Happy Centerversary!

Bringing a combined 37 years of experience to The Center, we are grateful for the contributions of Tim Wyman, Matthew Chope and Amanda Toia. While we wanted to give them a little recognition as they reach their Centerversaries, we also wanted to know what the anniversaries meant to them.

Fifteen years ago now Managing Partner Tim Wyman joined our team. He not only brings leadership to The Center, but he keeps our team laughing. When we asked him about hitting the 15 year mark, he called it a wonderful milestone:

Joining The Center in 1999 was clearly the best professional decision I have made. I am very grateful and thankful for what we have collectively built here at The Center for the benefit of clients and the great team that serves them. My work is extremely rewarding and important in my life and it is a true pleasure and privileged to be a member of The Center!  

Center partner Matthew Chope joined Center for Financial Planning, Inc. in 1996. Of his 18 years with The Center he says:

“It’s been like a dream career for the most part. The only thing better than these choices, as I look back, was the staff that found a home here over that time and the clients that gave us an opportunity to serve them.  I feel lucky and privileged each and every day.”

And 4 years ago, Client Service Manager Amanda Toia joined our team. Now that we have her, we can’t imagine how we ever managed without her!

“I work at the greatest firm with the greatest co-workers and clients! I have learned somuch in the last four years.”

A Message for Marilyn Gunther

Described as a steel hand in a velvet glove, Center for Financial Planning founding partner Marilyn Gunther, CFP® has officially transitioned into the retired life. But the mark she left on The Center is almost tangible. In this tribute video, team members call Marilyn professional, committed, passionate and inspirational. And Marilyn’s daughters Lisa and Karen Gunther share their perspective on growing up with a woman who was establishing what would become a nationally recognized business in a very male-dominated field.

Marilyn set an example for The Center team that we are dedicated to upholding. Her success, her impact on the financial planning community, and her trail blazing attitude continue to inspire us daily. We miss seeing Marilyn in the office, and we hear the same from her clients, but the principles she established will follow us into the future.

State of The Center: 2014

Since 1985, The Center has been a passionate advocate for the clients we serve. We take great pride in the success of our clients and are equally proud that so many clients take an interest in our firm.  In that spirit, we are excited to share some of our happenings & successes in 2014.

Growing The Center

As in the past, providing world-class service to our existing clients is priority number one.  We now serve roughly 820 individuals and families representing assets under our management of $897M as of December 31, 2014.

Moving The Center

To better serve clients and team members, we moved into larger and more collaborative space in July 2014.  Many of you have had the opportunity to visit and the feedback has been positive.  Thanks to changes in the commercial real estate market, we were able to make substantial changes to our space in a cost effective manner.  Technology has been enhanced to improve client annual review meetings and the new Center Café provides a generous space for team collaboration.

Changes at The Center

As shared last year, 2013 was a year of goodbyes as three long term team members began their retirement (fortunately we see them all….just now as clients of the firm). Our new team members stepped in, up and then some.  Associate Financial Planners Nick Defenthaler and Matt Trujillo have added a level of planning capability for clients. Office Manager Nancy Sechrist hit the ground running in a variety of areas – not the least of which was with our office move.  Additionally, several team members increased their knowledge and training to serve clients by completing the Certified Financial Planner™ program, completing securities licensing, as well as specialized training through the Sudden Money Institute. In 2014 we were fortunate to attract three valuable interns, and one of them, Nick Boguth, will be joining us midyear after graduating from the University of Michigan.

Making our Mark

The Center and our team members continue to be leaders in our communities and profession.

• Center recognized in Crain’s 2014 Cool Places to Work Award Program! To see what helped us make the cut, watch this cool video.

• Our co-founder Marilyn Gunther received the Raymond James 2014 Women of Distinction Award. The award is given to women advisors who are exceptional in both their professional and personal contributions.

• Daniel Boyce received an Honorable Mention Lifetime Achievement Award from Investment News. He was recognized for his ongoing contributions to the Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings.

• We’re not just focused on financial health at The Center. Our core value of leading healthy, balanced lives was recognized with three different awards. We were named a finalist for the 2014 Governor's Fitness Awards, the American Heart Association picked us as a Fit-Friendly Worksite for the 7th year running, and Corp! Magazine chose us as one of Michigan's Best & Brightest in Wellness.

• For the second consecutive year, The Center was recognized as one of the Detroit area’s largest money managers by Crain's list.

