Advisors Finding Happiness for Their Clients
Mike Lynch, Lynch Financial Advisors
NASBA/AICPA: 1 CPE credit 

It seems everyone is promising today to make you smarter, stronger, healthier, richer, etc. And as advisors, we have our own sales line: You will be happier, retire earlier, or live a more fulfilling life. As ACP advisors, we want to be there to pick our clients up when they fall, but we earnestly want to figure out what we can do to bring more happiness to our clients’ lives. Those who have been planning know there is no silver bullet. Sure, if clients can contain their spending, then the portfolio we help them grow can give them more happiness. But how many clients do we all have that really listen to everything we say? And now fee-only is even more under attack. We have online brokers continuing the theme of John Bogle, saying there is no value in asset management: "A monkey can do this work. Just diversify into low-cost ETFs.” So new online “advisors” are entering the market, eager to take your clients on for a lesser fee. What happens when the client buys what you have been selling about expenses and realizes he or she can go online and get everything managed for half of what you are charging? How do we make our practices stand out? How do we deliver exceptional value WITHOUT incurring new costs? How do we charge a fee for what we are really worth? The answer isn’t simple; it lies deep inside each of us.

Cutting-Edge Tax Planning Developments & Opportunities
Michael Kitces, Pinnacle Advisory Group
CFP®/NAPFA: 1 CE credit
IRS: 1 CE credit - Category: Federal Tax
​NASBA/AICPA: 1 CPE credit 

2013 marked the dawn of a new environment for income and estate tax planning. For the first time in more than a decade, there were no more scheduled fiscal cliffs and no more sunset provisions, and instead the outcome of the American Taxpayer Relief Act was "permanent" tax legislation. Of course, permanent only remains so until another Act of Congress changes it, but nonetheless the new tax environment, with its new top tax brackets for income taxes, long-term capital gains, and qualified dividends, along with the new Medicare taxes, have created new planning complexities. In this session, we look at the planning opportunities in today’s environment, from Roth conversions and capital gains harvesting to asset location and AMT planning and how to strategize on income planning issues going forward. 

The Future of Financial Planning in the Digital Age
Michael Kitces,Pinnacle Advisory Group
CFP®/NAPFA: 1 CE credit
​NASBA/AICPA: 1 CPE credit ​

As financial planning shifts from the founding generation of planners (and their clients) to the next, so, too, does the world around us as we enter the digital age. Thus far, however, financial planning has been slow to effectively adopt the emerging digital age technologies, from cloud computing to video "phone" calls to Internet-driven workflows. In this session, we will explore how financial planning will undergo radical change in the coming decades as we truly enter the digital age, from financial planning "apps" for various devices to what technology will - and won't - replace in the financial planning relationship, to how financial planning practices must market and communicate to survive and thrive.

ACP Tools
Bert Whitehead, Cambridge Connection

In talking to members, many don’t understand how the ACP System works with clients. So I want to present all of the files and show how they can all be used with a sample client, including:

 • ACP Fee Calculator (Standard and WM)
• Pyramid Basics 
• Calc Page 
• Endogenous Risk Analysis 
• BOTE Retirement Analyzer 
• Savings Planner 
• Bond Ladder 
• Source and Use of Funds

The Value of Your Online Identity
Ryan Russell, Twenty Over Ten

Accessibility and strong design should be at the core of your business, defining your brand’s reputation and the opportunities for your clients. In this session, Twenty Over Ten will provide top strategies for building a successful brand and identity online. Penn State Professor of Graphic Design Ryan Russell will share what makes for good website design, why mobile optimization is more important than ever, and how to utilize tools such as google analytics to determine what content is drawing the most attention on your site.

The founders of Twenty Over Ten, Nick DiMatteo and Ryan Russell will also demo their intuitive web services, which include websites customized for financial advisors, compliance capabilities, analytics, adwords, and much more.

Q & A with Mr. John "Jack" Bogle
John Bogle, Vanguard

John Bogle will answer questions from ACP conference attendees, drawing on his years of experience and extensive expertise.

How to Never Forget Anything: Practice Automation for Growth and Sustainability
Kelly Adams, Harbor Light Planning

Whether you’re baking a cake or systemizing your firm’s core processes following a great recipe is key. Learn how to achieve consistent results, save time, all while not missing a beat.

