CFP Board held a free Financial Planning Clinic on Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 11:00 am and 4:00 pm at DePaul University, O'Hare Campus, where visitors were able to meet one-on-one with volunteer CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals free of charge and discuss their personal finance questions, concerns and interests.

Information and advice was shared on a wide range of topics, including:

GENERAL FINANCIAL PLANNING
Purchasing a Home - Debt Management -
Building a College Fund - Savings Goals
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SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
Job Loss and Job Change - Foreclosure Assistance -
Change in Marital Status
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INVESTMENT PLANNING
Investment Strategies - Asset Accumulation -
Generating Investment Income
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RETIREMENT PLANNING
Building a Retirement Fund - 401(k) and 403(b) Plans -
IRA Accounts - Social Security
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INCOME TAX PLANNING
Tax Reduction Strategies - Charitable Contributions -
Small Business Taxation
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ESTATE PLANNING
Building an Inheritance - Wills and Trusts -
Estate Tax Strategies
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INSURANCE PLANNING
Life Insurance Coverage - Disability Insurance -
Long-term Care Planning
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EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Managing Health Insurance - Health Savings Accounts -
Pension Benefits
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The event raised public awareness of financial planning and the benefits of working with a financial planner who holds CFP® certification, the recognized standard of excellence for personal financial planning.

View a video from CFP Board’s Financial Planning Clinic in Boston.

A Financial Planning Clinic is a special event that provides the public an opportunity to address specific financial questions to professional financial planners who volunteer their time and expertise to provide unbiased financial planning information tailored to each visitor's unique situation. All financial planners at the Clinic hold the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification (CFP® certification) and are highly qualified to discuss your financial issues to help you find the answers you need.

At the Clinic, each volunteer is seated at a table designated for a specific financial planning topic. You decide what topic you’re interested in and head over to the appropriate table. The volunteer CFP® professionals meet with only one individual, couple or family at a time but there is no limit to the number of volunteers you can meet with.

The Financial Planning Clinics further CFP Board's mission of serving the public by upholding the CFP® certification as the recognized standard of excellence in personal financial planning. In addition to this event in Detroit, Financial Planning Clinics held in Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, DC and Miami were resounding successes for thousands of consumers who attended, as well as for the hundreds of CFP® professionals who gave back to their communities by sharing their talents.

CFP® Certificants

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

• Lisa Andrews, CFP®
• Lisa Ditkowsky, CFP®
• Francine Duke, CFP®
• Henry Gorecki, CFP®
• William Griffioen, CFP®
• Craig Horvath, CFP®
• Mike Patkunas, CFP®
• Eric Perkins, CFP®
• Srbo Radisavljevic, CFP®
• Frank Reid, CFP®
• Dan Sigman, CFP®
• Michael Smith, CFP®
• Robert Stanley, CFP®
• David Wilson, CFP®
• Debbie Wise, CFP®
• Gregory Worcester, CFP®
• John Broman, CFP®
• Martin Brosnan, CFP®

Financial information provided by CFP® professionals at the Clinic is free and tailored to your needs. The volunteer CFP® professionals are not allowed to sell products and services or hand out business cards or marketing materials. In other words, there are no strings attached.

CFP Board organizes Financial Planning Clinics to help people experience first-hand how financial planning can improve their lives and bring the expertise of CFP® professionals to people who may not normally have access to reliable and ethical financial planning information.

Any attendee who wishes to follow-up with a volunteer CFP® professional will have access to the volunteer’s name and contact information in the information package provided at registration.

The Financial Planning Clinic in Chicago was part of a series of successful Clinics held in Los Angeles (2006), Boston (2007), Washington, DC, (2008), Miami (2008), Detroit (2009) and Las Vegas (2009) where volunteer CFP® certificants made a positive difference in the lives of thousands of people by sharing their time and expertise to help individuals and families sort out their personal finance questions and concerns.

Learn more about CFP Board's past Financial Planning Clinics

If the enthusiastic and grateful comments from attendees and volunteers weren’t enough to validate the benefits these events provided, post-event surveys confirmed that more than 95% of attendees found their experience so rewarding that they would recommend it to others. The same percentage of volunteers stated that they would participate again.

Past Financial Planning Clinics have featured partnerships with a large number of community organizations who invited their constituents to attend the events, including AARP, America Saves, City of Miami, Georgetown University, Goodwill Industries International, United Way and University of Miami. Among the many media outlets that have supported the Clinics are ABC, CBS, NBC, The Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald and Univision.

The independent professionals at this Financial Planning Clinic have volunteered to provide free general financial planning information. By accepting 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 may receive at the Clinic.

Any facts, recommendations or advice you may receive at the Clinic are for informational purposes only, and reliance on it is solely at your own risk. No client, representative or agent relationship may be formed at the Clinic.

CFP Board does not recommend or endorse individual professionals or professional services. CFP Board's Mission focuses on benefiting the public by granting the CFP® certification and upholding it as the recognized standard of excellence for personal financial planning.