Announcing the 2013 FPA NCA Spring Symposium

By Kathleen Sindell, PhD

 

Plan to attend the 2013 FPA NCA Spring Educational Symposium at the Sheraton Premiere Hotel, 8661 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA   20182 from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm on Thursday, June 6, 2013. This conference provides an opportunity to engage with a community of senior executives, as well as a variety of strategic offerings, designed exclusively for individuals, institutions, and firms that deliver financial planning. The top five reasons for attending include:

1.      Getting the practical guidance you need to develop the most effective planning strategies: You are a professional. The topics in this symposium are current, in the news and timely. The educational sessions are great sources for discussions with your clients.

2.      Participating in world-class educational events: This educational symposium focuses on the long-term financial planning of your clients. Top-notch presenters will provide first-hand knowledge of the latest methods and techniques for professional financial planning. Discussions on a variety of topics will include examining the tax landscape after the “fiscal cliff”, the latest global, national and regional economic and market outlooks, alternative investments, rethinking investment risk, the case for investing in U.S. equities, making the best use of 529 plans, planning for short life expectancies, retirement planning trends and maximizing Social Security benefits.

3.      Connecting with a community of like-minded individuals: Network with your peers – the top planners, advisors and industry vendors in the region. Develop new friendships and business partnerships.

4.      Effortlessly gaining continuing education credit: Earn 8 CFP CEU, 8 VA INS, 8 MD INS, 8 CIMA & 8 CPA CPE APPROVED!

5.      Getting access to award-winning publications and research products: Visit with our sponsors to earn your Raffle Tickets for many valuable prizes. (Raffle prizes include three iPads and five $100 VISA Gift Cards)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM OVERVIEW
REGISTER NOW!

Monetary Policy – This Time It’s Different

By Bryan Beatty, CFP®

So it seems we have entered into a new paradigm. We have reached a place where money printing (or digitizing to be accurate) has become the "new normal". But is it ... normal or is it dangerous? There is a battle of economic ideology taking place in the US, England, the EU as well as Japan. Some call it "stimulus" some call it Keynesian, some Monetarism and more recently "QE" or quantitative easing. So are sovereigns of the world engaged in a dangerous economic experiment?

This isn't the first time that a country has turned to the printing press to solve a debt problem. It isn't always popular to point out the dangers of easy money and it is almost always impossible to point out its effects until it is too late.

In “Early Speculative Bubbles and Increases in the Supply of Money” Doug French , Senior Editor at Laissez Faire Club , points to the fact that what's eluded historians is the same issue that eludes commentators today: the underlying cause of bubbles. The author examines not only the Mississippi Bubble but also the life and monetary theories of its architect, John Law. He is credited with creating the first Keynesian style monetary system in France nearly two hundred years before Keynes was born. At the same time across the English Channel, a nearly bankrupt British government looked on with envy at Law’s system, believing that he was working a financial miracle. It was anything but this and investors in both countries were devastated.

What can we learn from history? How does our understanding of money differ today? Is there some new understanding that makes us think that somehow this time it is different?

Join us for this incredibly informative look at Money Banking and Inflation May 23rd at the Bethesda Country Club. 2 CFP, 2 CIMA, 2 VA Insurance and 2 MD Insurance CE credits are approved for this program, and 2 CPA CPE are offered.

NexGen: The Next Generation of Financial Advisors

What is NexGen?

 

As Ryan Fleming, FPA-NCA president, stated in the January newsletter, one of the primary goals of the chapter in 2013 is to engage the next generation of professional. The chapter has created a board-level position for the NexGen Liaison to facilitate this effort. So, with a clear focus on integrating younger planners into our chapter, I thought it worth some time to describe what, and who, NexGen is. This article will focus on the “what” and a follow up article will address “who” NexGen is.

In short, NexGen is a vibrant community of young financial planning professionals. This organization comprised of young planners age 36 and under, strives to:

• Support, advise, and encourage one another in our professional advancement;
• Promote, foster, and direct programs that aid in the transfer of knowledge from the pioneers of financial planning to the future of the profession; and
• Explore issues common to younger planners and seek means of accentuating the positives and finding resolutions for the negatives.

NexGen members connect throughout the year in a variety of ways. The FPA NexGen Connect Community provides an opportunity for daily dialogue among members. Local chapters meet regularly, hosting study groups, speakers, and social events. In fact, the DC-metro chapter is one of the more active NexGen chapters in the country! Members gather at national FPA conferences, and host their own conference, called NexGen Gathering, annually. Gathering provides a medium to discuss all the topics and trends facing the future of the profession, allowing members to connect with peers, colleagues, and FPA leadership in an intimate, conversational setting. The 2013 Gathering will be held June 21-23 at St. John’s University in Minnesota. Click here to learn more.

