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E3 Nexus: Elevate. Empower. Evolve.
FKA The Business Owner Planning Summit
FEBRUARY 26, 2026 | 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM PT

Pechanga Resort and Casino
45000 Pechanga Pwky #45000
Temecula, CA 92592

Step into the next evolution of advanced planning and business-owner strategy at E3 Nexus, NAIFA-California’s premier gathering for forward-thinking advisors, planners, and professionals serving high-income earners and entrepreneurial clients. Formerly known as the Business Owner Planning Summit, this enhanced experience brings even greater depth, expertise, and collaboration—all in one powerful day designed to help you elevate your practice, empower your clients, and evolve with a rapidly changing landscape.

Join us in San Diego for dynamic sessions led by nationally recognized experts, in-depth discussions on emerging tax strategies, and real-world insights you can take straight into your client conversations. Whether you’re focused on complex tax planning, retirement strategies, business transitions, or holistic advisory work, E3 Nexus equips you with the tools to thrive.

Registration Fee

$99 - Members
$149 - Non-Members

Lunch is included. Don’t wait to register - seats will fill up fast! 
 
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Guy-Baker-photo-199x300

Premium Finance, Split Dollar & the New Tax Efficiency Toolkit

Guy Baker, Ph.D., MBA, MSFS, CEPA
President/CEO of BTA Advisory Group, Wealth Teams Alliance & BMI Consulting

Dr. Guy E. Baker is a certified business and wealth coach with extensive experience in financial planning, investments, and life insurance. He is an award-winning industry leader, including recognition as the 77th recipient of the John Newton Russell Award and the 50th recipient of the California Norman G. Levine Life Service Award, and has been named one of Worth Magazine’s top 250 planners in the U.S.

An internationally recognized speaker and prolific author, Guy has lectured in more than 40 countries and written multiple books, including Simple Retirement Math and The Great Wealth Erosion. He served as the 84th President of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) and currently leads three firms focused on serving high net worth families through wealth management, risk management, and business transition planning.

Bruce Jones TaxWealth

Cracking the Code: Advanced Tax Planning for High-Income Earners

Bruce Jones
TaxWealth, Inc.
CEO

With more than 50 years in the financial services industry, Bruce Jones is a renowned educator and strategist whose expertise spans comprehensive tax planning for real estate owners, private business owners, and clients with highly appreciated assets. As founder and CEO of TaxWealth, Inc., Bruce supports professionals nationwide in solving their clients’ toughest tax challenges.

Panos Leladakis - square

AI Made Simple - How to Become a Superhuman Advisor and Skyrocket Your Productivity with Business Owners!

Panos Leledakis
Founder at IFAAcademy
MDRT USA Community Leaders Team, Chair Global Ambassadors of Life Happens, NextGen Advisory Task Force At the American College, and AI Expert

Panos has an extensive 25 years of experience in insurance and financial planning since 1999, as a top-awarded insurance consultant and a TOT MDRT member. A pioneer in the insurance industry and an insurance futurist, he is an expert in digital transformation, artificial intelligence, internet marketing strategies, automation, CRM, virtual and augmented reality, and cutting-edge technologies in the insurance sector.

He is the inventor of two innovative software solutions for insurance needs analysis and financial planning, implementing the science of risk management, artificial intelligence, and extensive neuroscience and behavioral economics research on risk perception and decision-making. His work has earned him 11 global innovation awards from organizations like MIT.

He holds a certification in “AI for Business” from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and is furthering his expertise in artificial intelligence through ongoing studies at MIT. He also holds certifications in LUTCF, IRMA, BRMA, and is pursuing additional studies with PRMIA (Professional Risk Management Association).

In 2020, he was honored with the esteemed global award for “Top 25 InsurTech CEOs of 2020.” A dynamic public speaker, he has inspired audiences in over 45 countries with his motivational and engaging style. Originally from Greece, he relocated to the USA, living in New York and Miami, after 2020.

Nicholas Paleveda MBA J.D. LL.M

Tax-Deductible Life Insurance in Retirement Plans: Section 412(e)(3) Secrets

Nicholas Paleveda, MBA, J.D., LL.M,
CEO
Managing Partner and Founder

Nick Paleveda MBA J.D. LL.M is the CEO of National Pension Partners in Salt Lake City Utah. Mr. Paleveda received his B.A. and MBA Degree from the University of South Florida, his J.D. from the University of Miami and LL.M in Taxation from the University of Denver. Mr. Paleveda was admitted before the Florida Bar and the U.S. Tax Court in 1984 and was the founding partner of Hampton Paleveda Murphy Cody and Levy. In 1989 Mr. Paleveda joined Mutual Benefit Life and became the third leading producer in the USA. In 1993, Mr. Paleveda joined Hartford Life and became the Number one producer in the USA for Hartford. In 1994 Mr. Paleveda went back to law practice until 2001 where he became CEO of National Pension Partners which is a TPA that designs and administers Insurance Contract Pension Plans. In addition, Mr. Paleveda was admitted before the Supreme Court of the United States in 2009 and in 2012 he was appointed the Adjunct Professor of Graduate Tax at Northeastern University and maintained his appointment until 2020.  

