February, 2024

President's Message:

With January now behind us, we have a few months left in winter. A few years ago, I committed to embracing our Michigan winters by suiting up in my snow gear and getting outside often to enjoy it. Whether you embrace our Michigan winter, jet off to a warm, sunny place, or combine the two, we hope you can enjoy the rest of your winter! 

Important Announcements:

Mary Medonis: As a chapter member, you have likely met or spoken with Mary Medonis. Mary has faithfully served as the Chapter Executive for the FPA of Michigan for over 20 years and is truly a gem. Mary decided a few years back to shift her career focus and will be with us through the end of this year. We will miss her dearly. If you would like to share your appreciation and special memory of Mary before the end of the year, you can email Mary at info@fpami.com and please copy me at julie.hall@myvcp.com

Sarah Caruana: Please take a moment to welcome Sarah as the FPA of Michigan's new Chapter Administrator. Sarah has many years of non-profit administration experience and is a lovely lady! Mary helped bring Sarah to our chapter and began training her in early January. Mary plans to continue sharing her knowledge and expertise with Sarah throughout the year. If you would like to personally welcome Sarah to the team, you can email her here: sarah@fpami.com

More about Sarah: She was born and raised in the city of Detroit where she lived until she moved to Ann Arbor to attend the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) After graduation, she lived and worked in Ann Arbor for several years before moving to her current home in Saline. She and her husband Chris have two boys, Xander (21) and Lucas (17), who are both seniors - one in college at Michigan, and one in high school, planning to attend a college in a warm and sunny destination. Sarah enjoys volunteering for the local school district, traveling, pub trivia with friends, and watching the Pistons and Lions with her husband. Fun fact: Sarah and her husband were high school sweethearts!

Chapter Leaders Conference and Survey: Bob Ingram and I had the opportunity to represent our Michigan Chapter at the Financial Planning Association's Chapter Leadership Conference in the Mile High City (Denver, Colorado) the first weekend in February. We could hear and share thoughts and ideas with other chapter leaders on ways to continue providing and increasing value to our members. You play a vital role in influencing positive change in our FPA chapter! We invite you to take part in a brief 3-question survey. Your time and input are highly appreciated, and we look forward to hearing from you!

Click here to take survey 

Did you know? As an FPA member, you have access to the FPA's all-member open forum, where you can reach out to all FPA members on technical planning questions and other resources. For example, suppose you have a new client in another state looking for a local estate attorney or CPA referral. In that case, you can post a question in FPA's all-member forum and receive referrals from other FPA chapter members who have had experience working with an estate planning attorney or CPA in that state. You can access the all-member open forum with your FPA user ID and password here:

All Member Open Forum

Upcoming Events: We have some great events on the horizon! Registration is still open for our February Leap Day "Hoppy Hour" Mixer at Union Rec in A2. Our fabulous sponsors for this event are: 

The Betty Brigade

Giardini Medicare – Your Transition to Medicare Team

We hope to see you there!

Be an FPA Member Ambassador: Make sure to let other colleagues experience the benefits of FPA. If you know a colleague who is not a member of the FPA, please invite them to attend an FPA of Michigan event this year.



Julie Hall

FPA of Michigan

2024 Chapter President

An Opportunity from FPA of Michigan Leading Partner,

Dimensional Fund Advisors



Attention Index Fund Investors!

Index funds are widely viewed as a way for investors to get broad, passive exposure to certain markets or asset classes. However, as new research from Dimensional demonstrates, the creation and upkeep of an index fund involves a number of active decisions at a potential cost to investors.

Please Join Dimensional Fund Advisors as they draw back the curtain on indexing to expose these active decisions, evaluate the incentives of the parties involved, and explore what Dimensional believes is a better way.

• Register Here: Indexing Exposed: Passive Indices May Be More Active than You Think Webcast
• When: Tuesday, February 27^th at 10:30am CT / 11:30am ET
• Details: Please list John Kranik (John.Kranik@Dimensional.com) as your Dimensional representative when you register.
• 1 Hour CE Credit Available

FPA MI | Lunch & Learn Grand Rapids

Tuesday, February 27th | 11:30 am to 1:00 pm

CityFlats in downtown Grand Rapids

Join us for lunch and an Economic Update presented by Dr. Paul Isely, PhD., MS, BS, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Program in the Seidman College of Business at GVSU.

