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Financial Planning Association™ of MA member John R. (Dick) Power, CFP® named a 2012 Heart of Financial Planning Award winner
BOSTON, MA, ISSUED AUGUST 15, 2012…Financial Planning Association™ of Massachusetts (FPA MA) member John R. (Dick) Power of Walpole CFP® has been recognized by the FPA® as a 2012 Heart of Financial Planning Award winner.
The annual awards recognize individual professionals, financial planning firms, FPA chapters or other organizations throughout the country that engage in extraordinary work, by contributing and giving back to the financial planning community and public through financial planning. Recipients embody the spirit of financial planning, and represent FPA’s Core Values: Competence, Integrity, Relationships and Stewardship.
Power was recognized for his work in creating a pro-bono program for military veterans chosen by Homes for Our Troops (HFOT), a non-profit organization that builds homes for wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Power contributed his time to develop a presentation with backup materials for the HFOT program that offers veterans an initial understanding of what to expect when they meet one-on-one with a planner and why HFOT believes this is necessary before they receive the house.
The program has expanded nationally and volunteer financial planners are assigned across the country in the states where the homes are being built. Assigned volunteer planners then assist in defining financial goals, create budgets, establish savings plans, and ensure that those participating in this no-cost program receive full advantage of their employee and military benefits. In most cases, the FPA volunteer with meet at a later date after the veteran and family occupy the house to ensure the house budget, cash flow, and other issues are going according to plan.
The veterans selected for this program are severely wounded and need homes that are built specifically to create a better quality of life and tailored to meet their individual physical limitations. These homes receive about two-thirds of the funding from donations to HFOT. The community that hosts the new house, usually in the home area of the veteran, rallies around the family with donations of labor and money for the home. Veterans in the program are now required to complete a financial plan before taking possession of the home.
FPA of MA volunteers including Powers have been meeting with veterans who have been screened for houses and delivering their presentation. The veterans are able to ask questions and know what the tailored pro bono engagement letter will contain and how the process will work.
Power has been active for many years in the FPA of MA Pro-Bono program for military personnel and their families that offers free financial coaching and planning to those who have served our country, are currently serving or are about to be deployed. Assigned volunteer planners assist in defining financial goals, creating budgets, establishing savings plans, and ensuring that those participating in this no-cost program receive full advantage of their employee and military benefits.
Power, who sits on the FPA MA Board of Directors as At-Large Technology Director, is Principal of Power Plans in Walpole, MA and has more than 19 years of experience in the financial planning industry.
He holds a BSBA from Northeastern University; an MBA from Babson College; diplomas from Defense Systems Management College and Industrial College of the Armed Forces and a diploma in Financial Planning from Boston University. Power retired from the Army in 1992 after nearly 30 years of service. He is a Certified Financial Planner and a Registered Investment Advisor.
Power will receive his Heart of Financial Planning Award during FPA Experience 2012, to be held September 29 – October 2 in San Antonio, Texas.
“Our congratulations go to Dick as recipient of this esteemed award,” said John Napolitano, President of the FPA of MA. “His commitment to the profession of financial planning, his clients and the community make him more than deserving of this honor. Dick’s dedication to the men and women who serve our country is an inspiration to all and a great benefit to our active military and veterans.”
About the Financial Planning Association™ of Massachusetts
Since the year 2000, the FPA™ MA has sought to foster the value of financial planning and advance the financial planning profession in the Bay State. Our 900 members are dedicated to the financial planning process, which entails establishing personal and financial goals and creating a way to reach them. FPA™MA believes that everyone needs objective advice to make smart financial decisions and that when seeking the advice of a financial planner, the planner should be a CFP® certificant.
Many FPA™ MA members engage in philanthropic pro bono work in their communities. They also recommend legislation, elevate public awareness, promote financial literacy, and advocate for sound economic and tax policies. We welcome all those who advance the financial planning process and promote the CFP® mark as the cornerstone of the financial planning profession. For more information please call 866-804-0484 or visit www.fpama.org.