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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