February 2025 Education Meeting
FREE TO FPA MEMBERS ($65 for non-members)
TOPIC #1: Medicaid and VA Update: What You Should Know to Assist Your Clients
SPEAKER: Allison M. McMeechan, Esq.
About the presentation: This program will focus on the various planning opportunities available to elderly clients and their loved ones. However, in order to better grasp such planning, it is first important to understand the various benefit programs that may be accessed to assist your clients. This program will the various benefit programs available (Medicaid, VA, Medicare, SSI and SSFI), the rules related to each benefit program, and the planning opportunities that may be available.
About the speaker: Allison focuses her practice on elder and special needs law, including estate and long- term care planning, estate and trust administration, probate and guardianships. She serves as the Chair of both Reminger’s Elder Law and Special Needs Planning practice group and Estate and Trust Administration Practice Group. Allison is an Accredited Attorney with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She is a Certified Elder Law Attorney through the National Elder Law Foundation (CELA) and a Certified Elder Law Specialist through the Ohio State Bar Association. She is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys National and Ohio Chapters and the Ohio State Bar Association’s Estate, Trust & Probate Law Section, and Elder & Special Needs Law Committee. Allison serves as a member of Julie Billiart Schools’ Advancement Committee and the Board of Directors of Milestones Autism Resources.
TOPIC #2: P&C Insurance Update for 2025
SPEAKER: Michelle Hirsch
About the presentation: The California wildfires have shown the world that no two homeowner’s insurance policies are the same. This session will take an in-depth exploration of important coverages, key trends and challenges shaping the property and casualty insurance landscape in 2025. Michelle will review recent client case studies and provide actionable insights to help navigate the evolving insurance market.
About the speaker: For over 15 years, Michelle has managed department operations, marketing, and overall corporate business development at Brunswick Companies. Working with all of the business units internally, as well as external sources of influence, Michelle’s main goal is to make sure BPC is at the forefront of the insurance industry. Michelle earned her MBA from Case Western University’s Weatherhead School of Management and was named in the Class of 2008 Crain’s Cleveland Business Top “Twenty in Their 20’s” and Class of 2017 “Forty Under 40.”
Continuing Education: FPA NEO will request credit for these programs, which will total two hours of CE from the CFP® Board of Standards for CFP® designation holders. A general certificate of completion and one for CPA designees who feel the program satisfies their continuing education requirements will also be available.
Reservation Policy: All attendees are encouraged to register in advance before noon 02/19/25 and walk-in reservations will be accepted on a space-available basis only. In person meeting cost is free for FPA members and $65 for non-members. If you reserve and are unable to attend, please call the office or email admin@fpa-neo.org to cancel by noon 02/19/25 to avoid a no-show reservation billing of $10.00.
About the presentation: Although the pandemic has grown increasingly distant in the rearview mirror, many of its economic ramifications have lasted well into 2024. As we look ahead toward 2025, we expect the US economy to shake off the lingering effects of the pandemic and officially start a new chapter. This chapter will notably include lower rates and a new president in the White House. However, with change typically comes a degree of discomfort and uncertainty. Fortunately, a strong foundation has afforded the Fed time and flexibility to ease the US economy into a soft landing.
Dan Candura, CFP BOARD EMERITUS™ is the founder of Candura Group, LLC and provides ethics training across the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia through in-person courses and webinars. As President of PennyTree Advisers LLC, until September 2019, Dan provided financial planning for consumers and litigation support for attorneys. Dan taught financial planning, insurance planning and retirement planning in the Sawyer School of Business at Suffolk University in Boston and was CFP® Ambassador for the Boston area. He now lives on Cape Cod.
Katie Collin returned to the Cleveland Foundation at the end of July 2024 as the Director, Philanthropic Strategy. In this role she will guide the team that introduces donors, families and organizations to the multitude of philanthropic tools the Foundation has to offer, and partner with the team that works with donors and organizational fund partners to help them achieve their philanthropic objectives. She first served with the Cleveland Foundation from 2016-2019 as a Gift Planning Advisor. Since graduating from law school, Katie has gained extensive experience at the intersection of the legal, financial and charitable sectors through gift planning, non-cash assets, alternative investments and estate planning roles at Ren, American Endowment Foundation, Schneider Smeltz Spieth Bell, LLP, and The Cleveland Clinic Katie is a member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, the Northern Ohio Charitable Gift Planners, and the Estate Planning Council of Cleveland, where she serves on the membership committee. She is a dedicated community member, currently serving her second term on the board of the Cleveland Public Library Foundation, co-chairing the development committee, and as a member of LakewoodAlive’s development committee in her hometown of Lakewood. Katie earned her Bachelor of Arts in art history, with minors in economics and Italian language & literature from Smith College, and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Akron School of Law. She completed training through the 21/64 Program to provide multigenerational advising, facilitation and engagement, so that multiple generations can work, give and serve together more effectively. Katie received her Certificate for the Fundamentals of Alternative Investments from CAIA in 2023. 
Ginger Mlakar serves as in-house legal counsel and manages the Foundation’s legal affairs. Additionally, she oversees the teams that works with current donors, individuals, business owners, and their professional advisors to identify their charitable objectives and implement simple to complex strategies to accomplish their philanthropic goals. At the same time, Ginger connects non-profits to partnership opportunities with the Foundation. She came to the Cleveland Foundation in July 2009 after 16 years practicing law in estate, trust and charitable gift planning and administration. Her previous positions include partner in the personal succession and planning practice group at Thompson Hine LLP and of counsel in the estate planning and probate practice group at Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP. She is also a certified public accountant. Ginger has served on the boards of several area organizations and is currently on the board for the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils and is an AEP® Accredited Estate Planner. Ginger has been named among the Best Lawyers in America and the Top 50 Female Ohio Super Lawyers List by Law and Politics magazine. She was a member of the Leadership Cleveland Class of 2014. Ginger has received the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s Women in Law Making a Difference and President’s Awards, the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation’s Outstanding Leadership Award, the Estate Planning Council of Cleveland’s 2019 Distinguished Estate Planner Award, and the 2022 Women of Professional Excellence from the YWCA of Greater Cleveland. She graduated summa cum laude from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and earned her juris doctorate from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
