ESTATE PLANNING COUNCIL OF CLEVELAND

About the Program
This presentation will focus on the “beneficiary readiness gap,” viewed from the perspective of the next generation who will actually receive the wealth. Even a technically sound estate plan can fall short if beneficiaries are not prepared to receive, protect, and responsibly manage their inheritance. The discussion will explore how families and their advisory teams can better prepare beneficiaries through intentional education, communication, and thoughtful estate plan design, while also protecting inherited wealth from common risks such as divorce, creditors, poor financial decisions, and unnecessary taxation.

About the Speakers
Katie Collin is Director, Philanthropic Strategy, at the Cleveland Foundation. She returned to the Foundation in July 2024 after first serving there as a Gift Planning Advisor from 2016 to 2019. She helps donors, families and organizations use the Foundation's philanthropic tools to reach their charitable goals. An attorney by training, she has worked across the legal, financial and charitable sectors in gift planning, non-cash assets, alternative investments and estate planning at Ren, American Endowment Foundation, Schneider Bell, LLP, and The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. She is a sought-after speaker and a recurring guest on Season 2 of Ren's Philanthropic Insights podcast. Katie serves on the boards of the Northern Ohio Charitable Gift Planners and the Estate Planning Council of Cleveland, where she also chairs the membership committee. She is finishing her second term on the Cleveland Public Library Foundation board and serves on LakewoodAlive's development committee. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and a J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law. She has also trained with the 21/64 Program in multigenerational advising, earned the CAIA Fundamentals of Alternative Investments certificate (2023), and holds the Accredited Estate Planner® designation (2025).

Eric Meleney is an estate planning and probate attorney with Ibis Legacy Law in Shaker Heights, Ohio, where he helps individuals and families navigate estate and legacy planning, trust and estate administration, and related tax and business succession matters. Before joining Ibis Legacy Law, Eric practiced as a business and tax attorney representing medical and dental professionals and their businesses nationwide and previously handled complex tax matters supporting Special Counsel to the Ohio Attorney General. Eric enjoys collaborating with clients’ advisory teams to develop thoughtful, practical plans and has particular interests in educating the next generation about the responsibilities that come with inherited wealth and in planning for the care of beloved pets. He earned his J.D. from Capital University Law School and his B.A. from The Catholic University of America. Eric lives in Hudson with his wife, Paige, their two children, a dog, two cats, and a fluctuating number of fish.

Richard Tanner, Principal and Founder of Ownership Advisors, brings over 30 years of experience helping ultra-high-net-worth families navigate complex liquidity planning, ownership transitions, and multi-generational wealth transfer. Driven by a desire to prevent the loss of family wealth across generations, he integrates tax efficiency, investment strategies, and family governance to foster communication and clarity of purpose. As an Accredited Estate Planner (AEP®), Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®), and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®), Richard specializes in business succession, charitable planning, and estate liquidity, having created the Probate Dress Rehearsal™ to stress-test estate plans and trustee readiness. His practice is deeply informed by his firsthand experience engineering his own exit from a family-held enterprise and selling a wealth management firm. Based in Lakewood, Ohio with his wife Gail, Richard is an active community member involved in Bridge City Church who enjoys cooking, classic cinema, yoga, biking, and running.

Patrick M. Polomsky, ASA  │  2026-2027 Program Chair

Continuing Education – The following credits will be available for 1 hour of CE (as of 10/26/26): 
CFP® – Requested from the CFP® Board.
General – Available for those AEP®, CPA, and CWS designees who feel the program satisfies their continuing education requirements.

Reservation Policy – 
All attendees are encouraged to register in advance and walk-in reservations will be accepted on a space-available basis only. Please note, this meeting will take place in person only. The meeting cost is $45 for members when paid in advance before noon 11/30/26, $60 for members at the door, $60 for guests, and $270 for a table of six (can be mix of members and non-members - please submit names to admin@epccleveland.org by 11/25/26).  If you reserve and are unable to attend, please call the office to cancel by noon 11/30/26 to avoid a no-show reservation billing.

To reserve, click "Register Now" below.

Thank you to our meeting sponsor: