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Innovate or DieInnovate or Die

The three big disrupters affecting the future of the estate-planning lawyer.

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Timothy Belber, Ian McDermottand 1 more

August 24, 2017

10 Min Read
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About a year before his death in 2017, Dennis Belcher, past president of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, delivered a lecture entitled, “Do We Need a Canary or Did the Canary Stop Singing and We Missed It?” Dennis compared the estate-planning practice to the rigors of coal mining. Miners used a yellow canary to warn them of lethal gases. If the canary stopped singing, it signaled danger, and the miners needed to respond immediately or risk losing their lives. 

We are by nature innovators. Every time a lawyer crafts a new argument or creates a new tax strategy, she’s innovating. That innovative energy needs to be focused on how we deliver estate-planning services and counsel.

Dennis’ Joseph Trachtman lecture was an acknowle...

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About the Authors

Timothy Belber

Principal, Alchemia Group

Timothy Belber is principal of the Alchemia Group in Denver.

Ian McDermott

Dean of Innovation & Learning, Purposeful Planning Institute

Ian McDermott is dean of Innovation & Learning at the Purposeful Planning Institute in Denver.

 

John A. Warnick

Founder, Purposeful Planning Institute

http://purposefulplanninginstitute.com/index.html

John (“John A”) Warnick is the founder of the Purposeful Planning Institute and Family Wealth Transitions & Solutions in Denver.

John A balances his enthusiasm for tax savings with in-depth discovery and purposeful questions to insure the planning is congruent with his client’s core values.  He delivers workshops across the nation for estate planning attorneys and financial planners sharing the six paradigms of Purposeful Planning and the Seven Keys Of The Purposeful Trust (View Video).

He spends a considerable amount of his time facilitating family retreats and providing wealth counseling, fiduciary and philanthropic consulting services. He finds immense fulfillment in educating and training children, adolescents and emerging adults in financial literacy, philanthropic service, and holistic family wealth principles.

He was the author of two BNA (Bureau of National Affairs) Tax Management portfolios.  He co-authored “Selecting a Trust Situs in the 21st Century” which was published in the March/April 2002 issue of Probate and Property.  He is currently serving as co-editor of a book on best practices for trusts and is also working on two other books entitled The Gift of You and The Purposeful Trust Handbook.

Mr. Warnick received a BA magna cum laude from Brigham Young University and his JD from George Washington University with honors.

Prior to launching his own business, John A was a partner in the Denver office of Holme Roberts & Owen LLP for almost eleven years after practicing in Nevada and Wyoming previously.

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