Beyond Succession: Planning for Wealth, Ownership & Legacy

As a charitable wealth strategist and attorney at NCF, Michael works with generous families and their professional advisors, sharing concepts and strategies that allow them to leverage the impact of their giving by minimizing their income and estate tax liabilities.

In his role with NCF, Michael’s primary focus and expertise is facilitating charitable gifts of complex assets including closely held businesses, real estate, and intellectual property assets. He also helps families to plan their estates in a manner that dramatically increases their charitable giving, and in most cases avoids estate tax completely—regardless of the size of their estates.

Prior to joining NCF in 2006, Michael spent over ten years with an international tax and accounting firm, and a multi-family office. In these roles, he counseled affluent families on a broad range of wealth management issues including both financial and non-financial aspects of wealth.

Michael received his undergraduate degree in finance from Penn State University, and his law degree from the U.C.L.A. School of Law. Michael and his wife, Tammy, were high school sweethearts and have been abundantly blessed with five children and a precious granddaughter.

Alan Barnhart is the CEO of Barnhart Crane & Rigging. He grew up working in the steel-erecting business his father founded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1969. During high school and college, Alan and his brother, Eric, worked summers as ironworkers and crane operators learning the business from the ground up. In college Alan studied civil engineering, coursework that would serve him well after joining the business full-time in the early 1980s. Barnhart Crane & Rigging has grown to be one of the largest Heavy Lift and Heavy Transport organization in the United States with more than 40 locations across the country and a nationwide reputation for solving problems.

Luke is the Founder and CEO of Good Bull Capital and Diamond Client Group. He is also a founding partner of Diamond Client Consulting. These three companies form a full-service integrated model that caters to the needs of private business owners and high-net-worth families.

For over 15 years, Luke has worked alongside business owners, providing strategic insights on reducing taxes, incentivizing employees, mitigating risk, and preparing for successful exits. Immersed in entrepreneurship from an early age, he understands not just how business owners think, but what it takes for them to thrive. His success in the advisory space led to the formation of Diamond Client Group, LLC in 2016 where he has built a team of advisers with a significant following.

Recognizing a gap in the market, Luke took his practice independent, registering Diamond Client Group as an Investment Advisory firm while launching Good Bull Capital and Diamond Client Consulting in 2021. Good Bull Capital provides private credit and private equity opportunities to accredited investors. Diamond Client Consulting offers world-class operational due diligence, consulting, and accounting services for small to mid-sized enterprises, and Diamond Client Group continues to provide strategic financial planning for business owners and high-net-worth families.

Tony Chen is a serial entrepreneur and Partner at Verdant Frontiers, where he launched an African venture capital fund in 2021. Over his 25-year career, he has co-founded seven companies and has multiple exits. He combines experience building successful technology businesses with a commitment to purpose-driven entrepreneurs and transformational impact.

Mr. Fisher founded Creation Investments in 2007, leaving JPMorgan with a vision to find profitable solutions to difficult social and environmental challenges. He is a leader in the financial services industry globally and leads various aspects of the firm’s operations. Mr. Fisher chairs the firm’s Investment Committee and sits on the board of several of the firm’s portfolio companies globally, along with other for-profit and not-for-profit institutions.

Mr. Fisher received a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University and Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Theology, and Computer Applications from the University of Notre Dame. He speaks basic Chinese and is fluent in Spanish. Mr. Fisher lives in Chicago with his wife, children, and dog.