The FPA-NCA chapter has already taken steps to better integrate NexGen members into our chapter. We held a very successful networking happy hour at On the Border in Tysons Corner in mid-March. Over 50 FPA and NexGen members attended and enjoyed connecting with one another. The feedback about this event was great, and we plan to have another later in the year! Keep an eye out for details. The NexGen group holds periodic study group meetings, intended to be informal discussions where members share their thoughts on everything from social media to client communication to investment strategies. We occasionally have guest speakers, and we would welcome the opportunity to hear from “experts” within the FPA-NCA chapter. The board is also considering other programming, such as a Career Day, to connect with the NexGen community. We would love your involvement, so plan to come and network or even interview students graduating from CFP® Board registered programs in our area!

 

Ryan M. Fleming, CFP® - President’s Message     

 

70 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky. 132 advisors, sponsors, and chapter friends playing golf with another dozen supporting the effort. 1757 Golf Club was a great host and provided a fun and challenging course for our 20^th Annual FPA NCA Golf Tournament. Peggy Nelson, fellow board member Chris Rivers, CFP® and his team (including my wife, Betsy) put on a great event. Preliminary results show that we raised over $15,000 for charity, with a significant majority of that going to the Foundation for Financial Planning.

 

TD Ameritrade typically matches dollar-for-dollar only personal donations, but graciously matches our donation, so we should be credited with over $30,000 this year. And someone found my wallet in their golf bag. So, all in all, it felt like a perfect day. Over the last decade, our chapter golf tournament has resulted in donations of over $100,000 and matches of over $25,000. This year should see us eclipse the $150,000 mark. 

Chapter members and mentors Bob Albertson, Mike Carey, and Steve Bingham had great vision over two decades ago when they started this great annual outing. And we’re fortunate enough to still have Steve play in it every year. If you played and you have any thoughts, suggestions, or feedback, email Chris (crivers@afmfa.com) or me. If you didn’t play or sponsor, please consider doing so next year. We exceeded capacity for the third year in a row, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find a 27- or 36-hole course if demand is high enough.

We have a pretty full three week period coming up. Take a look at the calendar and find an event to attend: https://m360.fpanca.org/frontend/portal/viewcalendar.aspx

First, Dan Lash (Secretary) and I will be attending a NexGen Study Group meeting to continue the 2013 outreach and push for more dialogue and interaction with the regular FPA-NCA chapter and our NexGeners (many of whom are also FPA-NCA members). I encourage you to engage the younger/newer/transitioning future advisors and share your history and your knowledge. It’s one of the things we need to do to make our profession outstanding. A lot of us are not sharing, mentoring, and nurturing relationships, even with low-hanging fruit of younger staff in our own firms. I think of how lucky Brian Jones and I are to have worked with 7 former FPA and predecessor organization presidents over the years. These people were bosses and colleagues, but more importantly are mentors and friends two decades later. Without Armstrong, Jones, Welch, Bingham, MacIntyre, Severns, Albertson, and <please insert your name here>, Brian and I aren’t where we are today. Let’s continue to bridge the knowledge gap and set the next generation up for success.

On May 23^rd, we have a monthly lunch program at Bethesda Country Club. At 10 a.m., we are hosting a member reception. If you’re new or tenured, young or seasoned, or somewhere in between, and you are looking for networking opportunities, this is a great one. We are welcoming our new chapter members during this hour, so please come early if you want some face time with colleagues. We recently had a merger consummated through discussions at monthly chapter meetings, so good things are happening when FPA-NCA members get together. Registration for the lunch program itself begins at 11 a.m., when Douglas French from the Ludvig Von Mises Institute and Editor of Laissez Faire Books presents on Money, Banking, and Inflation for 2 CFP, VA, MD, CPA CPE, and CIMA credits. 

Our whirlwind culminates with our annual Spring Symposium at the Sheraton Premiere in Tysons. We have a powerhouse lineup that rivals our Winter Symposium and offers up to 8 CE credits for CFP, MD, VA, CIMA, and CPA CPE (all approved, except MD). You can find the program and registration here: https://m360.fpanca.org/ViewEvent.aspx?id=68595&instance=0  Our sponsors compete to bring you the best presentations and draw the most eyeballs. It’s a fun and engaging day of learning and networking. We also present our annual awards for Leadership, Planner of the Year, and Lifetime Achievement. The winners have been notified and we will announce them soon. 

Enjoy spring. Hope to see you at one of our upcoming events.

Best regards,

Ryan M. Fleming, CFP®
2013 President, FPA of the National Capital Area