FPA announces new president; changes membership structure

(November 13, 2002) The Financial Planning Association has named Elizabeth Jetton of Financial Vision Advisors of Atlanta as its president-elect for 2003. Jetton, a Certified Financial Planner who has been on the FPA’s board since 2000, will serve as president of the planning organization in 2004.

“I’m extremely honoured to have been elected to this position,” Jetton said. “This is an exciting time for the financial planning profession and I’m delighted to be a part of it.”

Jetton, who specializes in financial advice for the medical profession, is a frequent speaker on retirement planning and investment issues.

Bob Barry of Barry Capital Management in Hackettstown, New Jersey, is the FPA’s current president. David Yeske of Yeske and Company in San Francisco will serve as president next year.

Also this week, the FPA announced changes to its membership structure intended to promote the CFP designation. Individual members are now categorized as either “financial planner members” or “members” while institutional members will become either “broker-dealer members” or “corporate members.”

Going forward, all financial planner members must hold the CFP mark, the FPA says, although there’s a 10-year grace period for those members currently in the financial planner division.

“FPA is committed to advancing the financial planning profession and believes that all financial planners should be CFP certificants,” the FPA said in a statement. “This is an important milestone in defining and advancing the financial planning profession.”

The FPA is the membership organization for U.S. financial planners. It was created in 2000 when the Institute of Certified Financial Planners and the International Association for Financial Planning joined forces.

Filed by Doug Watt, Advisor.ca, dwatt@advisor.ca.

(11/13/02)