law schools.

He is an Academic Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and a member of the Bar in Washington, Oregon, and Arizona. He currently serves as the Tax Editor for the Probate Practice Reporter, a monthly publication from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Among his scholarly works, Professor Donaldson is a co-author of the popular law school textbook, Federal Income Tax: A Contemporary Approach, and a co-author of the Price on Contemporary Estate Planning reference volume published by Wolters Kluwer.

Education Credit for CLE (PA Only), Insurance (PA Only), CFP, CPA (PA Only), PACE and CTFA will be offered.

Sponsorship opportunities still available!
Please email staff@philaepc.org to confirm a sponsorship.

Philadelphia Estate Planning Council upcoming events

September 2026 Educational Program & Welcome Back Party (Wednesday, September 23, 2026)

"Washington, Wealth, and What Comes Next: Tax Policy After the 2026 Midterms"

Coffee Break Networking Event (Thursday, October 01, 2026)

October 2026 Luncheon Program (Tuesday, October 20, 2026)

"Trust, But Verify: What Estate Planners Need to Know About AI"

November 2026 Luncheon Program (Tuesday, November 17, 2026)

"Review of the Past Year’s Significant, Curious, or Downright Fascinating Fiduciary Cases"

January 2027 Luncheon Program (Tuesday, January 19, 2027)

"Secrets of Successful Families: Creating a Lasting Legacy"

February 2027 VIRTUAL Program (Tuesday, February 16, 2027)

"Watch for more information soon!"

March 2027 Educational Program & Reception (Tuesday, March 16, 2027)

"Watch for more information soon!"

2027 Annual Meeting, Seminar & Reception (Thursday, May 13, 2027)

"Watch for more information soon!"

"Washington, Wealth, and What Comes Next:
Tax Policy After the 2026 Midterms"