LaDieu_Ray_2025 Headshot michael fisher
david-wood jason-foster

Panel #1:
Protect, Grow, Sustain: The Business Owner’s Risk & Capital Playbook

Ray LaDieu, CFP, ChFC
Senior Client Strategist, BNY Wealth
Michael Fisher
Market Director, AFLAC Employee Benefits
David Wood
Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Gateway Financial Partners
Moderator, Jason Foster, LACP
President of JF Wealth Strategies & Insurance Solutions

More About Our Panelists:

Ray LaDieu is Senior Client Strategist for BNY Wealth. In this role, he works directly with clients to address their investment and wealth management needs.

Ray helps accomplished individuals, families, and family offices, build, manage and sustain their wealth. Through our multidisciplinary approach, he works with clients to actively and intentionally power the goals they care about.

Ray joined the firm in 2018 and has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. His previous experience includes serving as a Global Wealth Relationship Manager for BBVA Compass Bank.

Ray received a bachelor’s of science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

At BNY we help make money work for the world—managing it, moving it and keeping it safe. For over 240 years, we have partnered with our clients, putting our expertise and platforms to work to help them achieve their goals. Given the opportunity, Ray and his team are committed to doing the same for you.

Michael Fisher was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. His goal is to positively impact anyone he interacts with. He has been in the insurance industry for 16 years and his “why” is to help people realize their own potential. Michael has served in Leadership and Training Development for the last 15 years at Aflac and has awards like 40 under 40,  Top 10 in Company sales for 4 consecutive years. He is married to the love of his life Arianna, has a beagle named Murphy. Michael and Arianna welcomed their first child, Jean Frances Fisher to the world 9 months ago.

David Wood, a pioneer in the financial services industry, established Gateway Financial Partners in 1994, which he continues to steer as the Chief Visionary Officer. Wood’s experience spans across several decades, marking him as a leader, an accomplished entrepreneur, and an influential figure in the financial landscape. He possesses an innate ability to identify growth opportunities and is committed to delivering innovative strategies that elevate the success of independent practices.

David is passionate about community engagement; he is renowned for his dedication to supporting not only local initiatives but nationwide initiatives. David is a signee of The Fearless Pledge, serves on the board of Females & Finance, is a frequent national speaker and has presented at many industry conferences, including the MarketCounsel Summit, Investment News RIA Summit, The TPN Conference, NAIFA’s Apex Conference, and Nitrogen’s Fearless Investing Summit. David is frequently quoted in WealthManagement.com, Investment News, and Yahoo Finance.

Wood is an ‘idea man’, passionate about providing his advisors with the support they need to help grow their independent practices and is full of fresh perspectives, undoubtedly shaping his extraordinary career trajectory.  Today, Gateway proudly supports 170 advisors in 26 states, and remains a beacon for innovation and integrity in the financial services industry.

Shelley Lightfoot Alloy Stephen
Janise Graham zm 2019

Panel #2: Unlocking Wealth with Tax Optimization

Shelley Lightfoot, CEPA
COO at SC Institute, Law Office of Strazzeri Mancini LLP & The Founders Group
Stephen Alloy
Field Director, Pacific Life
Natalie Elser, CPA
President, California Professional Accountants Group, Inc.
Moderator, Janise Graham, CEPA, LACP, CLTC
Business Strategist with Leaving In Style & Entrepreneur’s Insurance Services

More About Your Panelists:

With nearly 40 years of experience in financial and legal services, Shelley Lightfoot is a respected leader in advanced planning, exit strategy design, and advisor collaboration. Her work with The Southern California Institute, Strazzeri Mancini LLP, and The Founders Group has helped countless professionals deliver more comprehensive solutions to successful families and business owners.

Stephen Alloy is Field Director of Pacific Life’s Advanced Designs Unit, a highly recognized team of advanced-markets experts in the life-insurance industry. He answers questions, presents virtual and in-person presentations, and produces informational materials for financial professionals about advanced-markets topics, such as estate planning, charitable giving, and business planning.

With over 40 years’ experience in law and insurance planning, Stephen joined Pacific Life’s Advanced Designs Unit in 2024. Previously, he served on the Advanced Markets team at Mutual of Omaha for over 16 years after a two-decade career combining law and financial services practices. His primary focus in his practice was business-succession planning and general business planning along with real estate and estate planning.

Stephen graduated from the University of Iowa with a BA in English/Creative Writing and earned his juris doctor degree at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law. He then earned his MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University. He is admitted to the state bars of New York and Illinois.

In his spare time, Stephen enjoys performing improv comedy, working on his comedy podcast, and spending time with his wife, Theresa, and their three grown children and one grandchild.

Janise Graham is the President/CEO of Leaving In Style, Inc. and Entrepreneur's Insurance Services. Janise is a highly respected speaker, award-winning and bestselling author of the book "Leaving In Style: Business Succession On Your Terms". She is an expert in assisting business owners and entrepreneurs in understanding the complexities of business system strategies and long-term business succession planning.

Janise currently serves on the Insurance Curriculum board for the California Department of Insurance, as a Vice President with the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, California (NAIFA), a board member with AmPac Business Capital. She is a Past President of the NAIFA-Inland Empire and Past President of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Inland Empire. Additionally, Janise has served on several boards and councils, all committed to supporting small businesses.

Janise holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from California Baptist University, a Fashion Merchandising business degree from Brooks College, and a Certification in Executive Women in Leadership from Cornell University. Janise has held FINRA Series 6 & 63 registrations, is currently a Life and Annuity Certified Professional (LACP), holds a Certification in Long Term Care (CLTC) and is Life & Health licensed in several states.

 

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