Sandy Adams and Laurie Renchik weren’t seeking the fountain of youth on a recent trip to Lansing, rather they went in search of important information on aging. The two met with State of Michigan officials in the Office of Services to the Aging (OSA). As representatives for the MI Financial Planning Association (FPA), Sandy and Laurie were fact-finding in a couple of key areas:
Talking about senior financial fraud and abuse issues
- Learning how the Government Relations Committee of Michigan’s FPA can support legislation designed to protect seniors from financial fraud and abuse
- Exploring what non-legislative opportunities exist to assist OSA staff and their senior resource hotline
Finding out what our State Agencies know about the FPA, the financial planning profession and the Certified Financial Planner™ designation (CFP®)
- The meeting helped Sandy and Laurie understand the opportunity to provide education about licensing and the meaning of credentials advisors use in the financial planning industry
- We also provided Michigan OSA officials with information about the full extent of the relationships and services we provide to our clients
Sandy found the trip was very enlightening. “I feel good knowing that we started the process of educating the OSA about our industry and that we will be providing important input to them as they propose and support legislation to protect seniors in our state.”
Laurie agreed that the trip was an eye-opener. “The dialogue was open and confirmed that we can be a resource to elected officials, state government and the citizens of Michigan.” She added that it takes a collaborative effort to understand how everyone can work together to protect at-risk seniors from financial fraud and abuse.