Professional Advisors
We Provide Complimentary Continuing Education Seminars for Professional Advisors
At Truman Heartland, we are passionate about connecting professional advisors with the expertise they need to provide excellent service to their clients. We help advisors to better support their charitably minded clients, to help them build the legacy they are meant to.
Spring 2025 | Thursday May 15, 2025
9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
"MY ESTATE PLANNING ERA:
KISS in 2025 | Can we keep it simple (why do I feel so) stupid?"
Presented by:
Melinda M. (Mindy) Ward, JD
Partner at Spencer Fane LLP
Midwest Public Risk
19400 E Valley View Pkwy.
Independence, MO 64055
MAP
- CFP Board
- Program ID: 336404
- CE Credit: 3.0 hours
Learning Objectives
1) Thorough overview of the probate process and identify numerous potential probate avoidance techniques
2) Review of the revocable trust (post-death) administration process
3) Discussion of charitable giving for income and estate tax planning
4) Extensive question and answer session
About this Presentation
In this new era of high estate tax exemptions, fewer clients need pure estate tax planning, but most clients still require estate planning. The number of “simple” clients is dwindling with new and difficult assets, aggressive (and sometimes unrealistic) client goals, blended families, changes in what families look like, and an increasing wealth in retirement accounts, all of which make our probate rules onerous and antiquated.
This session will provide a detailed overview of the specific instances an individual may be “stuck” in the probate court and how to spot potential probate issues in advance as well as techniques for avoiding probate including beneficiary designations, jointly titling assets and the use of revocable trusts.
In addition, charitable giving will be discussed for both income tax planning and estate planning purposes, including the plethora of often overlooked uses for donor advised funds.
Finally, ample time will be allowed for a question-and-answer session from a seasoned estate planning professional willing to share insight and experience (without making you feel stupid).
About our Presenter
Melinda (Mindy) Ward provides clients with a high level of efficient service and expertise in complex estate, business, and gift and tax planning issues. She is well-versed in handling wills and trusts, family limited partnerships, limited liability companies, S corporations, irrevocable trusts, charitable trusts, and other sophisticated estate and business planning devices.
In addition, Mindy advises clients in all types of fiduciary controversies, administers estates and trusts, and prepares federal and state individual, estate, gift, corporate, and generation-skipping tax returns, as well as fiduciary income tax returns for estates and trusts.
A member of the Kansas City Estate Planning Society and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
(Taxation and Probate Committees), Mindy is admitted to the Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado bars. She was the first recipient of the Estate Planning Society Award and is a past co-chair of the Greater Kansas City Leave a Legacy. She has been featured as a speaker at numerous seminars on estate planning probate, and ethics.
Mindy was selected as a Missouri & Kansas Rising Star from 2008 to 2013 and has regularly been named a Super Lawyer in the years since. Most recently, she was selected as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Missouri and Kansas, and made the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Kansas City list 2015-2018. She is also rated as an AV Preeminent Lawyer by her peers.
While attending law school at UMKC, Mindy served on the Law Review and the Urban Lawyer and graduated at the top of her class.
Continuing Education:
- CFP Board
- Program ID: 336404
- CE Credit: 3.0 hours
Our Advisor Seminar Series
We are passionate about connecting professional advisors with expertise in charitable giving. Reach out at any time to learn more about attending or presenting. Cole Eason at Eason@thcf.org.
| Year | Season | Advisor Seminar Topics | Presenter |
| 2024 | Spring | Leaving a Legacy: Donor Advised Funds and Private Foundations -And- You’ve Been Served: Top Ten Questions a Beneficiary and Their Advisors Should Ask When Receiving an Inheritance Where Litigation Is Involved | Joseph D. Growney, JD, and Justin Whitney, JD |
| 2024 | Fall | Navigating the Estate Planning Maze: Strategies for Today's Advisors | Brandon Oldham, JD |
| 2023 | Spring | Avoiding Probate in Life and Death -and- A Practical Overview of Trust Administration | Polly Bartle Blomquist, JD |
| 2023 | Fall | Estate and Charitable Gift Planning with Retirement Assets and Closely Held Businesses | Joseph D. Growney, JD, and Justin Whitney, JD |
| 2022 | Spring | Fundamentals of Estate Planning and Probate | Mindy Ward, JD |
| 2022 | Fall | 2022 Tax Update: A Practical Overview of the Latest Legislation Changes | Jenna Hauschild, CPA, and Jessica Kinnard, CPA |
| 2021 | Spring | Donor Advised Funds: The Swiss Army Knife of Charitable Planning | Bryan Clontz, Ph.D., CFP®, CAP® |
| 2021 | Fall | Charitable Gift Planning in 2021: Options and Strategies to Achieve Your Client’s Giving Goals | Joseph D. Growney, JD, and Ruth J. Brackney, JD |
| 2020 | Spring | The New Rules: The SECURE Act, CARES Act and Charitable Giving | Mike Martin |
| 2020 | Spring | Donor Advised Friend or Foe in Legacy Planning | Phil Hanson |
| 2020 | Fall | Business Succession Planning: Options for Your Small Business Client and How to Get Them There | Andrew S. Felker, JD |
| 2019 | Spring | Practice Planned Giving in a World of Little or No Estate Tax | Scott Blakesley |
| 2019 | Fall | Make Your Charitable Estate Plan Great Again | Chris Hoyt |
| 2018 | Spring | Tax Reform…Will Behaviors Change? | Mike Martin and Beverly Powell |
| 2018 | Fall | Financial Exploitation of Older Adults | Kathy Greenlee, Polly Bartle-Blomquist, Dennis Fowler, Dyan Zimmerman |
| 2018 | Fall | Well-Timed charitable Discussions | Phil Hanson |
| 2017 | Spring | Helping Your Clients with their Charitable Planning Options | Scott Blakesley |
| 2017 | Fall | Broaden Your Client Relationships - When to Use Scholarship Funds and Donor Advised Funds with Clients | Phil Hanson |
| 2017 | Fall | Charitable Planning with Life Insurance | Rick Henks |
| 2016 | Spring | Deepening Client Relationships - When to use Donor Advised Funds with Clients | Phil Hanson |
| 2016 | Spring | Transfers of Business to Charity | Bunk Farrington |
| 2016 | Fall | Ethics for the Professional | Mike Martin |
| 2016 | Fall | The Benefits of Charitable Gift Planning - When to use planned giving vehicles with clients | Phil Hanson |
| 2015 | Spring | Deepening Client Relationships - When to use Donor Advised Funds with Clients | Phil Hanson |
| 2015 | Spring | Ethics for the Financial Advisor | Stan Salva |
| 2014 | Spring | Charitable Estate Planning - Not just for the rich and famous | Scott Blakesley |
| 2014 | Fall | The Leverage of Life Insurance in Combination with Charitable Giving | Rick Henks |
| 2011 | Spring | Charitable Giving Under the New Law | Mike Martin |
| 2011 | Fall | Win-Win-Win with Charitable Giving: Helping Your Clients Help Charity while Retaining Assets and Relationships with your Clients | Doug Hammer |
| 2011 | Fall | Year End Giving | Phil Hanson |
| 2010 | Spring | Life Success System that Never Fails | Bill Regan |
| 2009 | Fall | Charitable Planning with Life Insurance | Rick Henks |
| 2009 | Fall | Ethical Considerations and Changing Technology | Mindy Ward |
| 2005 | Spring | Children and Charity | Crescendo Webcast |
| 2005 | Fall | Children and Charity | Crescendo Webcast |
Questions?
Cole Eason is here to help; email or call 816-912-4182.