Edwardsville lawyer Todd Sivia receives prestigious CEPA designation

July 24--EDWARDSVILLE -- Sivia Law Firm's Todd Sivia recently earned the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation after completing the Exit Planning Institute's (EPI) intensive five-day executive MBA-style program in Chicago.

This designation will allow Sivia to better advise business owners on their business goals, company value, planning and strategies. He joins an elite group of business advisors who have received this certification and are a part of the Exit Planning Institute's international community of CEPAs. The CEPA program is the most widely accepted and endorsed program in the world.

Sivia not only has his CEPA designation, but he also obtained the Certified Exit Planner (CExP) designation in 2016. These distinctions, along with his thriving law practice, allow him to effectively create and implement customized retirement plans for business owners. He has developed a community of advisors to assist individuals with all their planning needs and offer tailor-made solutions to achieve business goals.

"This certification allowed me to understand better that exit planning is not about exiting your business, but more about changing your business from a 'lifestyle' business to a 'value-creation' system," Sivia said. "Every company owner should be thinking about how they're going to exit their business. It will inevitably happen, whether by choice or accident.

"Typically, business owners find they exit through the 5 Ds (death, disability, distress within the business, divorce or disagreement between partners). Further, it is a little-known statistic that there is a one-in-four chance of becoming disabled in the next 10 years. Are you prepared if that happens to you? What if you pass away unexpectedly? It's not fun to think about it, but it is possible. If you're not prepared, what value have you left to your heirs?"

To receive the CEPA designation, Sivia completed the rigorous five-day program that involved approximately 100 hours of pre-course study, 30 hours of classroom instruction and successful completion of a three-hour proctored examination. The program is designed around a central methodology and uses a combination of lectures, group discussions, case studies and individual exercises to introduce participants to the concepts and to reinforce skills.

The Exit Planning Institute serves as a platform for creating awareness, advisor collaboration, innovative learning, continuing education, defining methodology, research, thought leadership and practice development. Members grow, preserve and transition business wealth, while helping owners and their families get through the ownership transition process.

Sivia Law Firm celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2016. The firm has been dedicated to protecting what is important to their clients for a decade and Sivia believes this was just another way to provide exceptional client services and continue expanding his practice. Sivia has incorporated new planning techniques and problem-solving solutions to help businesses achieve all aspects of their professional and planning goals.

St. Louis Small Business Monthly named Sivia Law Firm as one of the "Best Law Firms" in 2017 and one of the "Top 20 Businesses in St. Louis" in 2014. Sivia was named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars in Illinois list, in 2015, 2016 and 2017. The firm holds memberships with the Macoupin, Jersey and Madison counties' bar associations, as well as the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

Sivia also is committed to being an asset to the Metro East community. He is a long-standing member of Edwardsville Rotary, Edwardsville-Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce, National Rifle Association and scouting.

Sivia Business and Legal Services P.C. is an asset-protection law firm focusing on general business law, personal injury, real estate, estate planning, litigation and elder law. The firm is located at 217 South Main St., Edwardsville.

For more information, visit www.sivialaw.com. To contact Sivia Business and Legal Services call 618-659-4499 or e-mail [email protected].

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