Community Outreach

Thank you for your interest in FPA's community outreach. Listed below are the two current opportunities FPA offers for a financial planner to volunteer their time and expertise. Please read more to learn about helping cancer patients and military veterans with their financial needs.

Current Opportunities:

• Cents Program

• The Foundation for Financial Planning Help Military Veterans

Financial Planning Association, The Foundation for Financial Planning &CENTS

As cancer costs have skyrocketed, physicians have begun to treat the severe financial distress associated with a cancer diagnosis as a new health problem, coining the term “financial toxicity.” The Financial Planning Association, the Foundation for Financial Planning, and the nonprofit CENTS are teaming up to respond to this problem.

By committing to volunteer your financial planning assistance you will help ensure patients and their caregivers/families are prepared to manage their spending and maintain a healthy financial situation during cancer treatment and beyond. 

The Commitment

We have tailored our program to fit into your busy schedule. We are asking you:

• to take on three cancer patients or their caregivers a year
• meet with the patient/caregiver up to three times over the course of a year

Your Role

This is a volunteer opportunity. You do not have to be an expert on everything, nor do you have to implement the plan. You can help a patient/caregiver:

• create and/or examine their budget and balance sheets
• troubleshoot/anticipate financial challenges 
• organize their finances, track/cut expenses, and manage debt
• contemplate credit decisions and new uses of their assets
• examine life and disability insurance questions
• refer them to appropriate resources/assistance (that we will provide to you)

Training

To prepare you for the program, there are two short online trainings:

• Training 1 (50 mins) is FPA’s boot camp for helping low-moderate income clients that you do not need to take again if you have completed it previously. You can earn one hour of CFP® credit for this training. The training can be found online: portal.kaplanfinancial.com/partner/FFP-ProBono
• Training 2 (45 mins) is the Cancer E-Learning Module. This training includes an overview of the Financial Planning for Cancer Program as well as helpful notes for when working with cancer patients/caregivers. You can earn one hour of CFP® credit for this training. The training can be found online.

For more information please email [email protected] or call 206-267-7017. 

Financial Planning Association Pro Bono & The Foundation for Financial Planning Help Military Veterans

Pro Bono Planners are needed in your area!

• FPA Boot Camp Instructions
• Final Boot Camp Handout
• FPA Pro Bono Enrollment
• Pro Bono Letter of Engagement Military Revised August 2013

• Initial communication with the organization to establish the relationships between the planner and the veteran
• Planner and veteran meet to establish their goals
• Contact with the veteran as needed and indicated by their non-profit organization (phone, face to face, or electronically) with the veteran to discuss the goals: especially of savings to pay property taxes and home insurance as many of these programs will deed a house to the veteran.
• The planner would notify the military nonprofit organization after contacts occur. Please note:  The responsibility of sharing the details and progress of your sessions are the responsibility of the veterans, not the planners for confidentiality.