Learn More

______________________

FPA MI | Happy Hour

Thursday, February 29th | 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm | Union Rec in Ann Arbor

Join us for a Leap Day Happy Hour at Union Rec in Ann Arbor, and the first round is on us! Enjoy great conversation in a fun, casual atmosphere where summer camp meets vintage 70's lounge. Registration includes one drink ticket for either beer or wine, and delicious appetizers (think comfort food with a Latin twist).

Learn More

______________________

FPA MI | NexGen Meet-Up

Thursday, March 14th | 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm | Virtual through Zoom

Looking to make new connections and boost your financial planning career? Join us at our upcoming "virtual" NexGen Meet-Up on March 14th, where you'll learn from experts and fellow professionals alike. Plus, we're thrilled to announce that Douglas Boneparth, CFP®, founder of Bona Fide Wealth, a firm that provides real money advice to Millennials and young professionals, will be our special guest! This event is perfect for financial planning and allied professionals who are new to the game (10ish years or less), including students in the field. And don't worry if you can't stay for the whole thing - hop on and off as your schedule allows.

Register Here

Click here to check out our discussion at the NexGen January Meet-Up with special guest Justin Castelli, founder of RLS Wealth and PRST™, and co-founder of The AGC™.

______________________



FPA MI | Lunch & Learn Webinar

Fraud Prevention/Cybersecurity:

Latest Best Practices to Strengthen Your Program

Tuesday, March 19th | 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Virtual through Zoom

Stay at your workstation and experience a virtual presentation on "Fraud Prevention and Cybersecurity Best Practices: Latest Best Practices to Strengthen Your Program presented by Adam Moseley | Director, Business Consulting and Education of Charles Schwab & Co.

Learn More

______________________

FPA MI | 4th Annual Student Success Golf Outing

Friday, September 13th | 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Forest Akers West Course in E. Lansing

Mark your calendar as it's never too early to think about golfing! Look for more information to be shared soon!

______________________



FPA MI | 2024 Annual Symposium

September 26th and 27th | L.V. Eberhard Center in Grand Rapids

Mark your calendar for this not-to-miss event! Look for more information to be shared soon!

Journal of Financial Planning

The February 2024 issue of the Journal of Financial Planning is now available! Read this month's issue to get caught up on the latest trends and cutting edge research in financial planning. 

Access Now

We have a great opportunity

for our members!

In 2023, the State of Michigan passed legislation mandating the inclusion of financial literacy education in schools, and the Department of Education began this process in 2024 with middle school students. Our chapter sought to partner with the Department of Education and found that while they have selected a curriculum partner, the delivery of financial literacy is competing with other coursework realities for students. Nonetheless, we are committed to having resources our members can take into a classroom for a one-hour presentation that introduces financial literacy.

We have two presentations available, one for middle school students and one for high school students. To learn more and to request presentation materials, please contact Mary Medonis, FPA of Michigan Chapter Executive, at info@fpami.com.

Important information regarding

the Small Business Association of Michigan

As you may know, the FPA of Michigan has maintained a longstanding Strategic Partnership with the Small Business Association of Michigan. After several years of review, many of our members have not experienced significant advantages from this collaboration. Consequently, and considering the rising costs associated with this partnership, the FPA of Michigan Board of Directors has opted not to renew the Strategic Partnership in 2024. Our rationale is rooted in the belief that reallocating the funds earmarked for this partnership could be more effectively utilized for our members elsewhere.

If you would like to explore an individual membership with SBAM, please reach out to Sherry Bryan at 517.712.8343 or sherry.bryan@sbam.org.

Elevate Your Presence with Media Mastery 2.0

Connect With Us



FPA of Michigan

Email: info@fpami.com | Phone: 248-330-7757 | www.fpami.com