2023 FPA Spring Financial Forum (SFF)

Wednesday, March 15th

Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Washington Square

7:30 am - 3:30 pm

Registration includes: hot breakfast, 4-5 sessions, lunch, and a reception

Registration Closed; Contact [email protected] if you are interested in attending

7:30 am - 8:30 am
Registration | Hot Breakfast | Networking with Exhibitors and Attendees

8:30 am - 8:45 am
Welcome, Introductions & Opening Remarks | Introduction of SFF Sponsors
By 2023 Programs Director Scott Malbasa, CFP

8:45 am - 9:35 am
FAFSA Changes that WILL Impact your Clients
Presented by Cozy Wittman, College Inside Track

Unbeknownst to most, the COVID relief bill passed at the end of 2020 included some significant changes to the FAFSA. These changes will likely be a huge disruption in the college planning landscape that will require new strategies for your clients. There are distinct winners and losers with the new legislation.

These changes sit on top of the massive changes to the college process in the last 2 years, including how colleges award scholarships, ACT testing cancellations and rules for how/when colleges can offer deals to families.

This presentation will educate advisors around the impact the changing landscape will have on their clients and provide opportunities to be able to work with multiple generations!

Learning Objectives:

• How FAFSA is used by colleges and the Federal Government.
• How FAFSA changes will impact families with multiple kids in college or where parents are divorced.
• How FAFSA changes will shift potential saving strategies.

Meet your Speaker: Cozy Wittman, Education and Partnerships, College Inside Track

As Education and Partnership leader at College Inside Track, Cozy Wittman speaks nationally about college search, educating families and training financial advisors and other professionals who work with families with high schoolers. College search has become increasingly complex, the nuances hard to understand; Cozy is passionate about dispelling myths that cost families money! She was featured in The Journal of Financial Planning on the subject of college planning.

Cozy is excited to connect with organizations and families interested in learning more about the complex college search process. She is a mom of 5 kids with very different goals for college so she is no stranger to the challenges around college search.

• Approved for 1 CEU with the CFP Board

9:35 am - 9:55 am
Networking Break with Exhibitors and Attendees

9:55 am - 10:45 am
Navigating the ESG Landscape
Presented by Lacey Huebel, CFA, Dimensional Fund Advisors

The fast growth in ESG data has created an exciting opportunity for advisors and their clients who are interested in sustainability. At the same time, this growth has introduced significant complexity that investors may find hard to navigate. The subjectivity and opacity of ESG ratings may limit their usefulness to investors and lead to unexpected outcomes. A better approach is for investors to determine their specific ESG priorities aligned with their personal values, identify relevant data, and integrate these data into a sound investment approach. As a result, Advisors may be able to accommodate their clients' interests in climate change in a meaningful way within their portfolio, while keeping them on track to meet their financial goals.

Learning Objectives:

• Categorizing the types of promises being made in ESG investing
• Understanding the limitations of using current ESG characteristics as predictors of future ESG risks and returns.
• Diving into how advisors can help clients align their values around environmental sustainability within a sound approach to investments.

Meet your Speaker: Lacey Huebel, Dimensional

Lacey Huebel is Dimensional's Head of Responsible Investment, North America, as well as a Portfolio Manager and Vice President. She has been involved with the firm's social and sustainable fixed income portfolios since their inception and manages a variety of fixed income strategies. Lacey frequently represents Dimensional on ESG matters with clients and at conferences. Previously, she managed fixed income reporting as part of Dimensional's Investment Analytics and Data team.

Before joining Dimensional, Lacey was an analyst at PlanMember Financial Corporation. She is a CFA(r) charterholder and has two master's degrees-an MS in mathematics from Kansas State University and an MA in applied mathematics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She earned her BS from Texas State University, San Marcos. 