Attendees will learn: 

• Disciplined Note Taking

• Using CRM to dictate your day-to-day, not Outlook (the pitfalls of letting your inbox dictate your workflow)

• Cyber Security for your Clients

• Time saving measures through integration 

Gray is the New Black (& White)!
Connie Stone, Stepping Stone Financial, Inc.
CFP®/NAPFA: 1 CE credit
IRS: 1 CE credit - Category: Qualified Retirement Plan Matters
​NASBA/AICPA: 1 CPE credit 

Have you personally or professionally faced issues with aging seniors? I bet your answer is YES! Have there been obvious solutions to problems or uncertainty about the best path? As the senior population continues to mushroom, clients of all ages will need a guide for themselves or their loved ones. While we can’t be all things to all people, as trusted advisors we can offer support, resources, and tools to enable desired consequences in a forest of uncertainties. After they retire, our clients will move through the financial life-cycle stages, from Conservation to Distribution to Sunset. This two- or three-decade process brings potential changes in marital status, goals, lifestyles, health, finances, family dynamics, ability and desire to live independently, and so forth. As with traditional planning, advance preparation will likely improve outcomes and also minimize stress and misgivings. In this session, you can learn a variety of tools and techniques to help your clients more easily navigate later-life transitions.

Getting the Most Out of Permanent Life Insurance For Your Clients
Scott Witt, Witt Actuarial Services, LLC
​CFP®/NAPFA: 1 CE credit
​NASBA/AICPA: 1 CPE credit 

This presentation is targeted to professional advisors – especially fiduciaries – who are in a position to help their clients make better decisions about permanent life insurance policies. Critically, these observations/recommendations are made by someone who serves consumers and their professional advisors in a completely fiduciary capacity. As a fee-only insurance advisor compensated only by fees paid directly by clients, I have no vested interest in the outcome of a case. The presentation focuses on common mistakes, avoiding/fixing disasters, and finding unique ways to add value on behalf of clients.

Harness the Power of Positive Financial Planning for Your Practice and Your Business (and Your Life!)
Ed Jacobson,EAJ Associates
​​CFP®/NAPFA: 1 CE credit
​NASBA/AICPA: 1 CPE credit 

This session presents a positive, strength-based approach to financial planning that focuses and builds upon what’s strong and what’s working, rather than overfocusing on what’s wrong and ineffective. Positive financial planning builds on the framework, insights, and tools of positive psychology and appreciative inquiry, and integrates new findings from brain science. The PFP process produces deeper client-planner collaboration and leads to more meaningful goals and financial plans, as well as more sustained client involvement in the implementation of recommendations. This information-rich and practical session describes PFP’s roots and key concepts, and presents its primary tools and techniques and the powerful business case (seven benefits) for PFP’s positive focus. Attendees engage in brief 1:1 positively focused conversations, leading to whole-room discussion. In addition to learning how to create and reframe questions to become “powerfully positive,” participants also receive 25 powerful positive questions that are ready for immediate use throughout the six stages of the planning process. This presentation then applies PFP’s principles and tools to the firm’s key business processes, including strategic planning, developing a powerful vision for the firm, planning the client experience, and transforming performance planning and the oft-dreaded performance review into useful and enriching experiences.

Five Questions with Rick Ferri
Rick Ferri, Portfolio Solutions, LLC
​CFP®/NAPFA: 1 CE credit
​NASBA/AICPA: 1 CPE credit 

1. What is the difference between Investment philosophies and investment strategies?
2. DFA, Vanguard or both? Can you discuss the advantages of each? 
3. REITS and your portfolio. What is the best way to add real estate as an asset class?  What is the best way to use REIT’s?
4. Rebalancing. We talked earlier about philosophies vs. strategies. Now that we want to rebalance, how do we put the strategies into action? What is the best way to be tax efficient with our investment strategies?
5. Smart Beta. What is it? How to use it – or not use it?  

Adding Tax Alpha
Bert Whitehead,Cambridge Connection
CFP®/NAPFA: 1 CE credit
IRS: 1 CE credit - Category: Federal Tax
​NASBA/AICPA: 1 CPE credit 

It is now widely recognized, as Bob Veres noted, “that tax alpha generally outweighs investment alpha by orders of magnitude.” Most AUM financial planners/advisors focus solely on investments, so tax alpha gives comprehensive planners a huge edge on our competition. This presentation will focus on five tax-planning techniques that make a significant difference in the after-tax return of clients' portfolios: 1. Properly managing capital gains saves clients up to $1,000 each year. 2. Why Roths beat returns in other qualified accounts, even if rate of return is the same. 3. The art of recognizing gains and deferred income to minimize taxes. 4. The golden window for Roth conversions in retirement. 5. Picking the right pension: the easiest way to close new clients.

