65 Advisors. 25 US States. 3 Countries. 1 Goal: Change the Outcome.

EPI completed the first CEPA program of the year in February and this week 65 advisors passed their proctored examination and have earned the most widely endorsed and accepted exit planning designation in the industry: The Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA).

This program also introduced two new members to the expert faculty: Julie Keyes, CEPA, Founder of KeyeStrategies, instructing advisors on how to effectively build, nurture, and monetize opportunity within the Teams & Collaboration module, and Judi Cunningham, MA, FEA, Founder of the Cox Family Enterprise Center | Kennesaw State University, Coles College of Business, teaching CEPAs practical approaches for common roadblocks riddled within family-owned businesses in the Family Transitions module.

While recapping offline with EPI’s leadership team, Judi Cunningham leaned into the topic of next-generation priorities and shared some remarkable, albeit staggering, facts about family business transitions that directly related to the vulnerability of your client relationships:

1. 70% of widows leave their husband’s financial advisor within one year of their husband’s death.
2. 95% of next-generation inheritors change advisors after the death of both parents.

“Most advisors don’t see their client as the next generation and don’t believe there is any reason to speak with them or create a relationship with them because they aren’t the ‘decision maker,’” Cunningham says, “There are many reasons to connect with the next generation [when working with family business owners], but hanging on to the business [post-transition] is a fairly compelling one in my mind.”

Congratulations to the newest CEPAs to join the network.  Together, we can change the outcome for middle market business owners across the globe.

• Mauricio Alvarez,UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Keith Apton, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Jeanine Barkan, PoleStar Entrepreneurial Group
• Christopher Bart, Aurum Wealth Management
• David Bastiaans, Wolcott Rivers Gates
• Amy Biersteker, Schenck SC
• Alexis Bishop, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Luke Britt, Level Four Wealth Management
• Allen Brown, LCM
• Karen Carlin, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Darren Cherry, FocusCFO
• Stephen Cummings, Rizolve Partners
• Stephen Demarais, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Matthew Doucet, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Christopher Dunne, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Nick Francia, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• William Gibbs, BNY Mellon Wealth Management
• Rebecca Glasgow, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Ghislain Gouraige Jr., UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Ron Green, Merrill Lynch
• Bill Guerin, Catalytics Performance Consulting
• Catherine Guidera, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Matt Hansen, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Carl Hattermann, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Lisa Horn, Schenck SC
• Karina Horton, PNC Bank
• Jason Hughes, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Bryce Jenney, Raymond James & Associates
• Anthony Jessen, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Katrina Jonah, Jondewin Consulting Services
• John Kamprath, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Tom Krumenacker, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Leslie Lauer, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Steven LeClair, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• William Lee, Applied Economics
• Kelly LeVangie, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• William Lewis, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Jayne McQuillan, Journey Consulting, LLC
• Anne Megerle, Lenox Wealth
• Renee Milyiori, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Barry Nelson, Columbia Threadneedle/ Ameriprise
• Frank O’Shea, Berry Dunn
• Greg Paffendorf, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Michael Pearson, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Ross Peden, Exit Strategist Ltd
• Curt Rubinas, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Thomas Schmidt, Heritage Financial Group
• Micheal Schumacher, Headwaters MB
• Gustavo Schutt, Becher y Asociados SRL
• Eric Schwarz, BNY Mellon Wealth Management
• Bob Shingler, KMJ Partners LLC
• Lori Siegel, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Dean St Marie, St Marie Financial Advisors
• John Stanford, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Bonnie Suther, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Geal Talbert, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Mark Uehling, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Jon Underkofler, BNY Mellon Wealth Management
• Amy Vegh, BNY Mellon Wealth Management
• Eric Vidal, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
• Lewis Walker, Capital Insight Group
• Seth Webber, BerryDunn
• Eric Wulff, Aurum
• John Zaal, Nyhart
• Leora Zach, UBS Financial Services, Inc.

About Exit Planning Institute:

The Exit Planning Institute (EPI) is an education company that provides exit planning education to advisors and middle market business owners.  We view exit planning as a strategy, not an event.

EPI leads the professional services profession with the best industry content, ongoing support, and owner education platform, all of which align with our mission: Change the outcome.

Only 2 out of every 10 businesses that come to market actually sell.  We want to increase the number of saleable businesses.

Only 30% of family businesses successfully transition to the second generation, only 12% transfer to the third, and the success rates diminish from there.  We want to improve those intergenerational transitions.

Of those that succeed in the sale of their business, 75% experience “profound regret” within one year of exiting their business.  We want to understand why and create strategies that achieve profound success, wealth, and satisfaction.

EPI is an education company, powered by an elite community of top advisors and owners, all focused toward creating a valuable, transferable future for the business marketplace.

• Change your outcome.  Learn more at www.Exit-Planning-Institute.org.
• Educate business owners.  Learn more at www.OwnerReadiness.com.
• Become the Advisor of the Future.  Learn more at www.EarnCEPA.com.