In this issue

Don’t Pay The College Sticker Price!
Presented by: Joe Orsolini, College Aid Planners
Sponsored by: Federated Hermes

We are very pleased to announce that Joe Orsolini of College Aid Planners will be the guest presenter at our next chapter meeting on October 15^th, 2020. For many families, college tuition is the largest expense they will ever face. To make matters worse, the escalating pace of tuition inflation has become downright terrifying. The college financial aid system, which includes scholarships, grants, student loans and tax-saving opportunities, was designed to help relieve this expensive burden. This system provides relief for parents of all income levels—not just low or moderate-income families.

The program will introduce the key areas of opportunity to reduce the overall cost of a college education. The presentation will focus on strategies to maximize need-based financial aid eligibility and target the right colleges for merit-based financial aid. Armed with this understanding and knowledge, a college education may become more affordable and less of a financial burden.

Joe Orsolini is an expert in college planning who profoundly understands the intricate details of the college financial aid system, college savings plans and educational tax breaks. Joe specializes in serving the unique financial needs of parents who plan on sending their children to college. He draws from his many years of experience assisting families of all income levels with the college financial aid process, college savings, tax preparation, and retirement planning.

Joe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Bradley University. He is a former Chapter President of the Independent Accountants Association of Illinois as well as a past President of the Lombard Chamber of Commerce.

As a nationally respected authority on college planning, Joe has been featured in a variety of media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, FOX Business, Savingforcollege.com, Forbes, Business Insider, Chicago Tribune, US News & World Report, Yahoo Finance and WGN Radio & TV.

As previously stated, the October chapter meeting will be held virtually via Zoom to continue to take the necessary precautions against the spread of COVID-19. Please follow the link to register!

1 hour of CFP® credit applied for

Thursday, October 15^th 12:00 - 1:00PM
No charge for this meeting

Register here

Community Service

Every October we celebrate Financial Planning Month. We are encouraging everyone to look at the pro bono opportunities available through FPA national and the Foundation for Financial Planning.

FPA national provides two courses for pro bono training which are eligible for CFP^® CE credit. FPA national also has resources that are available for you to use in your pro bono efforts. I encourage everyone to check out https://www.financialplanningassociation.org/lead/pro-bono for more information.

The Foundation for Financial Planning (FFP) also offers one course for pro bono training that is eligible for CFP^® CE credit. FFP also has several different tools on their website to help you provide pro bono services. You can partner with one of their grantee organizations or utilize their Pro Bono Planner Match platform to easily find pro bono opportunities available. For more information on volunteer opportunities through the Foundation for Financial Planning go to https://ffpprobono.org/volunteers/.

If you know of any local organizations we should consider partnering with in the future please contact Rebecca Yerby at [email protected].

Events

October 15 Education Planning Virtual Meeting

October 15 Next Gen Happy Hour

November 5 Joint Meeting with Estate Planning Council

November 19 TBA

Welcome New Members

New Member:

Blake May, CFP®

Member Anniversaries:

5 year

Lawrence Wall, CFP®

20 year

Daniel Davidson, CFP®

Membership

Member Benefits Spotlight:

If any members plan to take the CFP Board exam in November, they can get $200 off their registration with code FPANOVEXAM. Learn more at https://www.financialplanningassociation.org/cfp-board-exam-discount.
Explore what other leading companies FPA has partnered with to provide its members with discounts on products and services at https://www.financialplanningassociation.org/membership/member-discount-program.
To assist with any COVID-19 financial hardships, FPA wants to remind members that it is offering a monthly payment program and membership extensions of three, six and 12 months. Please reach out to the Member Services team for details (800-322-4237 or [email protected]).
Find out more about FPA’s Member Referral Program at financialplanningassociation.org/membership/referral-program.

Symposium

The Bridge to the Future symposium event held on September 17-18 was, once again, a resounding success-thanks in large part to the support of our chapter's partners. The event included 5 presentations and up to 6 CFP^(r) CE hours. Excluding the speakers, 82 individuals registered for the chapter's symposium event.

A very special thanks also goes to Maggie Elliott, Ashley Burrell, Callie Jowers, David LeCompte, Jim Sumpter and Pat Morris for their unique contributions to this year's symposium event. When the board decided to amend the venue for safety purposes back in June, these individuals swiftly moved to make all of the necessary modifications for a virtual event-quite an undertaking!

A. Scott Ward, CFP(r), AIF(r), AIFA(r)