Good to Know

Risk is everywhere.  By simply owning a house, you put yourself at risk.  What if someone gets injured on your property?  We mitigate risks like these through homeowners insurance.  We protect our car and ourselves while driving with auto insurance.  So what do we do about our investments and our financial future?  How do you…

According to the Financial Planning Coalition, the Investment Adviser Oversight Act of 2012 aims to create a new regulatory regime to govern the operations of small and medium-sized advisory firms and, at the same time, protect the rights of public investors. Under this regulatory regime, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) will become the Self-Regulatory Organization…

A kickback is an illicit payment made to a person who uses their position of power to influence a transaction. The practice is common in the business and finance world. Since kickbacks are illegal, they are hidden, and therefore hard to discover at times.  Not this time. It was discovered that Appleton’s founder and former…

According to Consumer Advocate Eleanor Blayney, CFP®, the majority of Americans don’t pay adequate attention to their taxes. In their minds, everything is okay as long as there is a return. However, simply preparing a tax return is not enough to reap full benefits. “If Americans broadened their focus, they could discover savings in their…

We all have the goal of getting to retirement, having plenty of money, and doing the things we love.   The problem is, a lot of folks don’t set a proper financial plan to reach that goal, or have unrealistic expectations of what retirement will be like.  Everyone wants to be a millionaire, travel the world,…

When it comes to engaging a financial intermediary, it is essential that investors be provided with disclosures that are written in simple and comprehensible English.  That is the position of the CFP Board, who recently sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission urging, among other things, that more attention be paid to the…

Reducing your debt does not mean the problem is over. Debt reduction without a constituted management plan may create a permanent risk in your financial security, as stated by Eleanor Blayney, CFP, a Consumer Advocate of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. Blayney encourages American families to have a more thoughtful approach to debt…

In the past few years, through extensive research, the CFP Board identified a need to better educate the general public about the need for financial planning and the unique advantages that can be provided by CFP certificants. In response to this need, the CFP Board has undertaken a large advertising and awareness effort to inform…

Styles of Learning: Online vs. In-class Visual vs. Auditory Self-paced vs. Scheduled In our normal conversations with both prospective students and current students, it is abundantly clear that we all learn in different ways.  That was brought very clearly to my attention in two phone calls I had one afternoon.  The first student, whom we…

Even in this difficult market, the demand for qualified financial professionals doesn’t change.  Both the consumer and firm are continually seeking individuals who can bring proven knowledge and application – the kind found in the CFP® Certification. And if you happen to be living in or near any of the 10 cities listed in a recent…