The Garrett Planning Network 13th Annual Retreat was recently held in Kansas City, Missouri. I am a member of the Garrett Planning Network. It is a group of about 300 financial planners that offer financial planning on an hourly basis, each member owns their own firm. I have written about the Garrett Planning Network before.
I attended the conference and earned continuing education credits by going to various educational programs, which I need so that I can keep my designations and licenses such as:
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™
- CHARTERED RETIREMENT PLANNING COUNSELOR℠
- NAPFA Registered Financial Advisor
During the four day conference I attended various educational programs such as:
- State of the Industry
- The 7Twelve Portfolio: A Better Balanced Portfolio
- Long Term Care Planning – Past Present Future
- Estate Planning Update
- And others
Ron Rhoades, JD, CFP ® of ScholarFi, Inc., gave one of the Keynote addresses on the state of the Industry: Will Fiduciary Duties be expanded – by the DOL or the SEC? In the fast-paced presentation, professor Rhoades covered various trends about the CFP Board, marketing of financial services and future effective business models.
Craig L. Israelsen, Ph.D. gave a keynote address on the 7Twelve Portfolio: A Better Balanced Portfolio. Laurence B. Siegel, another keynote speaker, spoke on Wake up and Smell the Coffee! Investors are Poorly Prepared for Retirement – A Balance Sheet Solution.
Throughout the year, the Garrett Planning Network, has three or four conference calls each month. One of the most beneficial outcomes of my annual trip to this retreat, is getting together with this group in person. On Thursday I was with a group of Garrett Planning Network members and Sheryl Garrett as Sheryl rang the closing bell at the BATS Global Markets stock exchange, the third largest exchange in the world. We took a tour of the exchange. It was inspiring to learn about the volume of trades that goes through there.
Another a highlight for me, is that I met Gail Marks Jarvis and she signed a copy of her new book for me. She is a very knowledgeable journalist for the Chicago Tribune and really roots for the consumer. One discussion point that really connected with me was something she mentioned at the book signing table. She talked about the fact that investors do not care about percentages they care about dollars. Their dollars. I agree wholeheartedly. It is something that I have kept in mind for years when I talk with someone about what allocation model is best for them.
Garrett Planning Network is a terrific group of professional financial planners who, like me, work with clients on an hourly basis. We share ideas and act as a resource for each other all year, so it is so nice to get together once a year and see each other again.