Ohnstad Twichell

President’s Message:

 I would like to extend a warm welcome back to another year of Red River Valley Estate Planning Council, as our Board has secured a full calendar of engaging speakers and relevant program topics for you! 

In addition to the challenging learning opportunities at each session, we are fortunate to network with peers across all estate planning professions.  We have seen our membership decline in recent years, and in order to continue our excellent programming lineup, we need to ensure that our membership dues are able to support our budget; and so I would ask each of you to seriously think about inviting other professionals within your firms, or those estate planning professionals that you may encounter in your work, volunteering, church and other civic groups to join us.  As a reminder, we have the Eugene Minske Scholarship available for new professionals who may be interested in joining us – but may work for a non-profit or small or new business that may have a limited budget for continuing education & networking opportunities.  The Scholarship application is available on our website and covers 100% of the membership cost for one year.  Our regular membership fee for first year members remains at $275, and $440 for returning members.

For the past eight years, I have had the pleasure of working with a talented & committed team of board members from all of the designations/professions that we represent and am honored to serve as your President during the 2024-2025 program year!  Please join me in thanking Patty Monilaws for her service as our Administrative Secretary, who keeps us organized and ensures that our programs meet the stringent qualifications for continuing education for all our disciplines.

If you have any questions, concerns or recommendations, I encourage you to reach out to me or a fellow board member.  I look forward to seeing you in person soon!

Jan Nelson

Red River Valley Estate Planning Council is affiliated with the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils and joining can fulfill the requirement of belonging to an affiliated local estate planning council to become an Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) designee. Please contact the national office at 866-226-2224 to learn more about the Accredited Estate Planner® designation.