A6 – Confessions of Succession – How A Sole Proprietor And A Partnership Made It Happen

Many professional fiduciaries are thinking about their retirement and succession plan. We will provide
real-life experiences of how we have reached our goals and are implementing our exit strategy. One
presenter is a sole proprietor, and one presenter is a partner in a partnership. This presentation isn’t
hypothetical but what actually was accomplished. Other professional fiduciaries have asked us to detail
how we did it so here’s our presentation outline.

Speakers

Franza Giffen

Franza Giffen

Giffen Fiduciary Services
https://www.giffenfs.com/

After graduating from Michigan State University, I worked at the Legal Aid Foundation
of Santa Barbara County which inspired me to attend and graduate from Law School at
Golden Gate University. I was a Partner of Newsom and Giffen Law Offices from 1980
until 2002 and have been a real estate broker since 2004. In 1981, I was appointed as
a Probate Referee in Contra Costa County by then State Controller, Ken Cory. Every
four years since, I have been reappointed by whomever was the State Controller.
Beginning in 1998 I served as a Guardian of an elderly client and began focusing my
law practice exclusively on fiduciary services. During the past twenty years, as the
Fiduciary Licensing Bureau was established, I served as the Professional Fiduciary
Association of California, East Bay Vice President, elevated thereafter to President. My
activities as a member of PFAC have included several presentations to both my chapter
as well as to the annual conferences. Other memberships include the California Probate
Referee Association (where my presentations contained educational information) the
California State Bar and the Contra Costa County Bar Association.

Bonnie Burdett

Bonnie Burdett

Prime Fiduciary Services, LLC
https://www.primefiduciary.com/

Bonnie Burdett is a California Licensed Professional Fiduciary (# 24) and has been actively providing services as a private professional fiduciary since 2005.  She, along with her business partner, Joyce Anthony, are co-founders of Prime Fiduciary Services, LLC which provides professional fiduciary services, specializing in trust administration, conservatorship of the person and/or estate, probate administration and payee services.  Ms. Burdett is past Co-President of the PFAC Silicon Valley Chapter, and past Vice President of the Northern California Regional PFAC Board.  She is a current member of PFAC, the National Guardianship Association and is a non-attorney member of the Silicon Valley Bar Association.  Ms. Burdett is an active member of the Los Altos Rotary Club, where she served as President 2019-2020, and a former member on the board of the Los Altos Rotary Endowment Fund, including a term as President.  Ms. Burdett has presented at PFAC annual conferences, PFAC chapter meetings and at Silicon Valley Bar Association meetings. Ms. Burdett has a BA in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara and over 25 years of management experience in the pharmaceutical and health care field, including 5 years consulting as a strategy investor relations consultant advising emerging growth companies on investor relations strategy and tactics.  Her experience includes managing multi-million dollar financial plans, assessing and analyzing needs, managing multi-level projects and organizing cross-sectional team efforts.