A nationally recognized authority on estate planning and taxation, Annino has more than 30 years of experience serving the diverse needs of families, individuals, and owners of closely held businesses. Her practice includes all aspects of private client work, including estate planning; will and trust planning; incapacity planning; prenuptial and postnuptial agreements; estate litigation; advising executors, trustees, and beneficiaries and administration of estates and trusts. Annino particularly focuses on planning for family business owners, including coordinating their estate planning, corporate, and succession needs. In addition, she represents non-profit entities and private family foundations. Annino testifies as an expert witness in high-stakes divorce cases where trusts and other inherited assets are at risk. Her testimony has been favorably reviewed by the Massachusetts Probate Courts. A leading voice on estate planning matters, she has been quoted extensively in a wide variety of local and national publications including the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Dallas Morning News, Chicago Tribune, MarketWatch, Investors.com, and Women’s Business Journal. She also has acted as the estate planning consultant to the independent investment research provider, Morningstar, and has been interviewed on Bloomberg Television. Annino is the author of “Women and Money: A Practical Guide to Estate Planning” and writes a monthly column for CPA Insider, a newsletter sent to more than 160,000 CPAs and other wealth managers and advisors.
Jeff Chadwick is Chair of the Wealth Preservation Practice Group at Winstead PC with offices in Houston and The Woodlands, Texas. Jeff focuses his practice on trust and estate planning for business owners, corporate executives, professional athletes, and other high net worth individuals and families. He strives to provide innovative and practical solutions to a wide range of legal matters, including wealth transfer planning, trust and estate administration, business formation and succession, asset protection, charitable giving, and premarital planning. Jeff is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and recently served as Chair of the Estate & Gift Taxes Committee for the ABA Tax Section.
Christopher R. Hoyt, JD, is a Professor of Law at the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law where he teaches courses in the areas of federal income taxation and business organizations. Previously, he was with the law firm of Spencer, Fane, Britt & Browne in Kansas City, Missouri. He received an undergraduate degree in economics from Northwestern University and dual law and accounting degrees from the University of Wisconsin. Professor Hoyt has served as the Chair of the American Bar Association’s Committee on Charitable Organizations (Section of Trusts and Estates) and is on the editorial board of Trusts and Estates magazine. He is an ACTEC fellow, has been designated by his peers as a “Best Lawyer,” and was elected to the Estate Planning Hall of Fame by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. He is a frequent speaker at legal and educational programs and has been quoted in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, MONEY Magazine, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
Allen Hensley is the Advanced Agent Development Officer for New York Life where he leads a team working with top financial service professionals and their clients to achieve financial goals and solve planning issues. He conducts national training events and speaks to groups on financial planning issues and strategies. For more than 25 years, Allen has worked with New York Life to protect and grow wealth for clients and their families. Allen is an Accredited Estate Planner, with a Master of Science in Financial Services from The American College and a BA from Western Kentucky University. He has earned the Chartered Life Underwriter®, Chartered Financial Consultant® designations and is a Registered Representative of NYLIFE Distributors LLC, (Member FINRA/SIPC).
Sarah Frances joined New York Life in 2010 and leads the Practice Management, Marketing, and Meetings team for The Nautilus Group®. Under her direction, the team drives strategic growth and professional development initiatives for agents and advisors across the organization.
The Practice Management program delivers high-impact coaching and consultative support to help agents and advisors succeed at every stage of their careers. With a focus on operational efficiency, strategic business planning, marketing execution, and team development, the program equips professionals with the tools and strategies to build sustainable, scalable, and client-centric practices.
She also leads company-wide marketing initiatives and advisor events and serves as the host of New York Life’s Advisor Symposium—a premier development and networking event designed to drive practice growth and foster connections among industry professionals.
Prior to joining New York Life, Sarah Frances held strategic marketing and communications roles with the National Academies of Science and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She holds an MBA in Marketing Management from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science in International Trade and Finance from Louisiana State University.
