February 6, 2025
Happy New Year, FPA of Houston! It was great to see many of you that attended our first chapter meeting of the year, at our new venue, the Greater Houston Community Foundation. I know it was an extremely hectic and historic week in our city, so I am proud we were able to carry on as scheduled. We had 2 very informative presentations on the current market and economic outlook and an update on the use of digital assets by financial advisors. I am glad that many in the audience took the opportunity to ask thoughtful and engaging questions to our expert presenters.
The board decided to try a new approach to our chapter meetings, keeping our costs lower and offering the meetings and lunch at no cost to our members. We want to continue to provide as much value as possible to our members, so we will continue with this format for this year and pivot as necessary. I think the first meeting was an amazing success, so let’s keep the momentum going.
This association provides us the opportunity to learn, grow, and develop our competences to help our collective clients achieve their financial goals and aspirations. We continuously seek to provide a space for our members to come together to continue to improve themselves as well as our profession.
As we look ahead to 2025, we are thrilled to share a preview of the initiatives and opportunities we have planned for the coming year:
- Chapter Meetings: We are committed to delivering engaging and educational content at our new venue. If there are challenges preventing you from attending regularly, we’d love to hear your feedback so we can address any obstacles and make improvements where possible.
- Symposium: Mark your calendars for our signature event this fall—Tuesday, September 23! This one-day conference promises to be a powerful experience. While speakers and topics are still being finalized, the Education Committee is dedicated to curating an exceptional program. If you’re interested in contributing to the planning or execution of the Symposium, we encourage you to reach out to any Board member—we’d be delighted to get you involved.
- Niche Gatherings: Our small group gatherings have been incredibly impactful, and we plan to continue offering these opportunities for connection. Look out for study group settings such as our Women’s Group, Advisor Exchange, and NexGen gatherings.
- Networking Opportunities: We will maintain and expand our partnerships with like-minded organizations, such as the CFA Society and Houston Estate & Financial Forum (HEFF), to bring you additional events and networking opportunities.
- Supporting Future Financial Planners: We remain dedicated to fostering the next generation of financial planners by supporting students at institutions like the University of Houston and Texas A&M University. These efforts aim to help students connect with professionals and prepare for successful careers. Additionally, we will renew our focus on Career Development activities, engaging early-career professionals where they are and encouraging them to join our community.
- Website: All of our upcoming events will be posted on our website (https://www.financialplanningassociation.org/chapter/fpa-houston) and in our periodic newsletters so you can always stay updated on what’s on deck at the association.
None of this would be possible without our remarkable Board of Directors and their committees. It is because of their time, dedication, and passion that we are one of the largest, most engaged chapters in the country.
I am delighted to introduce you to your energetic and diverse Board of Directors for 2025. We’ve had great continuity from last year, but as you can see, we do have several unfilled positions. There is plenty of opportunity to make an impact into how our association is run, so if you are interested, or know of anyone in your circles that would be interested in helping us make an even stronger leadership team, please contact me anytime.
2025 President - Freddy Garza, CFP®, CPA – Endeavor Advisors
Executive Director & Corporate Partnerships - Amanda Duran - Association Management Consultants, LLC
Secretary - Andrew Kulha, JD, CFP® - Mission Wealth
Treasurer - Dan Russell, CPA, CFP® - RSM
Education & Symposium - Chris Wise, CFP® - Wise Capital Partners
Pro Bono - Marco Rimassa, CFP® - CFE Financial
Career Development - Vanessa Fellers, CFP® - Corebridge Financial
Women’s Group - Mandy Haskell, CFP®, CDFA® - Wealth Partners Alliance
NexGen - Michael Pumphrey, MS, CFP®, AFC® - Tanglewood Total Wealth Management®
Membership - Unfilled
Advocacy - Unfilled
Public Relations - Unfilled
Finance Manager - Vicki Stone Lanfer - V Professional Services
I would also like to give a special thank you to our Corporate Sponsors. We appreciate everything that you do to make our events possible. We are immensely grateful for your continued support and generosity. We’ve had several sponsors support our association for decades and we have also added fresh, new faces to our roster of corporate sponsors, so we encourage you to visit with them during the year. They all have many great resources and services that can really take your practice and business to the next level.
Of course, we wouldn’t be the chapter that we are without you, our incredible members. We are thankful that you have chosen us as your association, and we will continue to look for new ways to serve you as the leaders of our industry. It is your thoughts, contributions, and forward thinking that drives us as a chapter.
We look forward to an exciting year ahead and hope you’ll join us in making 2025 a success!
Very Respectfully,
Freddy Garza
2025 President, FPA Houston