News Release

Financial Planning Days Brings Free Financial Planning to Americans in Two Dozen U.S. Cities

September 30, 2012

Even as the U.S. economy rebounds, Americans continue to find themselves in need of competent and ethical personal financial planning. Recognizing the growing need for accessible financial advice, four national non-profit organizations – Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Financial Planning Association, Foundation for Financial Planning and the U.S. Conference of Mayors – are collaborating to offer free, no-strings-attached Financial Planning Days (www.FinancialPlanningDays.org) in two dozen cities across the United States throughout October.

The third annual Financial Planning Days is a unique endeavor by local governments and hundreds of financial planners nationwide to provide free financial advice and education to the public through one-on-one advising sessions and workshops. Experts from the Financial Planning Association^® and highly qualified CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals will volunteer their time to offer “no-strings-attached” advice; planners will not distribute business cards or sell financial products or services.

This year, the national partners are pleased to have the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) partner with them to promote the events to thousands of Americans through their various outreach programs and communications tools, including an announcement on the USA.gov website with over 150,000 visitors per week, and through their email list serve, which has more than 270,000 subscribers.

In one-on-one consultations, financial planners will answer questions on topics ranging from budgeting, managing credit, getting out of debt, income taxes, homeownership, dealing with mortgage foreclosures, planning and paying for college, estate planning and insurance, and many other topics. Free classroom-style workshop presentations covering key personal finance topics will also be available.

Events are planned in the following metro areas:

Baltimore, MD October 6	Chicago, IL October 20	Columbus, OH October 6
Denver, CO October 13	Elizabeth, NJ October 10	Huntington Beach, CA October 6
Indianapolis, IN October 27	Los Angeles, CA October 13	Miami, FL October 4
Newark, NJ October 6	Oakland, CA October 6	Omaha, NE October 13
Palo Alto, CA October 13	Philadelphia, PA October 9	Phoenix, AZ October 27
Portland, OR October 6	West Sacramento, CA October 13	San Antonio, TX October 13
San Diego, CA October 6	San Francisco, CA October 20	Seattle, WA October 13
St. Paul, MN October 20	Virginia Beach, VA October 27	Washington, DC October 27

To participate: Free registration is available at www.FinancialPlanningDays.org or by calling toll-free at 1-877-861-7826. Walk-ins are also welcome.

About CFP Board
The mission of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board) is to benefit the public by granting the CFP^® certification and upholding it as the recognized standard of excellence for personal financial planning. The Board of Directors, in furthering CFP Board's mission, acts on behalf of the public, CFP^® professionals and other stakeholders. CFP Board owns the certification marks CFP^® , CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP^® (with plaque design) and CFP^® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. CFP Board currently authorizes more than 67,000 individuals to use these marks in the U.S. For more information about CFP Board, visit www.CFP.net or call 800-487-1497.

About the Financial Planning Association
The Financial Planning Association^®(FPA^®) is the largest membership organization for personal financial planning experts in the U.S. and includes professionals from all backgrounds and business models. FPA members adhere to the highest standards of professional competence, ethical conduct and clear, complete disclosure to those they serve. Based in Denver, Colo., FPA works in alliance with academic leaders, legislative and regulatory bodies, financial services firms and consumer interest organizations. For more information about FPA, visit www.FPAnet.org or call 800.322.4237.

About Foundation for Financial Planning
The mission of the Foundation for Financial Planning is to help people take control of their financial lives by connecting the financial planning community with people in need. The Foundation funds programs that provide pro bono financial planning, and connect volunteers through the involvement of the financial planning and services community. The Foundation strives to help people who are underserved by the market, in need of financial guidance, or in a financial crisis. The Foundation aims to improve the lives of all Americans through access to pro bono financial planning and financial life skills education to provide those at all socio-economic levels with the knowledge to control their financial lives and opportunities to obtain unbiased financial advice in time of crisis and disaster. For more information about the Foundation for Financial Planning, visit www.foundation-finplan.org.

About The U.S. Conference of Mayors
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,204 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. More information about the Conference is available at www.usmayors.org.