See a full listing of our Awards & Recognition by clicking here.

Educating our Clients

We continued our efforts to provide meaningful education in a variety of areas impacting our clients’ lives. In addition to our ongoing commitment to provide relevant, timely blogs and videos, we held sessions on Medicare & Investment Planning.

Unforgettable 2014 Moments

Many of our Center team members attended the Raymond James National Conference in Washington DC to improve their skills, engage in team building, and witness the First Annual (?) bull riding contest between Kali Hassinger & Matt Trujillo. Watch our video to see more about the best things we learned at the conference.

Melissa Cyrus became Melissa Parkins after her wedding to Kevin Parkins in October (the photos are wonderful!).

And lastly, 2014 will be remembered as the year it snowed a lot in Michigan! Perhaps that’s why we now serve clients living in 37 different states?

From all of us at Center for Financial Planning, we thank you for the opportunity to serve you and your loved ones.  We appreciate your continued confidence and trust and will work diligently each day in 2015 to provide world-class service.  Congratulations to all on a successful 2014 and here’s to 2015!

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Summer Internship Offers Inside Look at The Center

 The summer months provide the perfect opportunity for college students aiming for a career in the financial services industry to shadow some of our knowledgeable team members. We seek out eager learners who work independently and are able to multi-task. We found the perfect candidate in Nick Boguth. This summer he is working primarily with the Investment and Financial Planning Departments. While doing research projects, mutual fund performance reporting, and database updates, he is getting invaluable access to our culture and operation.

Nick Boguth: University of Michigan

A double major in economics and statistics at U of M, Nick Boguth was a natural fit for our team. Nick starts his senior year this fall. Next year he plans on finding a job in the financial services industry and pursuing either the CFA or CFP designation. When hunting for the right internship placement, Nick says he did his homework.

 I researched The Center and it seemed like an established company with similar values to mine, and I knew that I would have a great experience over the 4 months of summer.”

As for his dream job, well, Nick says he’s still deciding whether he wants to focus more on the advising part of the industry or the investment side.

Celebrating our Team

 Three of our team members can boast a combined tenure with The Center of nearly 40 years! We think it says something about our great culture and these three ladies are a very important part of it. Partner Melissa Joy, CFP® joined our team 15 years ago and Partner Sandy Adams, CFP® has been here for 18 years. Jaclyn Jackson, our Research Associate, became part of The Center family 6 years ago. We couldn’t provide the kind of service for our clients without the commitment of these three. Congratulations Melissa, Sandy and Jaclyn and here’s to many more Centerversaries!

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Catching up with our intern alum

 By the time an intern leaves at the end of the summer, it feels like we’re sending one of
our own back to college. It’s always hard to say good-bye but we love to brag about what they’ve
accomplished since interning with us.

Kyle Branda was part of our program in 2012 and 2013 and has since graduated. Kyle now works as a
Customer Claims Processor at Dart Container. While interning with us, Kyle says he was impressed
with how he was treated as a valued and respected coworker.

As an intern, not only do you have the opportunity to learn about financial planning, but there is also a focus on personal development. To me this speaks volumes about The Center. It shows that, not only do they care about what is currently going on, but they are also focused on the future and seeking to continually push one to improve.”

This fall Kyle begins his first year as a grad student at Grand Valley State University where he’ll
be pursuing a Masters of Science in Accounting.

Zach Gould interned with us in 2013 and went on to graduate from the University of South Carolina
in May. He majored in finance and international business. Zach is now a District Manager at Aldi
where he’s developing leadership skills and managing millions of dollars in business. Zach says his
summer at The Center really paid off.

Although I did not accept a position in the financial services industry, the experience I gained at The Center groomed my ability to interact with clients and my ability to independently think and solve problems, applicable skills across any industry."

Our intern coordinator Jaclyn Jackson is always looking forward to our next crop of interns. Help
us spread the word to qualified college students you know. Jaclyn can be reached by email
Jaclyn.Jackson@CenterFinPlan.com or you call our office for more information on internships at The Center.

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Team Members Mark Milestones

 Founded in 1985, The Center is celebrating our 29th year! Our success and longevity would not be possible without the support from our team members.

It is with warm appreciation that we acknowledge all of our team members’ Centerversaries! Congratulations to those who joined our team in July! In the words of Matt Trujillo, “Time flies when you’re having fun!”

