WEPC had its beginning in early 1988 when a small group of local estate planning attorneys, trust officers, financial planners and accountants who lived or worked in the Worthington area met to discuss forming an estate planning council. The results were favorable, and the first meeting was held in April 1988. WEPC has grown from 40-45 members in 1988 to 140-150 members currently, and an average meeting attendance of 30 in 1988 to 55-65 currently. WEPC currently meets at the Worthington Hills Country Club. For directions to the club click here.
MEMBERSHIP
Members include attorneys, accountants, financial planners and investment advisors, business valuation appraisers, charitable development officers, investment advisors and trust officers. Membership is not limited by profession or geographical area. Certified Financial Planners ® who participate in offsetting the cost of meeting registration may receive CE credit for attending CFP Board approved meetings.
DUES
Annual dues are established by the Planning Committee each spring and are currently $120 per year. (Individuals who join after the first of the year receive a discounted rate for that year.) A new member pays an additional one-time $20 fee. There are NO other membership requirements. The WEPC year runs from June 1 through May 31. Membership dues notices are sent out via email every May. To join WEPC click here.
If a member brings a guest to a meeting, there is a guest fee to cover the cost of the breakfast, currently $15.
If a member will not be able to attend a meeting, a substitute from the same office may attend instead without charge.
If a member makes a reservation, but does not attend or send a substitute, a $15 “no-show” fee will be charged to that member.
MEETINGS
Over the years the WEPC membership has overwhelmingly favored (1) a morning meeting in the middle of the week; (2) keeping the membership dues low; (3) no strictly social meetings; and (4) meetings every month including the summer months. Accordingly, WEPC meets at 7:30 a.m. every month of the year on the third Wednesday at the Worthington Hills Country Club (920 Clubview Boulevard South, Worthington, Ohio 43235), except that the January meeting is held off-site to accommodate Worthington Hills Country Club’s winter break.
There have been no meetings that are strictly social in nature–each meeting has a substantive presentation about estate planning, charitable planning or, less frequently, financial or investment planning. To accommodate accountant members exceptions to this schedule are made when the third Wednesday of April falls on Tax Day.
To see some of the topics covered in prior meetings please click here.
LEADERSHIP
WEPC is an unincorporated association with a very simple leadership arrangement. A five to six member Planning Committee meets twice a year (May and November) to discuss potential speakers and topics, dues amounts, and extraordinary expenditures for such things as special meetings and this web page. The current members of the Planning Committee are:
Steve DeWeese, Attorney
Scott Grimes, CPA, Treasurer
William A. Morse, Attorney, Presider/Moderator
Rick Schuster, Attorney and CFP®
John Shockley, Attorney and Trust Officer