Give Big

We believe sharing unconditionally is the path to abundance.

Several members of our San Francisco Financial Planning team recently participated in Financial Planning Day, an event that allows the public to meet one-on-one with dozens of highly qualified CFP^® professionals to discuss personal finance questions, concerns and interests. Attendees of the event received free, no strings-attached financial advice from professional financial planners who chose to volunteer their time and expertise for the special day. Jennifer Hicks, Financial Planner in our San Francisco office, has attended five Financial Planning Day events in San Francisco and served as the chairwoman of this year’s event. When asked why Financial Planning Day is so important, Jen said,

“Every minute, hour, day, or year you choose to avoid your financial questions or savings is literally a costly decision. By addressing your concerns with a professional early, you can either be growing the savings you’ve diligently put aside or ensuring that you have the necessary protection in case of emergencies, which can save you bundles down the road. Professionals exist because each of us have our specialties, and it is impossible to know everything about everything! I don’t know what I don’t know about cars … so I go to a mechanic. I don’t know what I don’t know about being sick … so I go to a doctor. You don’t know what you don’t know about financial planning … so come see a financial planner at Financial Planning Day! “

This year, the event drew an incredible 340 attendees who were assisted by 44 CFP^® volunteers. As a committee member, Jen had the opportunity to work closely with many of the financial professionals and affectionately described them as, “people who love to give back and truly believe in the benefits of helping others plan for their future. They’ve committed their lives to financial planning in order to make a living, but are happy and excited to spend a day doing what they love for others who aren’t able to pay them back.” In addition to Jen’s participation, two of our Financial Planning Residents in San Francisco, Russell Kroeger and Sabina Smailhodzic, volunteered for the event. Russell felt a similar appreciation for the volunteers, saying, “It was great to see the number and caliber of planners who volunteered to provide advice. I am encouraged by the passionate interactions I observed between the volunteers and attendees.”

Sabina shared one of her most memorable experiences with us which exemplifies exactly why we feel so strongly about events like Financial Planning Day and sharing pro-bono financial planning with as many individuals as possible,

“I had the opportunity to shadow a financial planner providing free, no strings-attached advice to an attendee. The attendee was an example of why financial literacy is so important! She and her husband earn approximately $30,000 per year and she has a $150,000 student loan with a 9% interest rate that she is not paying towards. She sat in silence for a few moments after the financial planner told her how much the loan balance is growing each year that she defers payments. She finally broke the silence by telling us that she wishes someone had explained to her how a student loan works prior to enrolling in higher education. So do we!”