How NAPFA conferences lead to relevant magazine articles

By Susan Weiner

 

I’m always seeking authors and topics for the NAPFA Advisor. NAPFA conferences have been great hunting grounds for me.

Articles in this issue

Bob Morrison, the author of “Help your clients evaluate residential rental property” in this issue, gave a great presentation at the Fall 2021 NAPFA Conference. As I watched his presentation, I made a note to contact him for an article. I’m glad I did because he identified key issues that individuals need to consider before becoming residential property landlords.

The path to two articles on direct investing that touch on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing in addition to philanthropy had some twists, but it was also rooted in the Fall 2021 NAPFA Conference. It started in the exhibit hall, where exhibitors involved with direct indexing caught my eye for the first time. Rather than simply discuss direct investing in an article, I wondered about using direct indexing for ESG investing—a very popular topic recently.

I decided to look for two opposing views on the topic, so I posted on the Engage Forum. A member kindly suggested a good author to write an argument in favor of using direct investing for ESG, so I contacted that candidate. Next, I’d noticed that Amber Miller had led the NAPFA Women’s Initiative discussion on impact investing and that she’s a Chartered SRI Counselor, so I asked if she could write a “con” article. She said she couldn’t oppose using direct investing for ESG, but she suggested an interesting twist on the topic in terms of incorporating philanthropy. The topic of philanthropy is also discussed in this issue by Matt Shibata, who came to the rescue after the initial author dropped out. Sometimes, an editor has to be flexible.

Looking ahead

Were there presenters or topics at the Spring 2022 NAPFA Conference—or maybe at your local NAPFA study group—that you’d like to see in future issues of this magazine? Is there a topic you’d like to write about? I’m always interested in hearing from you.

In the meantime, I’ve reviewed the list of highest-rated presentations from last month’s conference in Atlanta, provided by Kristin Keith, NAPFA’s director of professional development and education. You’ll see articles from some of those experts in upcoming issues.