• Approved for 1 CEU with the CFP Board

10:45 am - 11:00 am
Networking Break with Exhibitors and Attendees

11:00 am - 11:50 am
The Financial Advisor's Field Guide: What They Don't Teach at Financial Planning School
Presented by Rob Cucchiaro, CFP, Summit Wealth & Retirement Partners

Learning Objectives:

• Becoming a trusted advisor
• Building a loyal client base
• Build & maintain a professional staff
• getting more referrals
• Running the wealth management business

Meet your speaker: Rob Cucchiaro, CFP, Summit Wealth & Retirement Partners

In 2012 Rob bought a boutique independent wealth management firm. At the time that firm consisted of 2 financial advisors who were doing just under $1M of total revenue per year on a client base of 100 families. Today Rob owns and operates that same firm, which now does about $4M of revenue while serving 275 families, that receives over 60 referrals a year. Rob spends 80% of his time as a Financial Advisor working directly with 115 families, and 20% of his time managing the business, which consists of himself + 10 others. The firm is called Summit Wealth & Retirement and they manage over $700M in assets, with about $250M of life insurance on the books. He is also the author of the book “Financial advisor field guide, what they don’t teach at Financial Planning School”

 11:50 am - 12:50 pm
Lunch

12:50 pm - 1:40 pm
The Evolving RIA M&A Landscape
Presented by Doug Johnson, DeVoe & Company

The confluence of national and industry trends is impacting today's RIA M&A, succession planning and valuation environment. Drawing on DeVoe & Company’s research and ongoing client work, Doug will discuss the key factors driving M&A along with the underlying sub-trends. Finally, Doug will offer insights as to what RIA owners and advisors should expect in the year ahead. 

Learning Objectives:

• Attendees will learn how RIA M&A activities shifted in 2022 both in volume and complexion of sellers.
• Attendees will understand the key drivers behind RIA M&A including motivators for buyers and sellers.
• Attendees will be able to assess their strategic business plans for 2023 and whether M&A may be a lever.

Meet your Speaker: Doug Johnson, DeVoa & Company

Doug joined DeVoe & Company in 2021 as a Managing Director and works with our clients on consulting and investment banking projects.

Doug has more than 20 years of senior-level RIA management experience as COO/CCO and consultant. Most recently, he served as COO/CCO at Parcion Private Wealth (~$2B) in Seattle. Prior to Parcion, Doug spent six years at The Ensemble Practice, where he supported RIAs and broker-dealers with business consulting and strategic planning. Doug also served in leadership positions at Columbia Pacific Capital Management and Lakeside Capital Management, among other firms.

Doug earned an MBA from Thunderbird School of Management/ASU and a BA from University of California Los Angeles.  

• Approved for 1 CEU with the CFP Board

1:40 pm - 2:30 pm
Welcome to the New Old Frontier: Private Markets Investing 101
Presented by Carlin Calcaterra, Ares Wealth Management

Private markets are growing in size and scale. Investments in private markets have been a core holding in institutional portfolios for many years, driving superior and stable returns, in particular relative to public markets. Today, these markets are becoming increasingly accessible through liquid and semi-liquid product structures. This “democratization of alternatives” allows for private market investments to be used by financial advisors on behalf of their end clients in a way they never have before. We aim to educate advisors on what these investments are and how they can better help advisors and their clients achieve their financial plan goals.

Learning Objectives:

• What are private markets and their associated asset class?
• How and why do private market investments add value in a portfolio?
• What role can private market investments play in a broader asset allocation?

Meet your Speaker: Carlin Calcaterra

Prior to joining Ares in 2022, Ms. Calcaterra was a Senior Investment Consultant at Goldman Sachs in New York (11 years) and then Mercer in Denver (2 years), where she built and managed up to $15bn across custom, multi-asset institutional portfolios. In this role, she acted as a 3(38) fiduciary, with discretion over strategic asset allocation and manager selection. She brings with her a focus on quantitative portfolio construction optimization, with specialization in cash flow-driven investing and enterprise risk modeling. Ms. Calcaterra received her dual B.A. in Economics and French from Bucknell University

• Approved for 1 CEU with the CFP Board

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Closing Remarks & Reception

Registration Details:

Registration Deadline: Friday, March 10th, 2023

Early Registration (Register by February 17th, 2023)

FPA Chapter Member: $225.00
Non-Member: $425.00

Regular Registration (Register after February 17th, 2023)

FPA Chapter Member: $275.00
Non-Member: $475.00

STUDENTS REGISTER FREE!

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Platinum Sponsor

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Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsors