Curt W. Ferguson
Attorney & Counsellor at Law
curt@tlcplanning.com

 Curt is the founder and currently sole owner of the law firm called The Estate Planning Center. He started the practice in 1989 as a general law practice, but within a few years was concentrating his work in estate planning.

In 1996 he was invited to join the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys, a national association of about 1,000 lawyers. Curt joined and from that time forward limited his practice exclusively to estate planning. In 1999 he actively implemented a "Three Step Strategy" practice designed to help clients take control of their plans and assure that they get their desired results; and in 2002, further committing to the Three Step Strategy, he joined LifeSpan LLC, a group of estate planning attorneys unreasonably committed to delivering predictably positive estate planning results for their clients through the LifeSpan Planning Process™.

Not only did Curt qualify for membership in the National Network, but he also distinguished himself such that in 1999 he was asked to start teaching other attorneys in the Network, topics including Incentive Trusts and enhanced client service. In 2001 and 2002, Curt was an instructor of the ESTATE PLANNING PRACTICUM©, an intensive week long training course, and ESTATE PLANNING PRACTICUM II©, an intermediate training course for Network members. In 2006 he began teaching the 2-day “Generation Skipping Transfer Tax” course for National Network attorneys, along with team-teacher Mike Dolan of Colorado.

Since Curt's practice often involves sophisticated strategies for higher net worth clients, he completed the Esperti Peterson Institute (EPI) ADVANCED STUDIES FOR WEALTH AND ESTATE PLANNING sources in April of 2000, then joined the EPI "MASTERS" think tank, a group of about 300 estate planning professionals from a variety of disciplines (insurance, investing, tax accounting, and law) who explore, design and implement wealth strategies for the very wealthiest of Americans: 25 Million Dollars and up. MASTERS and EPI are sometimes referred to as the "Mayo Clinic" of wealth strategies planning.

Curt received his law degree from The University of Texas in 1989, and his BA from Buena Vista College in 1986. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Christian Legal Society.

Curt serves his community in a variety of ways: on non-profit boards and in his local church. He has served as Executive Director of the Rutherford Institute of Illinois and as a law instructor at Kaskaskia Community College.

He since 1989 has been the husband of Laura, an accomplished musician; and he is the devoted father of two lovely young daughters, LaRae and Rachelle.

A more formal "resume" follows for those who like additional details:

EDUCATION

Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SCHOOL OF LAW Austin, Texas, 1989

B.A. Management Science, BUENA VISTA COLLEGE Marshalltown, Iowa, 1986, Magna Cum Laude



ADVANCED STUDIES FOR WEALTH AND ESTATE PLANNING, April, 2000, the ESPERTI-PETERSON INSTITUTE

Continuing education through MASTERS 2003 class of the ESPERTI-PETERSON INSTITUTE

EXPERIENCE

THE ESTATE PLANNING CENTER, President. This law firm was founded by Curt in 1989, in Salem, Illinois. The practice is concentrated in the unique, pro-active Three Step Strategy™ estate planning process known as LIFESPAN™ or TLC PLANNING™.

Design and implementation of successful planning for all sizes of estates, from small-estate Medicaid planning to high-net worth sophisticated EPC WEALTH DESIGN tax planning

Special interests include Maximizing the Impact of Your Life and Legacy through Protective Trusts, Family Values Integration and Incentive Trusts

INSTRUCTOR

Instructor of the ESTATE PLANNING PRACTICUM©, an intensive week long training course for members of the NATIONAL NETWORK OF ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEYS, 2001 - 2002

Instructor of the ESTATE PLANNING PRACTICUM II©, an intermediate training course for members of the NATIONAL NETWORK OF ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEYS, 2001 – 2002

Periodic instructor of breakout workshops for semi-annual COLLEGIA: conventions of the NATIONAL NETWORK OF ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEYS; on practice management and impact planning

Frequent guest speaker at public, professional and private workshops and seminars on estate planning, including accredited continuing education programs for licensed financial professionals

Instructor of law, 1990 – 1992, KASKASKIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Centralia, Illinois

MEMBER

LIFESPAN LLC, a professional association of attorneys unreasonably committed to delivering their clients exceptional estate planning results

NATIONAL NETWORK OF ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEYS, Charter Member

ILLINOIS BAR and ILLINOIS STATE BAR ASSOCIATION since 1989. Member of sections on TRUSTS & ESTATES and ELDER LAW

CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY, a national organization of Christian attorneys and law students

AUTHOR

Contributing author to WAYS & MEANS: MAXIMIZE THE VALUE OF YOUR RETIREMENT SAVINGS, published by Esperti Peterson Institute Incorporated, 1999

COMMUNITY & PERSONAL

SALEM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT #111 board of education 1991-2003

Advisory Board Member of the SOUTH CENTRAL PREGNANCY CARE CENTER, of Salem

Former Executive Director of THE RUTHERFORD INSTITUTE OF ILLINOIS

Curt and his musically talented wife, Laura, live near Salem, Illinois; they home educate their two daughters, Rachelle and LaRae, who are budding violinists; the family attends a small, independent Wesleyan Church

MORE EDUCATION

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SCHOOL OF LAW: Law School Admission Test score of 41 (93rd percentile); accepted as non-resident. Honors: Received honor grades in Constitutional Law I, Marital Relations & Divorce, Business Associations, Federal Income Tax, Religious Liberties Seminar, and Intellectual Property; received high scores in Hutcheson Moot Court and in Novice Mock Trial; partial scholarship award each year based on character, scholastic record and financial need; Participated in both the Children's Rights Clinic and the Criminal Defense Clinic, and presented brief and oral arguments in Texas Court of Appeals in a Criminal Defense Clinic case in January of 1989; President and on the Steering Committee of Lawyers Christian Fellowship, a prominent University of Texas School of Law student organization; intra-mural basketball on successful Law-Grad Division team "Contempt of Court"

BUENA VISTA COLLEGE, Marshalltown, Iowa; January, 1985 to June, 1986 Degree: B.A. Honors: Magna Cum Laude with final cumulative G.P.A. of 3.72. Major: Management Science. Minor: Psychology.

MARSHALLTOWN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Marshalltown, Iowa; three semesters in 1982 - 1985. Major: Business. Honors: Phi Theta Kappa honor society, the National Honor Fraternity of the Community and Junior Colleges

COVENANT FOUNDATION COLLEGE, Greenfield, Indiana; two semesters part-time, one full-time. Major: Bible and Music. Honors: Dean's List; traveled and sang in a public relations quartet from September 1983 through August, 1984. Was offered scholarship to continue in 1984-1985, declined it to pursue my legal education.

CLARK BUSINESS COLLEGE, Indianapolis, Indiana, while attending Covenant Foundation College part-time. Major: Business Administration. Honors: President's List; 4.0 GPA