President’s Message – March 2015

Maximizing Your Membership Value – Get Involved in a Committee!

Greetings to All,
A constant focus of the FPA of MN Board is finding ways to maximize value for our members. As I reflect on my “FPA story” to this point and connect that to the FPA stories that I’ve heard from other members, a common thread is that a turning point in getting the most out of our FPA membership was when we decided to become engaged in a committee. For me personally, this was becoming engaged in the Pro Bono committee, which strives to connect planners within FPA of Minnesota with organizations providing services to low-income individuals.

Prior to joining the Pro Bono committee, my FPA experience primarily consisted of occasionally attending a Chapter meeting, getting some good technical content (along with CE), and at those meetings, typically sitting quietly at a table or with a couple of co-workers. After getting involved in the committee, FPA has become to me a place where I have created deep professional relationships and friendships with numerous members of the planning community. It’s been a place where I’ve been able to make an impact in working with Pro Bono clients throughout the community, which is a big passion of mine and has been extremely fulfilling. It’s been a wonderful place to grow my leadership and communication skills, which has already paid big dividends in my career. And now at Chapter meetings, there isn’t nearly enough time to talk to even a fraction of the people that I want to see. This is a common story for those that have taken the time to really get involved on a committee.

If you are wondering, then, how to get the most out of your FPA membership, how best to really get connected to the financial planning community, I would HIGHLY encourage you to consider joining a committee for an area about which you are passionate and become engaged accordingly. For an overview of each of the committees within FPA of Minnesota, please go to our Committees page.

If you are interested in joining a committee or in finding out more, you can contact me (contact information below) or reach out directly to the Director for any committee in which you have an interest (contact information on website at link above.)

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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