Views on giving change with each generation. “Impact investing” is a term that didn’t exist four or five years ago. Investors choose companies and funds that offer investment returns in the process of making positive social and environmental impacts on their communities.
 
Clients easily get stuck in different generational attitudes and gender preferences toward giving. They need you to guide them in sorting it all out. Here’s a brief overview of various approaches to giving.
 
The Silent generation had a bricks and mortar approach to philanthropy. You wrote a check to your Alma mater, got your name on a building, and you had done your philanthropic duty. Roger Mudd’s recent $4 million gift to his alma mater, William & Mary University, is a perfect example of the Silent generation approach. Mudd was known for his ethics in the media industry. His gift made the University a national leader in the study of ethics.
 
Boomers are very culturally oriented. They came along when they could take large personal risks because they had little debt and there was a solid feeling that they could do what they wanted, then come back later and get a job and buy a house. Bill Gates’ focus on eradicating diseases in developing countries is the epitome of Boomer interest in giving tied to a personal cause.
 
Gen-Xers are civic minded and are just coming into their own. Younger people do not interpret family values like older generations do. Getting older generations to view this as a positive injection of new blood instead of a threat to their leadership or a direct judgment on how they’ve lived their lives is key. Reed Hastings joined with other cyber leaders to pioneer the “education entreprenuers” concept.
 
The Echo Boom or Millennial generation is still tapping into the community-minded vision of their parents. It’s too early to fully characterize what giving looks like for them. So far, this generation’s giving has more of a social and altruistic bent. Mark Zuckerberg is a leading Echo Boom philanthropist who recently announced he was giving half his wealth to charity. And he’s not waiting until the end of his career to do it as previous generations have done.
 
Women control 51.3% of the wealth in the US. They own 43% of stock portfolios and 45% of investments in other markets. And as women increasingly gain control of assets, they are a driving philanthropic force.
 
A 2006 study showed that women allocate 20% of their wealth to philanthropy while men only allocate 4%. Both genders ranked philanthropic giving as a critically important. Forty-two percent of female participants inherited their wealth; another 29 percent became wealthy through their spouse’s employment.
 
According to a 2007 study, philanthropic giving through a family foundation doubled in the Boomer and Gen-X generations over previous generations. The study indicates that both genders are more philanthropically minded than earlier generations.
 
Many families of wealth struggle with making the right philanthropic choice. Understanding the different attitudes toward philanthropy among generations and between genders can open your own philanthropic view and help you guide clients toward innovative philanthropic returns.

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A Strategically Focused CE Curriculum

With classes approved for over a decade by the CFP Board, IWI, and NASBA, Advisors4Advisors CE classes are an optimal knowledge stream for CFP®, CIMA®, CPA, CPA/PFS®, CFA®, and other practitioners. It's not a grab bag of speakers willing to sponsor CE content. Nor is it a one-man CE course. It's a group of subject matter experts with amazing communication skills and a history of thought leadership that, together, give advisors a well-rounded knowledge system for running a professional practice ethically and intelligently.

CE Since October 2008

A4A CE classes for financial professionals began in October 2008, the week Lehman Bros. collapsed. Initially billed as “The Financial Crisis Webinar Series,” A4A connects advisors with authoritative sources on investing, tax, and financial planning, chosen by A4A Editor Andrew Gluck, a veteran financial reporter. A4A members get a stream of CE classes for an advisor who: 

  • holds a CFP®, CIMA®, CPA, CPA/PFS, CFA or other designation requiring CE annually 
  • values monthly CE classes by Fritz Meyer, Craig Israelsen, Bob Keebler, Frank Murtha, or Andrew Gluck
  • diversifies a core of client portfolios in low-expense funds
  • invests based on MPT and economic fundamentals
  • advises on tax and financial planning as well as investing
  • needs financial counseling skills
  • wants the Certified Financial Counselor™ designation 
  • is building a brand as a thought leader locally or in a niche
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  • insists on objective evidenced-based tax and investment planning analysis
MEMBER REVIEWS 
William Desormeau, Jr.  
It is not possible for me to overstate the cumulative value that Craig, Bob and Fritz have added for over 10 years to my investment advisory practice, as well as for personal and family financial planning. A4A gets my highest recommendation
Lynn Najman, CFP®
I’ve subscribed to A4A since its inception, and always find it intellectually stimulating and on point. It’s one of the few CE solutions out there that doesn’t waste my time by pushing product or talking down to me.

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Pete Deacon, CPA, CFP®
A4A has had a profound effect on my business. Since 2009, I’ve relied on the consistent messaging and updates to run my business successfully. Being able to present the information from Bob, Fritz, and Craig's ongoing CE webinars has been a significant benefit.

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Fredric Mayerson, MBA, PhD, CFP®
I've been a financial professional and professor of finance for 35 years and find Fritz Meyer and Robert Keebler to be among the most engaging, incredibly knowledgeable, and experienced presenters I’ve encountered. They deliver an extraordinary amount of information in an extremely interesting way — sequentially and developmentally, utilizing pedagogical tools and techniques that few possess.  A4A to is the most consistently excellent CE program available.  
Ron Roge, MS, CFP®
I’ve been attending A4A many years because the CE classes are outstanding, and my time is valuable. Though I have over 35 years of experience, I’m always learning something new on A4A. I attend fewer conferences now because the CE is generally not advanced. If you want to learn from the best, in a faster, easier, and less expensive way, I highly recommend A4A.

John R. Day, CPA/PFS®

I’ve been a member since 2011 and never miss the monthly webinars with Fritz Meyer. I appreciate Fritz’s independent views on the economy and markets and Bob Keebler keeps me updated on excellent tax planning ideas. A4A is a great value!

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Norman Politziner, CFP

I wouldn't miss a Fritz Meyer webinar unless my pants were on fire. I've relied on Andrew Gluck's knowledge systems --client communications and CE -- for two decades. It's simply the best solution for tax, financial, investment, and risk-management professionals.®   

Dan Hawley, CFP® 

A4A, for over a decade, has been a great resource for useful and accurate information and CE. A4A and Advisor Products are bargains for an advisory practice. 

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Kevin Brosious, MBA, CFP®, CPA/PFS®

I get CPA CE credit and CFP credit for the webinars.  But not only that, the A4A content is terrific