Client Service Manager Jennie Bauder is the veteran of our July hires, marking 11 years with the team. Gerri Harmer, a Client Service Associate celebrates 7 years with us  “Wow – lucky seven!” Gerri says. “That’s exactly how I feel, lucky. Lucky to work with a great team with great values.”

We’re also honoring a trio of relative newbies. Nick Defenthaler, Kali Hassinger and Matt Trujillo all joined The Center last July. Nick and Matt are both Associate Financial Planners and Kali works as a Client Service Associate. After a year with us, Kali says, “I’ve learned so much in 12 months, and I’m excited to see what the next 12 months will hold!  Thank you to The Center team and family for being so welcoming.”

Center sends team to Raymond James National Conference

If you think conference = boring, then you’re missing out on the way the Center for Financial Planning team does a conference. From our office of 18, we took 15 team members to the National Raymond James Conference in Washington, DC from May 19^th through the 22^nd. Someone had to stay behind and answer the phones! Aside from some intensely fun team bonding activities, the conference offered an eclectic mix of sessions with one overarching focus – making a difference in our clients’ financial lives.

From investment and market trends to client service refreshers, everyone on the team learned something new to bring back to the office.  We also heard about some exciting updates that are in the works from Raymond James (including electronic signatures!) and we are looking forward to their introduction in the near future.  We also used this opportunity to learn from and share with other top financial planning firms.  Bettering ourselves, our team, and our processes are never ending goals for The Center. 

It was great to spend some time outside of the office and we came back reinvigorated and ready to implement what we learned.  We also want to thank our clients for being so patient and supportive while our skeleton crew worked so hard in the office that week!

We’re Moving to a New Office July 1st!

 If you have not already heard, the Center is moving closer to you! While our address will look significantly different, we are actually only moving two buildings to the east. You will still use the same entrance off of Telegraph Road that you currently do to get to us. Front of the office park, here we come! We’ll be closer to Telegraph Road so, indeed, closer to everyone!

Moving day is scheduled for July 1^st.

Our new address will be 24800 Denso Drive, Suite 300 Southfield, MI 48033

We are really excited and proud of our new office and can’t wait for you to see it for yourself. Melissa Joy, CFP® and Laurie Renchik, CFP®, MBA have taken the lead the last few months on the design of our new space, making sure that it is perfect for both our clients and our team members. We will be increasing our square footage to better serve you, our clients, as well as to provide a productive new environment for our team members. Our new home will have a modern and rejuvenating atmosphere that radiates our Center personality. The conference rooms will be more spacious and include updated furniture, new technologies, and a great third floor view with floor to ceiling windows, giving it loads of natural light. Further into the office, you will find our new Center Café which further promotes our dedication to being a healthy workplace. We envision our team members putting the new break room to good use, both for eating lunch and having quick internal meetings at the large high-top tables or the more private booths. The new office also includes a private quiet area, where our team-members can rejuvenate, read, or brainstorm, providing support for creativity and relaxation. With all our added space, we have more room to hold client meetings as well as future client events. Plan on seeing it for yourself at one of our Open Houses in the coming months.

Other than you needing to remember where we are the next time you come for a visit, our move shouldn’t even be a blip on your service radar. We will be reachable by the office telephone number throughout the moving process. While the movers do the heavy lifting, we will be doing what we do best, serving the needs of our clients without missing a beat. Anyone who has been through a move knows that there is a certain amount of organized chaos, but we are working hard to make the transition absolutely seamless for you. You can keep up with our move progress on our Center Facebook page and Center Website where we’ll be posting the latest updates, announcements, and photos of the new office renovation. See you soon on Denso Drive!

Matthew Trujillo earns CFP®

 

He’s put in a lot of hard work and we are now excited to announce Associate Financial Planner Matt Trujillo’s diligence has paid off. Matt passed his certification exam and has earned the designation of a Certified Financial Planner®. According to the CFP® Board, the designation is for individuals who meet rigorous professional standards and agree to adhere to the principles of integrity, objectivity, competence, fairness, confidentiality, professionalism and diligence when dealing with clients. We have no doubt he will do all that and more!

In typical Matt fashion, he put all the hard work into perspective.

Two years of classes, 3 months of intense study, a 2 day/10 hour exam, and all I get is three letters on my business card? Seriously, I’m very happy and excited to join the ranks of those that proudly carry the marks and call themselves Certified Financial Planners®.”

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