Milestone Coincides with 20-Year Membership in Ed Slott's Master Elite IRA Advisor Group℠
PARSIPPANY, NJ / ACCESS Newswire / July 22, 2025 / International Financial Advisory Group, Inc. (IFA) today announced that its President, Thomas J. O'Connell, has been awarded the Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) designation through The American College of Financial Services. This achievement coincides with O'Connell's 20-year milestone as a member of Ed Slott and Company's Master Elite IRA Advisor Group℠.
Thomas J. O'Connell, RICP®, CEPA, AEP®, is the founder and president of International Financial Advisory Group and offers estate, retirement, and wealth preservation strategies to high-net worth families & individuals.
With the rigorous estate-planning curriculum of the AEP® and two decades of in-depth IRA and tax-planning training under Ed Slott, O'Connell integrates legacy, distribution, and wealth-transfer strategies into the advanced financial planning he offers clients.
Accredited Estate Planner®
The credential is awarded only to experienced professionals who complete graduate-level coursework, devote at least one-third of their practice to sophisticated estate planning work, commit to ongoing education requirements, and adhere to strict ethical standards.
Through the AEP program, O'Connell deepened his expertise in advanced estate planning strategies, including gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax law; strategic wealth transfer during life and at death; charitable giving; optimizing life insurance within estate plans; and integrating family dynamics and values into long-term planning decisions.
"Earning the AEP® designation is an extension of my commitment to helping families safeguard, grow, and ultimately pass on their wealth with clarity and confidence," said Thomas J. O'Connell, RICP®, CEPA, AEP®, and President of International Financial Advisory Group, Inc. in Parsippany, New Jersey. "By pairing this estate-planning expertise with 20 years of advanced IRA training, we can deliver fully integrated strategies that work to protect assets today and better empower future generations."
Ed Slott and Company's Master Elite IRA Advisor GroupSM
Ed Slott and Company's Master Elite IRA Advisor Group℠ is an invitation-only network of retirement and estate planning professionals led by IRA Expert Ed Slott that provides semiannual advanced IRA workshops, real-time technical support, and exclusive resources for complex retirement, tax, and income distribution planning.
Ed Slott, CPA, founder of Ed Slott and Company, noted, "Tom's two-decade tenure in our Master Elite IRA Advisor Group℠ shows remarkable dedication to staying ahead of ever-changing tax rules. We applaud his commitment to helping his clients maximize their financial futures."
Applying Advanced Expertise to Client Outcomes
Tom O'Connell offers clients comprehensive, tax-advantaged financial planning that integrates estate planning, income distribution, and risk management into a cohesive framework. This helps clients not only grow their wealth but also protect and preserve it for future generations.
His commitment to coordinated planning ensures that each element of a financial and estate plan-investments, trusts, beneficiary designations, IRAs, insurance, tax strategies, and more-is unified and optimized. In practice, this means:
Integrate estate planning and income strategies to help clients maximize lifetime cash flow while protecting their legacy through the synchronized use of trusts, insurance, and tax-advantaged strategies.
Implement sophisticated legacy transfer strategies that reduce estate tax exposure while preserving wealth across multiple generations.
Advise on charitable giving, trusts, and life insurance structures to help clients align their estate plans with their personal values and philanthropic goals.
With both the AEP® designation and his 20-year legacy in Ed Slott's Master Elite IRA Advisor Group℠, O'Connell continues to distinguish himself as a trusted leader in advanced estate and retirement planning. His commitment to staying ahead of evolving tax laws and financial strategies ensures that clients receive not only expert guidance but also the strategies and expertise necessary to make informed decisions for their families and futures.
About International Financial Advisory Group, Inc.
Founded in 1996 and based in Parsippany, New Jersey, the International Financial Advisory Group, Inc. (IFA) provides comprehensive estate, retirement, and wealth preservation strategies to high-net-worth individuals, families, and business owners. Thomas J. O'Connell, the founder and president, has over 35 years of experience in the financial services industry and actively speaks and trains on life insurance nationwide. He is a member of Ed Slott's Master Elite IRA Advisor GroupSM, the Infinite Banking Institute, and the Wealth and Wisdom Institute. He holds Series 63 and 65 securities licenses, as well as a life and health insurance license in 12 states, including New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. For more information about Thomas J. O'Connell and the International Financial Advisory Group, visit www.internationalfinancial.com or call (973) 394-0623.
About the Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) Designation
Administered by The American College of Financial Services in collaboration with the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC), the Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP®) designation is awarded to credentialed professionals who demonstrate advanced expertise, significant experience, and a strong ethical commitment in the field of estate planning. Candidates must complete a rigorous graduate-level curriculum and meet stringent eligibility and practice requirements. Learn more at www.theamericancollege.edu.
About Ed Slott and Company
Ed Slott and Company, LLC is the nation's leading provider of retirement tax education for financial advisors, CPAs, and attorneys. Backed by a team of nationally recognized experts-including CPAs, attorneys, and retirement specialists-the firm delivers ongoing, in-depth training on the latest tax laws, IRA planning strategies, and retirement distribution rules. Its flagship program, Ed Slott's Elite IRA Advisor GroupSM, is comprised of 500 of the nation's top financial professionals who receive semiannual live training, monthly updates, and case law analysis to help clients keep more of their retirement savings. Visit irahelp.com for more information.
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SOURCE: International Financial Advisory Group, Inc.
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