African American Estate Planning: Why Understanding Lived Experience Matters

Estate planning professionals increasingly recognize that effective planning requires more than technical expertise. It requires understanding the personal, cultural, historical, and family dynamics that shape how clients view wealth, legacy, financial institutions, and long-term planning decisions. This thought-provoking webinar explores practical considerations for serving African American clients and families, examining how historical experiences, wealth disparities, trust, financial literacy, legacy planning, family expectations, and intergenerational wealth transfer can influence planning conversations. The discussion provides valuable insights for attorneys, CPAs, financial advisers, trust officers, and wealth management professionals seeking to deepen client relationships, improve communication, and provide more culturally aware and effective guidance. Participants will gain perspectives on overcoming barriers to planning, fostering trust, encouraging financial education, addressing succession and legacy goals, and helping families preserve and transfer wealth across generations. Rather than focusing solely on documents and technical strategies, this program highlights the human side of planning and offers practical ideas for creating more meaningful, client-centered engagements. Whether you advise high-net-worth families, business owners, emerging affluent clients, or multigenerational households, this webinar will provide insights that can help you better understand clients’ experiences, strengthen advisory relationships, and create more effective estate, tax, financial, and legacy planning outcomes.

Speakers: Bryan Beamer, Jermal Seward and Martin Shenkman