January 5th – VIRTUAL – Helping Your Clients with 3 Persistent People Problems: Retention, Recruitment, Remote Employees with Dr. Paul White
Businesses today experience numerous challenges as a result of economic conditions, changing government policies, and rapid technological development. But three core human management issues are consistently coming to the surface as major obstacles to leading a successful organization: high turnover rates, difficulties in recruiting new team members, and the complexities of managing remote and hybrid employees. Learn about a common issue underlying these challenges to help your clients by using tools and resources that have demonstrated success in creating healthy, effective workplace cultures.
Learning Objectives:
As a result of participating in the session, attendees will be able to:

1. Identify the core issue underlying the challenges with employee retention, recruitment, and managing remote (and hybrid) team members.
2. Describe the differences between employee recognition and authentic appreciation and relate the negative results that occur when team members don’t feel truly valued.
3. Delineate the core components necessary for team members to truly feel valued and summarize the 5 languages of appreciation, giving examples of what they look like in daily work life.
4. Access tools and resources that can be used immediately to “hit the mark” in effectively communicating appreciation to colleagues, both for on-site and remote employees.

February 2nd – LIVE – Shoulda Coulda Woulda: Managing the Fallout of Unplanned Exits with the Chapter Leadership Team
The stats tell us that more than 50% of exits are not voluntary. They happen for many reasons, but they are most often due to one of the 5 D’s: death, disability, divorce, distress, and disagreements. And while we as exit planning advisors will certainly keep trying to educate on the importance of planning early, chances are strong that at some point we are going to need to help repair the damage – either regarding the business and deal structure or the personal and financial aftermath.
The chapter leadership team will share case studies of situations where clients were either facing an emergency exit or already exited due to one of the 5 D’s. Learn how you can help in the areas of unsolicited offers, turnaround, deal structures, partner buy-outs, family/leadership counseling, immediate financial and legal obligations, and more.
Learning Objectives:

• How to help business owners who are facing a sudden need to transition out of their business.
• Potential ways to help the business, team, and family after an unexpected exit has occurred.
• Tips for evaluating an unsolicited offer.
• Language and tools to help owners prioritize the importance of planning early.

March 2nd – VIRTUAL – AI Proof Your Practice with Advanced Counseling and Planning Tools with Brad Barros and Joe Strazzeri
The $30M line in the sand: Below it, AI is replacing legal/financial/tax/business planners. Above it, you’re either irreplaceable or obsolete. Understand why advisors are losing clients under $30M to AI software (and the leaked roadmaps show it’s only getting worse), and the five critical things you need to learn today to protect your practice.
Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the AI Displacement Timeline – Assess your vulnerability to AI competition
• Why traditional exit planning systematically fails at 8-figure+ wealth levels – why AI can’t fix it – and how you can capitalize on this gap
• Position Yourself as AI-Proof through Advanced Counseling and Planning Tools
• Implement Advanced strategies such as PPLI – understand what works, what doesn’t, and how to safely maximize opportunities.
  

April 6th – LIVE – SPEED DATING: ALWAYS KNOW WHO TO CALL!
Great collaborative advisors realize they can’t do it all, but they always know who to call! Join your fellow members for this fast-paced method to learn more about each other, while practicing your conversations with business owners. Get to know each other on a new level.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Learn from and get to know fellow EPI members and the expertise they bring to the table.
• Access collaborative resources to help your business owner clients
• Build relationships and share your own best practices

May 4th – VIRTUAL – Designing a Smarter Exit: Leveraging Real Estate to Enhance Business Sale Outcomes with Jeff Kim and Stephanie Gilezan
Planning for UHNW families requires a coordinated team of core advisors and specialized subject-matter experts—real estate among them. In addition to their operating businesses and investment portfolios, these families often hold complex real estate assets, ranging from income-producing rental properties and multifamily developments to commercial land and long-term development opportunities.
When a family begins planning for a business exit, the real estate component becomes both a challenge and an opportunity. The portfolio must be analyzed not only for its current performance but also for how it can support the family’s post-sale strategy, tax efficiency, and long-term legacy goals.
A smarter exit involves aligning the timing, structure, and utilization of real estate assets with the broader liquidity event. By doing so, families can unlock hidden value, reduce transactional friction, and position their holdings for generational wealth preservation.
Learning Objectives:
Real estate experts Jeff and Stephanie will review a few case studies and solutions for a variety of potential scenarios:

• When real estate was neglected in a sale
• When real estate was worth more than the business itself
• When real estate was sold separately from the business
• When real estate was included in the sale of the business
• When the business was sold, but the owner kept the real estate and leased it to the new owner.

June 1st – LIVE – AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION WITH AN OWNER: EXIT, FAILURE, RETRY, SUCCESS with the Chapter Leadership Team and Their Clients
A take on our normally virtual “Perspectives Series: Entrepreneurs Revealed,” this live, in-person conversation will provide powerful insights from two to three owners who have had a successful exit, tried and failed, or are in the process. Join us for a frank conversation including why they exited (or are considering it), how they chose their advisory team, how they decided between internal versus external options, what they did (or didn’t do) to prepare, and what they wish they would have known then that they know now.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Gain powerful insights from exited owners themselves regarding:

• Why their first exit deal failed
• How they choose their advisors
• Why they completed internal versus external transitions
• How much preparation they did for their transition
• What they wish they would have known