Fullen Financial Group congratulates Breanna Stein on passing the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) exam.

The CFP designation is considered the gold standard in financial planning. CFP® professionals have met rigorous education, examination and experience requirements across 72 topic areas of expertise and have committed to strict ethical standards, designed to assure that client’s needs always come first. To achieve this milestone so early in her career is also notable, of the 86,910 CFP® professionals in the US only 5.2% are between the ages of 20 and 29. As an aside, only 23.2% are female. Some experience requirements remain to be fulfilled but she will be able to start using the CFP® mark in April of 2021.

When individuals consider joining the military in some capacity, many will consider the benefits one receives by serving, such as money for college, military discounts at retail stores, the opportunity to see more of the world, etc. However, many currently-serving or future-servicemembers don't realize the full extent of resources available to those who serve. Below are some of the biggest benefits available to those who choose to pursue military service in the US Armed Forces, as well as some considerations to keep in mind.

Fullen Financial Group held a town hall-style meeting for clients on August 12th 2020 to discuss the Coronavirus pandemic and its impacts on financial markets. The discussion covered market results for various time periods, significant market events through the pandemic, and the federal government's response. Also discussed were the impacts of presidential elections on financial markets and the "winners bias" of index investing.

 Over the years I have read about and observed a number of successful people.  During that time I have noted their habits.  Appreciate that not all these habits were in play all the time, but there was definitely a current underpinning their behavior that was on display.  Ironically, many of these are self-evident and resemble what our mothers and fathers may have told us when we were younger.  Interestingly, it appears if your goal is to be successful, our parents may have been right. 

However, even if we have not subscribed to these yet it is never too late.

To that end, here are 10 of the most often-cited habits of successful people (not in any particular order of importance).

The Coronavirus pandemic has required everyone to adapt to a new reality, and the financial planning profession is no different. Some firms, like ours, have been working with remote clients for years and have lots of virtual meeting experience. Others may be scrambling to catch up, but the new normal has been a learning experience for all of us. For us, it’s clear that to serve clients successfully in a virtual environment, we need to focus on four essential competencies.