BALTIMORE ESTATE PLANNING COUNCIL

Greetings fellow members of the Baltimore Estate Planning Council,

I am Joel L. Simon, Director of Principal & Planned Giving at LifeBridge Heath and a few weeks ago, I was privileged to be elected as President of the BEPC. I have been a member of our Council since 2004, a Board member since 2013, and an officer since 2018. I want to personally thank Matthew Mace, the Immediate Past President, the other BEPC Officers and Directors, all of the committee members, and our extraordinary Executive Director, Melissa Dornan, for their hard work this past year. I also want to thank the generations of previous BEPC leaders who have built our Council into one of the strongest in the nation. I commend you to view their names on our website as they created the foundation from which we all benefit.

The last few years have changed the entire world, and our Council was no exception. We anticipate that future education meetings will have both virtual and in-person options. To increase networking options for members, we are planning to host additional social events. As part of our efforts to sustain our Council, the Emerging Planners Committee will have an active slate of events. Please promote these events to colleagues who are new to (or considering focusing on) Estate Planning. Further keeping our eye on the future, our Council continues to support the newest committee, the Diversity & Inclusion Committee. As a Council, we must ensure that the BEPC is as diverse and inclusive as the professions in our organization, and we must work toward a time when those professions are as diverse as the communities they serve. Our Council continues to remain actively involved in endorsing our more experienced members as Accredited Estate Planners (AEP®). Please check the criteria online or reach out to our Council’s AEP® Committee. If you would like to get more involved with our Council by serving on a committee, please connect with the committee of interest – your participation is welcomed!

The educational programs are the heart of our Council and the 2022-23 program year continues the BEPC standard of dynamic speakers on topics of interest to our members and guests. Pending any last-minute changes, the schedule is as follows:

Tuesday September 20, 2022
Bernard Krooks
“Representing Clients with Diminished Capacity”

 Thursday October 27, 2022
Jamie Mendelsohn
“Life Insurance”
Sponsored by Alex Brown

Tuesday December 6, 2022
Samuel Donaldson
“Tax Update”
Sponsored by the Baltimore Community Foundation

Wednesday January 25, 2023
Andrew Bishop
“Charitable Giving”
Sponsored by The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, Inc.

Thursday February 23, 2023
Anirban Basu
“Economic Update”
Sponsored by Maller Wealth Advisors, Inc.

Thursday May 11, 2023
Tiffany McKenzie
“Digital Assets”
Sponsored by PNC Private Bank

You may prepay for the entire series of speakers, which provides you with convenience and cost savings. You should include your prepayment with your dues renewal. Even if you are not prepaying for the programs, kindly send in your annual dues as soon as possible. 

Before closing, I express my continued gratitude to the generous sponsors who each year allow our dues and event fees to remain very affordable. Please consider them when forging professional relationships.

The Officers, Board, and I look forward to stewarding your Council in the coming year. Please feel free to reach out to any of with ideas or concerns.

Sincerely,

Joel L. Simon, Esq., AEP®
President
Baltimore Estate Planning Council