President's Corner | December 2021

Dear Fellow BEPC Members,

As we hurtle past ever-changing tax proposals, towards the holidays and the end of 2021, I am excited to report that our organization is as strong and as vital as ever, even in the face of the ongoing pandemic.

With the majority of our members now reporting as vaccinated, and with continued safety measures in place, we have begun to stick our toes in the water of in-person events. We hosted the 2021 Kick-Off Networking Reception on a beautiful night in September, on the rooftop at the Revere Hotel. The event was very-well attended and was highlighted by the celebration of Scott Squillace being awarded the 2020 BEPC Excellence Award.  More recently, on December 2, we had approximately 100 people attend the 2021 Holiday Networking Reception at the UMass Club. It was so great to see fellow members and enjoy each other's company, after such a long time away. We in leadership are incredibly excited to begin bringing back these in-person events for those who feel able to attend them. At the same time, we recognize that not everyone is comfortable or medically able to attend events in person. We also value the convenience and utility of the virtual format for many of our events, both educational and networking. As the year progresses, we are planning to offer a mix of events, some in-person, some virtual and some hybrid. Members will be able to pick and choose what works for them, based on their personal preferences. We will continue to work with our management company, McKenna Management, to schedule and produce great events in the most appropriate format for each event.

At the same time as offering our educational and networking events, BEPC continues to move forward on several long-term initiatives. One such initiative is to revamp the Council’s Leadership Development and Officer/Board Nomination processes to focus on bringing in the best leaders in specifically targeted areas of needs.  In addition, several committees are working to raise BEPC’s profile in the community. The Legislative Committee is working to become an active participant and thought-leader on issues being brought through the Massachusetts Legislature.  The Marketing & Communications Committee is working with our marketing consultants to raise the profile of BEPC in the community. Lastly, the Community Engagement Committee continues to work on ways BEPC will engage with the community, including supporting our non-profit partners and becoming involved in a financial literacy program housed at the Suffolk House of Corrections. Through all of this, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force continues to work towards engaging a consultant to help BEPC integrate these issues into all of BEPC’s initiatives.

Lastly, the Boston Estate Planning Council remains financially strong. This is due to the amazing loyalty and support of our corporate sponsors and our devoted members, again in the face of the pandemic.  Due to this support and resultant financial strength, we have been able to offer many more free or low-cost events to our members than in prior years. We have also been able to continue to offer the valuable educational content and frequent networking that our members have come to rely on so heavily.  We continue to look forward to a time where we can all be in person together more freely and more frequently but, until then, we will continue to evolve as needed to keep providing value to our members and the community. I invite you to reach out to me personally if you have any input or suggestions you would like to offer.  Thank you for your support.

Warm Regards,

Steve M. Carr, President