President’s Message – February 2015

With the New Year well underway, I wanted to take a few moments to preview a number of things I’m really excited for in 2015. While certainly far from an all-encompassing list, this provides a small “sampler platter” of the many fantastic events and initiatives for the year ahead:

  • Monthly chapter meetings – The programs committee has put together another great line-up of speakers/topics for our monthly Chapter meetings, including Chris Farrell, Andy Biebl (tax planning), Jeff Scroggins (estate planning), Russell James (charitable giving), David Blanchett (from Morningstar), and Katherine Collins (behavioral finance). Visit the FPA of MN website for additional details.
  • Career Day – Our annual Career Day is scheduled for Friday, February 27th at the Doubletree in St. Louis Park. The event will feature Keynote speaker Sabrina Lowell. If you are a student, a career changer, or an employer interested in potentially hiring a new employee (or several), this day is for you!
  • Twin Cities Financial Planning Day – 2015 will be the 6th year of Twin Cities Financial Planning Day, a day in which FPA members provide workshops and one-on-one financial coaching free-of-charge for the public. The event has grown substantially each year, with 230 participants from the public in 2014! I’m excited to see how we can build on last year’s success. Look for more information this summer on a specific date for the event (typically a Saturday in October.)
  • Golf Event – Our annual Golf Event will take place on Monday, August 3rd at Majestic Oaks Golf Club in Ham Lake. The “scramble” format gives even the less-than-stellar golfers among us (that would be me!) a relaxed and enjoyable way to spend a day on the links with friends and colleagues. A bocce ball tournament will be an option as well for the non-golfers among us. Start forming your teams today!
  • Symposium (November 3rd and 4th) – After attracting 609 attendees at the 2014 Symposium, the Symposium committee is working to find ways to continue to enhance an already fantastic annual conference. This year’s Symposium will again include a number of dynamic speakers (including Michael Kitces) and great opportunities for networking. Mark your calendars!
  • Chapter Guide program – After achieving great success in the inaugural year of the Chapter Guide program, which is designed to connect new members of FPA with our members, our programs, our volunteer opportunities, etc., the Chapter Guide program is back for year two. If you have an interest in participating as a Chapter Guide (low time commitment, high impact!) please contact Kathie Bortnem at kbortnem@milesfranklin.com.

Again, this is certainly not an all-encompassing list. Stay tuned to the newsletter for an array of events and programs from FPA of Minnesota throughout what promises to be a very exciting year.

As always, feel free to let me or any of our Board members know of any questions, comments, or concerns that you have. We strive to “ask-listen-respond.”

Steve Gilbertson, CFP®
Best,
Gilbertson-Sig

Steve Gilbertson, CFP®
612-750-5237
Accredited Investors, Inc.
steve@accredited.com


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