Membership
Where the plan comes together.
Membership is open to professionals practicing in estate planning across Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake and Napa counties. The council is interdisciplinary by design: an estate plan is never one profession’s work.
Categories
The disciplines in the room.
REEPC records eight membership types. These are the current counts.
32 members
Attorney
Licensed member of the State Bar of California.
23 members
Financial Planner
Holds the CFP® or ChFC® designation.
7 members
Certified Public Accountant
Licensed by the California Board of Accountancy.
9 members
Trust Officer
Employed by a corporate trust organization, administering trusts and providing fiduciary services.
8 members
Private Fiduciary
Licensed by the State of California as a professional fiduciary.
1 member
Life Insurance Agent
Holds the CLU® (Chartered Life Underwriter) designation.
6 members
Associate Member
For professionals not yet at two years of practice, or completing a qualifying designation. Provisional and non‑voting; becomes full membership when the requirements are met.
5 members
Member‑at‑Large
Actively engaged in work instrumental to estate planning or administration. Not available to anyone eligible for another category.
What the council asks.
Two years in practice
Applicants have at least two years of professional experience in their discipline.
Two dinner meetings
Attend two meetings as a guest before applying, so the council and the applicant both know the fit.
A vote of the board
Applications are reviewed and voted on by the board of directors.
Annual dues.
Membership dues are $400.00 a year for the 2026–27 season.
Dinner meetings are billed per event rather than included in dues, at $95.00 a person, so members pay for the evenings they attend.
Dues renew on each member’s own membership anniversary rather than on one date for the whole council, so a member’s year runs from the day they first joined.
Applying
How to join.
Five steps, starting from an evening at Jimmy’s Lakeside Grill, Windsor, California.
Attend two dinner meetings
Come to two dinner meetings as a guest of a current member, so the council and the applicant both know the fit. Guests register for an evening the same way members do.
Find an endorsing member
Every application names the current member endorsing it — for most applicants, a colleague at their firm or a member met at a dinner. An applicant who has not found an endorser yet applies anyway, and the council connects them with a member.
Prepare a short narrative
The application asks how long you have practiced in estate planning and what share of your professional time it takes. Writing that summary before you start is easier than composing it inside a form. Have a headshot ready, and a firm logo if you want one on your listing.
Submit the application
The application collects your practice details, designations, and the profile the directory will publish.
The board votes
The membership committee reviews each application, and the board votes at its monthly meeting. Approved members are welcomed into the directory and the season’s meetings.
Asked before applying.
I don’t know anyone in REEPC. How do I get an endorsement?
Meet members at a dinner meeting — that is what the two guest evenings are for. Introduce yourself and ask questions. It is a friendly room, and an applicant who has taken the time to build a relationship rarely has trouble finding an endorser.
I have less than two years in estate planning. Can I join?
Yes — as an Associate Member. Associate membership is provisional and non‑voting, for professionals still reaching the two‑year mark or completing a qualifying designation. When the requirements are met, notify the Membership Chair in writing and the membership becomes full — no re‑application needed if the notice is kept current.
What does the application ask for?
Straightforward practice details: how long you have practiced in estate planning, what share of your professional time it takes, your license or designation, and a short narrative about your work. You will also upload a headshot for the directory, and a firm logo if you want one shown.
What happens after I apply and pay?
The membership committee reviews the application, and the board votes at its monthly meeting — consensus is usually quick. Approved members receive a welcome and appear in the directory. Dues are collected with the application, and are fully refunded in the rare case an application is not approved.
What does membership cost?
Annual dues, plus the dinner meetings you attend — meetings are billed per evening rather than bundled into dues, so members pay for the evenings they are in the room. The current figures for both are on this page.
Introductions
Reaching a member.
The directory publishes each member’s membership type, firm, city and firm website. Phone numbers, business email addresses and street addresses are not published.
That is deliberate. A request for an introduction reaches the member through the council, which means the member knows who is asking and why.