FPA of Michigan Summer Newsletter 
President's Message
During my time as president of the FPA of Michigan I have thought a lot about the nature of volunteer-based organizations. Since joining the FPA, I have seen the impact all of the volunteers involved with FPA of Michigan have on the operation of our organization. I have also seen the impact that our members have when it comes to volunteering within our communities.
Many of our members take significant portions of their time to engage in projects designed to raise awareness of the importance of financial planning, provide guidance to underserved populations, and work on projects unrelated to the financial planning industry but served the community at large. I am very proud to be a member of an organization that values these principles.
I encourage all of our members to share their community outreach efforts with the organization at large, whether those efforts are related to financial planning or not. As an organization we are always to provide you with a platform where you can seek assistance.
In addition to providing our members with the means to share information about community outreach, the Board of the FPA of Michigan would love to recognize our members for their actions. The national organization of the FPA has two different awards, the Heart of Financial Planning Award and the K. Kemp Fain Jr. Award which recognizes those members who engage in impactful volunteerism. While nominations for this year's awards have already closed, the Board of the FPA of Michigan will be looking for members of our organization to nominate for next year's awards.
With all this talk of volunteering within the community it is important not to lose sight of the fact that the FPA of Michigan is also a volunteer opportunity. Our entire Board of Directors is made up of volunteers who give of their time to make the organization the best value possible for the other members. These Board Members are assisted by many other Members who serve on various committees and who volunteer to engage in single events. If you wish to become more involved with the FPA of Michigan please contact our chapter executive, Mary, at info@FPAMI.com to discuss how you can get involved.
In closing, thank you to everyone who makes the FPA of Michigan an organization I am proud to be a member of, whether through their involvement in the organization or their actions in the community. I look forward to continuing to serve as the leader of this organization for the remainder of the year and look forward to seeing all that its members can accomplish.
Matt Ferrara
2017 President
FPA of Michigan
Membership Milestones
We would like to acknowledge and thank you for your commitment to our organization and the financial planning community:
Paul Carlson, CFP® - 15 years
Rod Coleman, CFP® - 5 years
Saralyn Coupe, CFP®, CPWA® - 10 years
Derek Dall'Olmo, CFP® - 5 years
Randall Darnell, CFP®, CPA - 20 years
Jason Guenther , CFP® - 5 years
Leon LaBrecque, JD, CPA, CFP®, CFA - 20 years
Richard Paul, CFP® - 10 years
Edward Roth, CFP® - 35 years
Dennis Roubal, CFP® - 25 years
Joe Simkins, ChFC, CLU, CASL - 15 years
Clinton VanLinder, CFP® - 15 years
Bert Whitehead, MBA, JD - 35 years
James Williams, CFP® - 5 years
Welcome New Members
We would like to welcome the following new members
who recently joined the FPA of Michigan:
Anthony Bagneschi, CFP®
Brent Bell, CFP®
Regan Duperon
Mari Flaig
Matthew Kunnen, CFA, CFP®
Nicholas F. Nauta, CFP®, CLU
Anthony J. Righi, AIF®, CFP®
Jeff Rutter
Mark Satkoski, CFP®
Gabby Sedrowski
Tyler Silverthorn, CFP®
Jack Tunge, CFP®, CRPC®
Kenneth (Kip) H. White, III, CFP®
Calendar of Events
CFP TEST TAKER GATHERING
Do you know a CFP candidate studying for or taking the exam in the next year? If so, can you please forward them this information:
Are you taking the exam in July?
Connect with other test takers.
Are you planning on taking the exam later in the year or 2018?
Come out and talk about your study plan.
Do you want to understand the requirements and options?
Come out and we will have information for you.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you are invited to gather at Applebee's located 47900 Grand River Avenue in Novi on June 19, 2017 at 6:30 PM. This will be a casual setting where you can mingle with all of those stressing about becoming a CFP® professional, so please join us. The FPA of Michigan will provide complimentary appetizers along with a cash bar. If you would like to attend, please click here to register.
FPA MI Fall Symposium
Please mark your calendar for the
FPA of Michigan 2017 Annual Fall Symposium.
When: Wednesday, October 18th and Thursday, October 19th
Where: Sheraton Novi
Highlights: Keynote - Mary Beth Franklin, Contributing Editor at InvestmentNews
Others, just to name a few ... Wade Pfau, PHD, CFA, Professor of Retirement at The American College of Financial Services, Amy Florian, MA and Fellow of Thanatology at Corgenius, plus many more ...
Subjects on the Agenda include:
Aging Client
Global Economics
Business Sale and Taxation
Behavioral Finance
Social Security and Medicare
Portfolio Construction
Active vs. Passive
DOL and Legislative Update
Increasing Interest Rate
Plus more ....
This year we have also added a "Tech Room" where you can test ride new technologies.
Please watch your inbox for more information in the next few weeks!
FPA of Michigan News
In January, we kicked off monthly breakfast meetings in Ann Arbor and Birmingham. The Ann Arbor Breakfast Club meets on the third Tuesday of every month at the Classic Cup Cafe on Jackson Road, 7:30 - 9:00. The Birmingham Breakfast Club meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at The Original Pancake House on Woodward, 7:30 to 9:00. Please note there will be no Breakfast Club events during the summer months (June, July and August) but will resume in September!
Our meetings are informal and conversational. We always provide a "conversation starter" topic to get things going, but there is nothing rigid about the get - togethers. Past topics have included technology choices and staffing issues. The meetings are just a bunch of like-minded professionals talking about what works and what doesn't work in our businesses, over coffee, eggs, and pancakes.
If you're in the Troy or Ann Arbor area, please join us. The more folks we have, the better the conversation. There is no charge to attend (we all buy our own coffee or breakfast), and we welcome non-FPA members, so bring your friends and co-workers. Watch for emails from our chapter and sign up so we know to save you a seat.
If you are in other areas and would like to start a Breakfast (or Lunch!) Club in your locale, let us know. We have a one-page description and to-do list for launching these events, and we'd love to see them grow. Reach out to Mary Medonis (at info@fpami.com) for more information.
FPA MI Annual Advocacy Day - 2017
On Wednesday, May 3, 2017, approximately 12 FPA of Michigan members converged on Lansing for the annual FPA Advocacy Day.
Karen Nystrom, Director of Advocacy from FPA National, prepared us in advance as we spent time in several small group meetings with state senators & representatives. Our goal was to further expose our elected officials to the financial planning profession, not just in the state of Michigan, but across the country, as well. We explained the role of a financial planner, what it means to act in a fiduciary capacity, and the breath of influence we have with consumers in our state (534 FPA members, serving over 52,000 households & businesses, & that make up an economic base of some 23 billion dollars of assets under management). We offered to do pro bono work when that opportunity might avail itself, and we stated our position (as a professional organization) as being opposed to the taxation of financial planning services, should that ‘onerous’ topic ever rear its head again in the state of Michigan.
We believe these introductions and meetings with those who represent us can only be a positive narrative in the future, as our reaching out to these very busy officials reflects well on our profession. I found this well worth taking about 2/3’s of a day to represent not just myself, but all of you FPA members in a positive light. Please consider joining us in this ongoing initiative in 2018.
John Ruzza, CFP®
FPA of Michigan Member
MainStreet Financial
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Job Postings
The FPA of Michigan is pleased to offer another great benefit for our members! Whether you are looking for new employment or looking for a new hire, be sure to check out the "Job Posting" section on our website. Anyone can view the ads, but only FPA of Michigan members can place ads. Did we mention there is no charge! To learn more, click here.
