CFP Board's 2007 Financial Planning Clinic

CFP Board’s free Financial Planning Clinic at Sheraton Boston Hotel was a success for the hundreds of consumers who took the opportunity to consult with volunteer CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals about their personal finance questions and concerns. Without exception, the attendees expressed satisfaction with the information they received. CFP Board thanks the many CFP® professionals who shared their talents with the public and made this event a success.

What is a Financial Planning Clinic?

A Financial Planning Clinic is an opportunity to ask your financial questions to professional financial planners who can help you find the answers you need. You can meet one-on-one with volunteer CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals qualified to discuss your financial issues. The financial information the financial planners provide is free, and there is no selling of products or services and no strings attached. CFP Board hopes that events like the Financial Planning Clinic help people experience first-hand how financial planning can improve their lives.

At the Financial Planning Clinic in Boston, each volunteer was seated at his or her own table designated with a specific financial planning topic. Consumers chose a topic they wanted advice on and headed over to the appropriate table. Because there was no limit to the number of volunteers a consumer could meet with, many attendees were able to meet with different volunteers to discuss different financial planning topics.

The volunteer CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals met with only one individual, couple or family at a time. Volunteers were not permitted to hand out business cards or attempt to sell any products or services at the Financial Planning Clinic. All attendees had access to the volunteers' names and contact information and other helpful financial planning information in the Financial Planning Resource Booklet they were given prior to entering the Clinic.

Before entering the Financial Planning Clinic, every consumer was asked to go through a 15-minute briefing designed to help them get the most out of the Clinic. During this briefing, each presenter shared with attendees information about CFP Board, CFP® certification and the advantages of working with a CFP® professional, the benefits of financial planning as well as how to get the most out of the Financial Planning Clinic.

The Financial Planning Clinic furthers CFP Board's mission to create awareness of the importance of financial planning and the value of the financial planning process and CFP Board's mission to help underserved populations have access to competent and ethical financial planning. The 2006 Financial Planning Clinic at the Los Angeles Convention Center was a resounding success. 100% of volunteers surveyed said that they would do it again, while 94% of attendees said they would recommend it to someone else.

Free Workshops

In addition to free one-on-one information from CFP® professionals, the Financial Planning Clinic offered three free educational workshops on popular financial topics:

11:00 a.m.
How to Live Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck:
Financial Planning for Those Who Feel They Have No Finances to Plan
During this workshop, Michael B. Rubin, CFP® discussed how to lower debt and save on current income — without budgeting.
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12:00 p.m.
What You Need To Know About Estate Planning, and What You Need To Do
Vincent E. Bonazzoli, JD went through estate planning basics and provided an action list of the steps people need to take to begin the estate planning process for themselves and their families.
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1:00 p.m.
More than Making the Grade: College Funding and Planning
John Pallaria, CFP® provided attendees of this workshop with action items to help start a plan for college funding.
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Workshop Speakers

			Michael B. Rubin, CFP® has been a key source of information to countless individuals and families at all income levels for more than decade. In addition to frequent speaking engagements on nearly all personal financial planning topics, Rubin is author of Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck, the founder of the financial planning education company Total Candor®, a certified public accountant (CPA), and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. Prior to founding Total Candor LLC, he worked in the personal financial services practices of two of the former “Big Six” accounting firms. Subsequently, he worked for several years as a new venture executive for Toys “R” Us, Inc., where he made sure that he never actually grew up. He holds an undergraduate business degree from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Rubin lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with his wife and daughter.
			Vincent E. Bonazzoli, JD is the principal and sole owner of The Vincent E. Bonazzoli Law Firm, P.C., a firm concentrating in Advanced and General Estate Planning, Retirement, Business and Wealth Strategies and other related areas. Bonazzoli is a frequent lecturer and instructor on Retirement Planning, Estate Planning, and Medicaid Planning techniques for accountants, financial professionals, insurance professionals and the general public and since 2004 has been an instructor at Boston University’s Financial Planning Certificate Program, a CFP Board-Registered Program that meets part of the educational requirement for CFP® certification. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wesleyan University and received his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in Boston. Bonazzoli lives in Swampscott, Massachusetts with his wife and two children.
			John Pallaria, CFP®, ChFC, CRPS® is Director of Business Development for The Principal Financial Group, where he strengthens and expands the broker-dealer channels in which Principal’s various retirement plan products and retail mutual funds are marketed. In addition to his current responsibilities at Principal, he is also an adjunct faculty member at Boston University where he teaches Income Tax, Retirement Planning and Estate Planning in the Financial Planning Certificate Program, a CFP Board-Registered Program that meets part of the educational requirement for CFP® certification. He earned a B.S. in Business Administration/Finance from Merrimack College (Mass.) and a M.B.A. from Southern New Hampshire University. Mr. Pallaria holds NASD Series 6, 63 and 7 registrations and is also a Chartered Retirement Plan Counselor, Chartered Financial Consultant and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.

