Next Generation Planner: November 2020
Financial Adviser, Riverstone Wealth Advisory Group
President-Elect, FPA NexGen
www.linkedin.com/in/josephrstemmle/
FPA NexGen is a vibrant community of students and aspiring financial planners and professionals in the early stages of our careers. Countless publications have written about what the future of financial planning will look like and how the current NexGen community will impact the profession as a whole.
Although still early in our careers, many NexGen members are making substantial impacts right now through service in FPA Pro Bono programs and other volunteer activities.
Financial Planning Association
President-Elect for FPA of Miami Chapter
Danqin Fang, CFP®, CFA, is a financial adviser at Evensky & Katz/Foldes Financial Wealth Management. She serves as the president-elect of FPA Miami and as a NexGen committee chair. The chapter primarily aims to “bring student awareness of our profession to local universities by hosting student career panel events and firm tours to help them gain access to more career paths and opportunities.”
Danqin has personally been involved with a virtual platform to empower Chinese women, mostly moms, she said, teaching “the art of being happy through advocating lifetime learning and personal development.”
PridePlanners Knowledge Circle Host
Jim Marrocco, CFA, CFP®, founder of Thinking Big Financial Inc., is relatively new to FPA, yet, as a Knowledge Circle Host, he aims to “Raise awareness and educate planners for LGBTQ-specific issues as well as offer a community for LGBTQ planners.”
“I saw this as a great opportunity to meet other planners like myself and to learn more about planning for the LGBTQ community,” Jim said.
President-Elect for FPA of San Francisco Chapter
Lauren Stansell, CFP®, partner with Yeske Buie, has been involved with FPA for most of her professional life since co-founding the Virginia Tech student chapter with Ian Harvey. Lauren credits FPA with being “a great way to get and stay connected to the profession,” and speaks to FPA involvement as “important given the goals we have as a profession going forward.”
“Being a part of NexGen early on always made me feel welcome,” Lauren said. She is looking forward to fostering a similar community in her role as president of the San Francisco chapter in 2021. Lauren has been a member of the National Capital Area and San Francisco chapters while also serving on conference planning committees and as a mentor at FPA Residency last summer.
FPA NexGen Gathering Coordinator
Diana G. Yanez, MA, CFP®, is an associate financial planner with RTD Financial and serves as the FPA NexGen Gathering coordinator. NexGen Gathering is the only conference focused on NexGen members and their careers.
“I was really glad to have a part in it and felt like the opportunity stretched me,” Diana said. “I got to develop relationships with other financial planners who are as enthusiastic about financial planning as me—[whom] I would not have met otherwise.”
In addition to serving as Gathering coordinator, Diana does pro bono work with a client over the phone. They initially connected because the pro bono client’s primary language is Spanish and Diana is a fluent speaker.
“It has been rewarding to be able to increase access to financial planning in my community,” Diana said.
Pro Bono Programs
Finance Bar and Mentoring
Soraya Morris, ChFC®, lead trainer at Envestnet-MoneyGuide, has been a key volunteer for her church’s Finance Bar, which started in 2017 to bring financial literacy and education to the congregation. Soraya emphasized, “Church is an important gathering place in the Black community, not only for faith-based fellowship, but it also fills social, political and cultural needs.” By conducting one-on-one financial coaching sessions, workshops and office hours for general questions, the Finance Bar helped members of her church pay off over $200,000 in debt.
In addition to her work with the Finance Bar, Soraya mentors students of color who are interested in the financial planning profession.
“Mentoring is an incredibly important part of reaching professional success, and I don’t believe I would be where I am today without my many mentors within the industry,” Soraya said.
By sharing her experiences and helping students navigate unique challenges in the profession, she said, “We can increase diversity as the next generation enters the profession.”
Pro Bono Financial Coaching for Women, POC and LGBTQ+
Cait Howerton, MBA, AFC®, CFP®, volunteers in various organizations, including FPA, and she does financial coaching pro bono.
“I meet with several clients monthly, free of charge, because I believe that all people should have access to equitable, objective and conflict-free financial advice,” Cait said, adding that the cost of coaching or financial planning “is a barrier to access.”
“I give of my time so that others receive the guidance they need,” Cait said.
Pro Bono Day and Junior Achievement Finance Park
Susan Brandeis, CFP®, chief financial planning officer at Pure Financial Advisors Inc., serves as the FPA NexGen organizational director and takes great pride in her pro bono work.
As a member of the FPA San Diego chapter, she participates in Pro Bono Day, in which chapter members volunteer to give free financial advice to community members who could not usually afford the service. They especially focus on serving military families.
In addition to Pro Bono Day, one of Susan’s favorite places to volunteer is the Junior Achievement Finance Park, an interactive experience in which high school students get real-world lessons in budgeting, spending, credit and planning.
“The students walk out with a whole new appreciation of what money means to them, and new ideas of what they want to do for a career,” Susan said.
Volunteer Activities
American Red Cross’s Services for Veterans Volunteer Services
Kristin Lindsay, CPA, financial planner with Verus Financial Partners, serves as the director of NexGen for FPA of Central Virginia. Outside of FPA, Kristin volunteers with the American Red Cross’s Services for Veterans at Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center.
As a “visitation buddy,” Kristin spends time with veterans through regular visits and other scheduled activities, such as ice cream socials and gardening. Kristin’s volunteering shifted after watching her grandfather, a veteran of the Marines, spend time in and out of Veterans Affairs hospitals.
“Spending time with veterans is a great way of giving these heroes a listening ear for their stories,” Kristin said. “I thoroughly enjoy the wisdom they almost always impart to me from their own experiences.”
CFP Board’s Workforce Development Advisory Group and Washington, D.C. Estate Planning.
Yusuf Abugideiri, CFP®, partner with Yeske Buie, has been involved with FPA both at the local and national levels. Yusuf works with the CFP Board’s Workforce Development Advisory Group and is running a committee for the Washington, D.C. Estate Planning Council to focus on recruiting new members from diverse backgrounds.
“The theme that has tied all of my volunteer work together is that I’m passionate about career development and I am always open to participating in initiatives that bring more talent into our profession,” Yusuf said.
In addition to his career development work, Yusuf’s pro bono work with the Financial Planning for Cancer Program, which is supported by the Foundation for Financial Planning and FPA, was recently featured.
Special Olympics and Food Bank
Weslie Green, CFP®, CDFA®, financial adviser with Four Rivers Wealth Management Group, serves on the FPA of Central Virginia Board as the director of pro bono. There, she helped create the Women in Finance group. Weslie said she initially started volunteering to “focus on ways (she) can help others and not just (herself).”
She is passionate about issues of equality, has volunteered with Special Olympics Virginia for the past three years and has served as president of the Young Professionals Board.
Weslie also volunteers with her local food bank. “There are so many people needing help right now during the pandemic,” she said. “No one should have to go to bed hungry.”
Joseph Stemmle, CFP®, is a financial planner with Ameriprise Financial and currently serves as an adjunct instructor at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business. Joseph serves as the 2020 FPA NexGen president-elect and serves as the 2020 president-elect for the FPA of Central VA chapter.