E&O Coverage--What to Ask Your Insurer
Ken Robinson, Practical Financial Planning
​​NASBA/AICPA: 1 CPE credit 

What does your E&O insurance actually cover? Is it worth the premium? Should you raise your deductibles? Or your limits? Should you change your insurer? And what about an extended reporting period? This session considers E&O insurance for financial planners and identifies some questions you may want to ask your insurer.

Compliance and Regulatory Roundup
Lori Neidel, Neidel Law
​​CFP®/NAPFA: 1 CE credit
​NASBA/AICPA: 1 CPE credit 

"Why me?!" This is usually the first response from any advisor when contacted regarding a regulatory exam. This presentation will address this question and will also discuss the recent focus of regulatory examiners, how a regulator conducts an exam, common deficiencies found by examiners, what happens after an exam, and, if you can’t avoid an exam, advice on how to survive one!

This presentation will demonstrate ACP's new intelligent portfolio management solution, created as a direct result of ACP's new and exciting partnership with Total Rebalance Expert (tRx). You will see how employing the right technology at the most impactful process bottlenecks improves efficiency. ACP's easily implemented solution raises the bar for client service, while allowing you to reclaim quite possibly your most precious asset: your time. 

How to Protect Your Clients from 20s through Retirement
Jerry Skapyak, Low Load Insurance Services
CFP®/NAPFA: 1 CE credit

Your clients will age. There’s no doubt about that. They’ll experience life-changing events. How can you, as their trusted financial advisor, help them along the way to protect what they’ve worked hard for?

You do it with knowledge. Low Load Insurance Services will share with you four solutions that can protect your clients from their 20s through their retirement:

• Term Insurance (including layering policies for the most efficient coverage and conversions)
• When your client has Group DI: Is it enough coverage? (and how to easily get more coverage as the policy – and the client – age)
• Long Term Care Insurance
• - Designing LTCi policies to keep up with cost of care increases
• - Adding spousal policies for cost savings
• - Industry stabilization
• Asset Based Care/Hybrids
• - The flexibility of Hybrid Life/LTCi policies
• - Why the LLIS founder owns a Hybrid Annuity/LTCi policy
• - Comparing traditional LTCi to Hybrid LTCi policies

You’ll learn about how policy reviews and how understanding underwriting can save your clients both now and in the future.

Put Time on Your Side: Joining Dedicated Income Ladders and Time-Optimized Equities
Brent Burns, Asset Dedication
​​CFP®/NAPFA: 1 CE credit
​NASBA/AICPA: 1 CPE credit 

ACP advisors are familiar with dedicated portfolio theory - holding bonds to maturity to provide secure income streams. Technology now allows for all kinds of bonds to be used – government, corporate, or muni, coupon or zero – to minimize costs. In addition, equity portfolios can be designed to integrate with these “income ladders” over the same time horizon. The “Maximin Principle” is used to mathematically quantify the portfolio’s allocations so as to maximize its minimum gain. The overall portfolio can be tracked to make sure it is on or above the critical path it must follow to achieve lifetime success. It is a case study in how academic theory is being applied to personal finance at the practice level.

Behavioral Finance - Key to Planner Success
Linda Leitz, It's Not Just Money, Inc.
​CFP®/NAPFA: 1 CE credit
​NASBA/AICPA: 1 CPE credit 

This presentation will discuss some of the behavioral finance theories and how understanding them can enhance a planner’s understanding of client actions and motivations, help provide better advice and implementation to clients, and strengthen client relationships. It will open with an overview of the academic body of work regarding behavioral finance. The majority of the talk will include theories and examples - some hypothetical and some disguised from client situations - showing how individual behavior relates to a behavioral finance theory and how the planner can better help the client by recognizing and understanding concepts of behavioral finance. Theories that can be used in client situations to understand their resources and how to better teach and motivate individuals to learn and move toward goals will be presented. A resource list of books, articles, journals, and conferences will be included.