CFP® Professionals

CFP Board thanks the following CFP® professionals who helped make the Financial Planning Clinic a success:

• Harv Ames, CFP®, Peterborough, NH
• Jenny Birgitta Andersson, CFP®, Providence, RI
• Morris Armstrong, CFP®, Danbury, CT
• Cyndie Barone, CFP®, Waltham, MA
• Jean Begley, CFP®, Sherborn, MA
• Debra Behm, CFP®, South Burlington, VT
• Marcelle Belisle, CFP®, Winchester, MA
• Richard Bergeron, CFP®, Mansfield, MA
• Spencer Betts, CFP®, Lexington, MA
• Stephen Birbiglia, CFP®, Saint James, NY
• Paul Bourgeois, CFP®, Tewksbury, MA
• Sean Boylan, CFP®, Waltham, MA
• Sheila Brand, CFP®, Newburyport, MA
• Susan Brown, CFP®, Walpole, MA
• Laurie Burkhardt, CFP®, Canton, MA
• Vincent Cardullo, CFP®, Farmingdale, NY
• Joanne Censullo, CFP®, Wilmington, MA
• Stephen Chase, CFP®, Danvers, MA
• Curtis Chen, CFP®, Belmont, CA
• Timothy Clegg, CFP®, Amherst, MA
• James Clouser, CFP®, Boston, MA
• Kris Cloyd, CFP®, Shrewsbury, MA
• Dallas Coffman, CFP®, Wakefield, MA
• William Condon, CFP®, South Boston, MA
• Douglas Conoway, CFP®, Rochester, NY
• Steven Copeland, CFP®, Hastings On Hudson, NY
• Cheryl Costa, CFP®, Sudbury, MA
• Gary Cotter, CFP®, Sun City Center, FL
• Angie Crandell, CFP®, Lansing, MI
• Brett Danko, CFP®, Lawrenceville, NJ
• Herb Daroff, CFP®, Boston, MA
• Yvonne Dean, CFP®, Hartford, MI
• David Diesslin, CFP®, Forth Worth, TX
• Peter Disch, CFP®, Wellesley, MA
• Gregory Doherty, CFP®, Dedham, MA
• Ko Dong, CFP®, Wayland, MA
• Peter Donohoe, CFP®, Weymouth, MA
• Beata Dragovics, CFP®, Charlestown, MA
• William Driscoll, CFP®, Plymouth, MA
• Noel Dulac, CFP®, Chelmsford, MA
• Kevin Dunn, CFP®, Hopkinton, MA
• Ray Fitzgerald, CFP®, North Richland Hills, TX
• Steven Flagg, CFP®, Mount Kisco, NY
• John Flynn, CFP®, Concord, MA
• Kelly Fox, CFP®, Plainville, MA
• Colette Frey Bitzas, CFP®, Setauket, NY
• Stephen Fusi, CFP®, Boston, MA
• Daniel Galli, CFP®, Norwell, MA
• Diana Gallo, CFP®, Marlborough, MA
• Paul Games, CFP®, Andover, MA
• Paul Goldberg, CFP®, Chelmsford, MA
• Linda Gorham, CFP®, Boston, MA
• Joseph Grella, CFP®, Gloucester, MA
• Christopher Griffith, CFP®, Norwell, MA
• Emily Grimes Wood, CFP®, Westborough, MA
• John Harrison, CFP®, Lincoln, MA
• Susan Hart, CFP®, Albany, NY
• John Haugh, CFP®, Geneseo, NY
• Paul Henry, CFP®, Belmont, MA
• Patrick Henry, CFP®, New York, NY
• Bonnie Hepburn, CFP®, Boxborough, MA
• Keith Herzog, CFP®, Ashland, MA
• Daniel Hinchey, CFP®, Lawrence, MA
• John Hirschauer, CFP®, Wells, ME
• Kimberly Howard, CFP®, Needham, MA
• Ken Hoyt, CFP®, Wellesley, MA
• Lyman Jackson, CFP®, Newton, MA
• Linda Katz, CFP®, Nesconset, NY
• Matthew Keeling, CFP®, Mashpee, MA
• Brent Kiley, CFP®, Bedford, NH
• Michael Klonsky, CFP®, Danvers, MA
• Patricia Konetzny, CFP®, Maynard, MA
• Paul Lavallee, CFP®, North Grafton, MA
• Brian Lavoie, CFP®, Nashua, NH
• Mary Lesko, CFP®, Boston, MA
• Deborah Levenson, CFP®, Newton, MA
• David Linnard, CFP®, Boxborough, MA
• Samuel Lookner, CFP®, Wellesley, MA
• William Losey III, CFP®, Wilton, NY
• Mark Luhtanen, CFP®, Boston, MA
• George Makredes, CFP®, Arlington, MA
• Deborah Maloy, CFP®, Wakefield, MA
• Robert McGann, CFP®, Westborough, MA
