September 3, 2008

In light of the recent hurricane, Gustav, FPA of Mississippi members realize how extremely blessed and fortunate we are and the tremendous needs around our state. In an effort to give back to those in our communities across the state, we would like to get an active committee functioning.

The FPA program targets individuals and families who lack the resources to retain a financial planner on their own, as well as nonprofit community-based organizations (CBOs) that serve this population. In practical terms, this means low-income people who are eligible for public benefits such as public housing, food stamps and Medicaid and people in need of disaster relief.

FPA's community service activities can be divided into three basic areas:

1) Pro Bono,
2) Disaster Relief, and
3) Financial Education.

In addition, FPA actively promotes public awareness of the value of financial planning to encourage the use of paid financial planning services provided by its members. An example of a disaster relief program would be helping victims in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster by providing them with basic financial advice about personal finance issues that arise as a result of the disaster, no matter their net worth or ability to pay for professional advice. A financial education program might be teaching middle and high school students about basic financial planning issues as part of a Junior Achievement program. All are encouraged by FPA and equally valued as a way to give back to our community.

If you would like to serve on this committee or do some pro bono work, please contact Danny Chancellor or the Chapter Office at your earliest convenience.

For a printable PDF of this information, please click here.