UC Irvine Extension Hosts 14th Annual Financial Planning Association Residency Program

IRVINE, Calif., May 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- University of California, Irvine Extension announced today that it will host the 14th Annual Financial Planning Association^® (FPA^®) Residency Program 2014 on Oct. 12-17. CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP^®) professionals, or graduates of a CFP Board approved program, will interact with and learn from some of the most reputable financial planning professionals in the profession. Participants will gain valuable insights and strategies essential to developing and maintaining lasting client relationships during this intensive six-day program held in Lake Arrowhead, Calif. The number of participants is limited in order to maximize the personal experience of the program, so early registration is encouraged.

The strength of the FPA Residency Program lies in the pairing of experienced CFP^® professionals with participants who are new to the industry or veterans looking to stimulate their careers or businesses. The program deploys hands-on training techniques and mentor feedback, while providing opportunities for participants to actively develop and practice effective communication skills across the spectrum of client relationships and service.

"I think this program is a jumpstart to my career, as I'm new to the profession," said Lauren Grove, a former program participant and resident from Vienna, VA. "I would recommend this to everyone in the financial planning profession, whether you've been serving clients for years or are brand new like me."

The program is exclusively offered in the western United States at tranquil Lake Arrowhead. Participants work with mentors and colleagues as a part of a financial planning team to address the financial and life issues of a fictional "client." Teams engage in motivating role-play situations, including team building, case studies, mentor panel discussions, client discovery communication skills development, and team breakout sessions. Ultimately, participants are able to present financial planning recommendations with active feedback throughout the process, primarily focusing on the client-planner relationship.

"One of the best parts of this program is having the opportunity to learn through trial and error. We are working with some of the best leaders in the profession," said Alexis Olian, a former program participant and resident from San Francisco, Calif. "This experience has far exceeded my expectations."

Participants can earn three months of work experience or 28 hours of continuing education credit from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc.

For more information about the program, click on the following link to hear more from past participants and mentors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iovy2F6bYX8&feature=youtu.be

Program participants will have the opportunity to work with industry leaders including:

• Kyra Morris, CFP^®, 2014 FPA Residency Dean, began her career in financial planning in 1983. She founded Morris Financial Concepts, Inc. and later became an Enrolled Agent (EA), empowered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. As one of the founders of the South Carolina Society for the Institute of Certified Financial Planners and having served a national position on the board of the Institute of Certified Financial Planners, Morris actively helped the Financial Planning Association resurrect the Residency Program for entry-level CFP^® professionals.
• Diane Bourdo, CFP^®, joined The Humphreys Group in 1989 and has been president since 2005. She is a member of the Financial Planning Association and participates in a pro bono program in partnership with EARN, a non-profit organization that works to help low-wage workers break the cycle of poverty by providing financial planning assistance.
• Sandi Bragar, CFP^®, is the Director of Planning at Aspiriant and is responsible for establishing and maintaining the firm's wealth planning philosophy, service offering and resources. She has extensive experience in stock option planning and charitable gift planning.
• Jim Johnson, CFP^®, a principal at Lighthouse Financial Planning is also the current president of the FPA of California. Johnson has mentored at Residency many times and considers participating in Residency as one of the highlights of the year.
• John Scott Longstaff, CFP^®, is a senior partner and owner of the registered investment advisory firm, The Planning Center, Inc. Having worked in private practice since 1984, Longstaff specializes in financial life planning and wealth management.
• Tom Tracy, CFP^®, is the Chief Client Officer at Aspiriant. For more than 25 years, Tracy has provided comprehensive financial and investment planning services to hundreds of professionals, senior corporate executives, business owners, and other high net worth individuals.

To register for the program, participants must meet one of the following three requirements: they must have completed a required CFP Board-registered program and be eligible to sit for the CFP^® Certification Examination, be a newly certified CFP^® professional or candidate for CFP^® certification, or held the distinction of CFP^® professional for three years or less.

Enrollment deadline is Sept. 3. For registration fees and non-member rates or more information please call (949) 824-4661 or visit www.extension.uci.edu/fpa.

About UC Irvine Extension: University of California, Irvine Extension is the continuing education arm of UC Irvine, serving nearly 40,000 students globally and offering more than 3,200 classes annually on the UC Irvine campus, online and at employer sites throughout California and worldwide. Since 1962, UC Irvine Extension has served Orange County with programs and classes to help adult learners reach their career advancement and personal enrichment goals, and remains dedicated to providing broad access to the resources of the University for the benefit of the public, both through University Extension certificate and specialized studies programs and a broad range of free and open educational resources including UC Irvine OpenCourseWare. Learn more at http://extension.uci.edu, or join us on YouTube or Facebook.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UC Irvine is among the most dynamic campuses in the University of California system, with nearly 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,000 staff. Orange County's largest employer, UC Irvine contributes an annual economic impact of $4.2 billion. For more UC Irvine news, visit today.uci.edu. 

About the Financial Planning Association

Since 2000, the Financial Planning Association^® (FPA^®) has been the professional organization for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^TM (CFP^®) professionals, educators, financial services professionals and students who seek advancement in a growing, dynamic profession. More than 23,000 FPA members adhere to the highest standards of professional competence, ethical conduct and clear, complete disclosure to those they serve. Through a collaborative effort to provide members with One Connection to tools and resources for professional education, business success, advocacy and community, FPA has become an indispensable force in the advancement of today's CFP^® professional. Learn more about FPA at OneFPA.org and follow on Twitter at twitter.com/fpassociation.

Contact: Vivian Chan-Slater
(714) 573-0899 x 235
[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140219/LA67532LOGO

SOURCE UC Irvine Extension