• Mark McGaunn, CFP®, Westborough, MA
• John McLaughlin III, CFP®, Pittsfield, MA
• Rick Miller, CFP®, Cambridge, MA
• Dexter Morse, CFP®, New York, NY
• Benjamin Muchler, CFP®, Manchester, MA
• George Mullen, CFP®, Norfolk, MA
• John Noonan III, CFP®, Weymouth, MA
• Bill O'Donnell, CFP®, Waltham, MA
• William O'Grady, CFP®, Goffstown, NH
• Lei Choon Ong, CFP®, Boston, MA
• Walter Pachniuk, CFP®, Sandy Hook, CT
• George Padula, CFP®, Westwood, MA
• Bob Pajak, CFP®, Newton, MA
• Francina Pashman, CFP®, Belleville, NJ
• Justin Peltier, CFP®, Andover, MA
• George Perkins, CFP®, Nashua, NH
• Michael Perna, CFP®, Dedham, MA
• Mark Podolsky, CFP®, Dedham, MA
• Hansong Pu, CFP®, Wakefield, MA
• Christopher Sadkowski, CFP®, Beverly, MA
• Phil Sagan, CFP®, Lexington, MA
• Peter Salkins, CFP®, Waltham, MA
• Arthur Sands, CFP®, Waltham, MA
• Johanna Schulman, CFP®, Cambridge, MA
• William Schulz, CFP®, Dover, MA
• Brendan Sheehan, CFP®, Braintree, MA
• Jennifer Simes, CFP®, Rutland, MA
• Joseph Skees, CFP®, Dover, NH
• Kathleen Smith, CFP®, Holliston, MA
• Sheila Smith, CFP®, Reading, MA
• Paul Stanley, CFP®, Dover, NH
• Richard Stearns, CFP®, Westford, MA
• Debra Stotler, CFP®, Brighton, MA
• Jeffrey Street, CFP®, Methuen, MA
• Gregory Sundberg, CFP®, Portland, OR
• Christopher Szymanski, CFP®, Nashua, NH
• Tara Ten Eyck, CFP®, Boston, MA
• Michael Theberge, CFP®, Boston, MA
• Jeffrey Tomaneng, CFP®, Braintree, MA
• Felipe Venegas, CFP®, Boston, MA
• Austin Warrin, CFP®, New York, NY
• Jeffrey Wesson, CFP®, Nashua, NH
• David Whitmore, CFP®, Bethel, CT
• Laiping Yuen, CFP®, Encino, CA
• George Zaharopoulos, CFP®, Chicopee, MA

Consumer Orientation Presenters

• Harv Ames, CFP®
• Dan Candura, CFP®
• Ted Daniels
• Marilyn Dimitroff, CFP®
• Bob Glovsky, CFP®
• Alan Goldfarb, CFP®
• Nancy Johnson-Jones, CFP®
• David Strege, CFP®

Important Information Concerning CFP Board's Free Financial Planning Clinic

The independent professionals at this Financial Planning Clinic volunteered to provide free general financial planning information. By having accepted this information without paying any costs or fees, you expressly agree that you will hold all individuals and parties associated with this Clinic harmless regarding any action you may ultimately decide to take in connection with information, conversations, advice or recommendations you received at the Clinic.

Any facts, recommendations or advice you received at the Clinic is for informational purposes only, and reliance on it is solely at your own risk. No client, representative or agent relationships were to be formed at the Clinic. Information obtained at the Clinic is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or assistance. Do not disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of any information you obtained at the Clinic.

CFP Board does not recommend or endorse any individual professionals or professional services. CFP Board's Mission focuses on creating awareness of the importance of financial planning, helping underserved populations have access to competent and ethical financial planning and creating and enforcing uniform standards of competence, practice and ethics of financial planners.