Keynote Speaker

Harry F. Sydney III
Three-Time Super Bowl Champion | President & Founder of My Brother’s Keeper, Inc. | Motivational Speaker | Published Author

Topic
Winning From Within

Summary & Learning Objectives
- Understanding the difference between a professional and amateur athlete
- The fundamentals of building YOUR house
- The difference between "A Successful Man and a Man of Success"
- Everyone wants to be The Beast, but not everyone wants to do what The
  Beast does
- Bet on YOURSELF!

Biography
Harry Sydney is a former NFL football player and coach, a three-time Super Bowl Champion, and is currently the President and founder of My Brother’s Keeper. To date, Harry has touched the lives of many people with his faith and courageous story of how he pursued his dream to become a professional football player despite adversity. He is dedicated to seeing people become unstoppable through his speaking engagements, mentoring program, and publication of his life story.

Harry played professional football in the USFL, CFL, the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers. He played on the San Francisco 49ers Team 1987-1991 where he earned 2 Super Bowl rings. His last season as a player was in 1992 where he played on the Green Bay Packers Team. Harry Sydney is “the only one” as an NFL fullback to catch a touchdown pass from Joe Montana and Brett Favre. After his NFL retirement Mike Holmgren hired Harry to coach running backs for the Green Bay Packers coaching greats such as Edgar Bennett, Dorsey Levens and William Henderson and earned another Super Bowl ring as a Green Bay Packers coach.

When Harry retired from the National Football League he founded a non-profit organization My Brother’s Keeper - Straight Talk~Sound Direction a male mentoring program in Green Bay, WI. Since 2003 he has dedicated himself to helping thousands of boys and men find success in dealing with the hardships in their lives. The mentors in the program help boys and men gain the knowledge and skills to make positive changes by redirecting their thought process.

Professional Development Session 1
Presented by Grant Thornton
Topic: Estate planning in a reduced rate environment

Summary
Tax reform led to many entities re-considering the form of entity that would best serve them in the wake of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA). As part of this session, we will provide insights in entity selection post-TCJA. The discussion will also focus on estate planning for owners of flow-through entities and C corporations, as well as estate planning for charitable purposes. 


Presenter

Daniel J. Potter
Managing Director, Private Wealth Services | Grant Thornton

Biography
Dan is Managing Director and a leader of Grant Thornton’s Private Wealth Services (PWS) practice in the Midwest region. The PWS practice: provides tax advice to business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, and high net worth families and individuals; provides services in the areas of income tax planning, tax compliance, personal financial planning, and retirement and estate planning; and, serves all 56 offices in the United States. The PWS group provides implementation services for income tax and estate tax planning strategies for the firm’s Privately Held businesses, their owners and families, and unaffiliated high net worth clients, and their families.

Professional qualifications and memberships
- Wisconsin Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Milwaukee Estate Planning Council
- Estate Counselors Forum

Education
Dan received his Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting from the Creighton University. He received his Juris Doctor from Marquette University.

Presenter

Matt Johnson
Director, Private Wealth Services | Grant Thornton

Biography
Matt is a Director in Grant Thornton’s Private Wealth Services practice serving clients throughout the Midwest region. He has been with Grant Thornton serving clients in a tax compliance and consulting capacity since 2010. Matt’s focus is on assisting high net wealth family groups in minimizing their overall tax burden. He has expertise in the areas of federal income, estate, and gift taxation and is also a net investment income tax specialist. Matt has a broad range of experience with estates and trusts, as well as privately held C corporations, S corporations, and partnerships.

Professional qualifications and memberships
- American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

Education
Matt received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Master of Science in Management – Professional Accounting with an emphasis on taxation from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.

Presenter

John Werner
Senior Manager, Tax | Grant Thornton

Biography
John Werner is a senior manager in Grant Thornton’s Wisconsin tax practice, based in Appleton. John joined Grant Thornton in 2008 and has over seven and a half years of tax experience, specializing in S-Corporation and individual and trust tax compliance and consulting. He is responsible for meeting the tax service needs of clients. This includes assisting with completing tax compliance filings and consulting with clients to offer advice and solutions. John works with a broad range of clients, including specializing in serving the manufacturing industry.

Professional qualifications and memberships
- Member of the board of directors for the Wisconsin FBLA-PBL Foundation, Inc.
- Mentor with the Best Friends of Neenah-Menasha.

Education
John received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and a Certificate in Entrepreneurial Management from the University of Iowa.

Presenter

Drew Casperson
Senior Associate, Tax | Grant Thornton

Biography
Drew works on engagements that center around the closely held family business with pass-through entity structures. Roles and responsibilities vary from tax compliance, to navigating the complex issues of tax reform, to helping implement wealth transfer strategies. He primarily works with pass-through entities and their owners in the manufacturing and construction industries.

Professional qualifications and certificates
- Certified Public Accountant
- Member - American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

Education
- Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

Professional Development Session 2
Presented by Francis Investment Counsel
Topic: Financial planning isn’t just for people with money: why employees need financial guidance and how your organization benefits

Summary
Estate and financial planning is often reserved for those who have accumulated financial assets. When you consider your employee base, are the resources provided effective in helping them accumulate financial assets? Will they have an estate to plan?

Your employees’ financial journey is fraught with changes, obstacles, and frustration resulting in distraction and stress that meaningfully impacts the profitability of your company. Tim Shirk of Francis Investment Counsel will borrow from his blue-collar background as well as years of coaching employees to take you out of your comfort zone. After this session, you’ll see financial planning from your employees’ perspective. This understanding will enable you to provide the tools they need to achieve their financial peace of mind, making them happier, safer, more productive members of your team. This session should also be attended by members of your HR team and retirement benefits committee.

Presenter

Timothy Shirk, CFP
Senior Money Advisor | Francis Investment Counsel

Biography
Tim serves as a Senior Money Advisor with the MoneyAdvice@Work^® Team for Francis Investment Counsel.  His primary responsibilities include creating and delivering adult financial education programs and providing individual advisory services to client employees. He graduated from the Moody Bible Institute with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree. After serving as an aircraft mechanic and flight instructor, and then a business operations analyst at a national bank, Tim joined Francis Investment Counsel, returned to school, and obtained his Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation. He also holds a Certified Health Savings Advisor (CHSA) designation. Tim resides in New Berlin, Wisconsin with his wife and their two children.

Financial Executives International (FEI) is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.learningmarket.org.