From September through May, our Chapter offers educational programs to build a planner's understanding of current and relevant issues. First time attendee? Email us to attend any monthly meeting at no charge. Our meetings are all in-person.
2025-2026 FPA-NENY Calendar of Events
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print this calendar - you'll refer to it time and again!
Whether you do comprehensive financial planning or specialize in just one facet of it, there are so many topic areas that require a depth of knowledge.
The broader the scope of your knowledge, the more value you bring to the client relationship.
Because financial planning is about the client’s entire financial life, it is so important to be aware of how little details fit into the big picture. The key is recognizing the issues and being able to provide solutions, whether you do so yourself or turn them to someone who handles that area.
You have found your place for solutions at the FPA-NENY!
Each month, we bring in an expert speaker to present on a current topic. Our programs are both engaging and informative.
Our venue is Wolferts Roost Country Club, and we are live and in-person - you can network with like minds while enjoying a darn fine breakfast.
Registration and breakfast begin at 7:30am, with programming beginning at 7:50am. The majority of our meetings get you out and on to your day by 9:00am - that's a great way to start your day!
For members, we offer a discount package Season Pass which is a ticket to each monthly meeting at a 20% savings versus if the tickets were purchased separately. Go even bigger and get the Combo which adds a symposium ticket to the Season Pass deal for an $90 savings, you savvy financial planner. Try us once and you'll be hooked.
Click on any month's tab to read about the program! Questions? Email us!
We use Paypal as the secure shopping cart and payment processing service. If you wish to register for more than one person or more than one event, simply return to this page and add additional events to your shopping cart. When you check out, remember to to put the names of all the people you've registered in the "Message" box.
Season Pass and Combo are available to FPA members ONLY.
Season Pass - one ticket to each of our 7 monthly meetings:
Combo - a Season Pass + one ticket to our May 13, 2026 (WED) all-day Symposium:
Please note the date change from the 18th TO the 25th
September 25, 2025 Thursday
1.5 hours
Expected CE: CFP, CPA and other self-reporting designations
TARIFFS, TRADE, AND TAXES, OH MY! TAX & FINANCIAL PLANNING IN A BIG, BEAUTIFUL TAX WORLD
Speaker: Marty S. Finn, JD, LL.M., CPA/PFS, Senior Partner, RLGC Law Group, PLLC
This course will provide a comprehensive view of tax law changes that will impact your clients’ tax and financial planning options now and in the future. We will consider old and new planning opportunities and, more importantly, we will review tax planning strategies that clients should consider before year end to reduce the impact of a changing tax world.
Learning Objectives:
- Review proposed/enacted tax law changes impacting out clients’ tax and financial planning.
- Discuss planning opportunities that all clients need to consider to keep their tax and financial plans relevant and current.
- Review year end tax planning strategies to reduce the impact of taxes on financial decisions.
Time: 7:30 A.M. Reg/Breakfast | 7:45 – 9:15 A.M. Program
Venue: Wolferts Roost Country Club
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October 16, 2025 Thursday
1 hour
Expected CE: CFP, CPA and other self-reporting designations
THE LATEST TRENDS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS AND FINANCIAL AID:
HOW WILL YOUR CLIENTS CHOOSE BETWEEN RETIREMENT AND PAYING FOR COLLEGE?
Speaker: Dr. Dean Skarlis, Founder, The College Advisor of New York
College costs continue to rise dramatically. When families feel the tension between saving for retirement and college, they often make mistakes that can yield considerable debt. We will discuss the latest trends in admission, changes to college costs and present strategies to save and pay for college. In addition, Congress and the Trump Administration made significant changes to college finances.
Learning Objectives:
- The latest changes implemented by the Trump Administration affecting how much students and parents can borrow for college.
- Simple Steps on how to help clients determine they will qualify for aid and scholarships early in the process – which could save tens of thousands of dollars.
- The latest strategies to get more financial aid and pay for college.
- Case studies that illustrate how to best approach college planning.
Time: 7:30 A.M. Reg/Breakfast | 7:45 – 9:00 A.M. Program
Venue: Wolferts Roost Country Club
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November 20, 2025, Thursday
1 Hour
Expected CE: 1 hour CFP, CPA, and self-reporting designations
HELPING NERVOUS CLIENTS UNDERSTAND AND FINANCIALLY PLAN FOR THE (TRUE) STATE OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM
Speaker: Adam Van Deusen, CFP®, Kitces.com
Given frequent news headlines on the (un)sustainability of the Social Security System, many working age financial advisory clients might harbor doubts about receiving their full (or any of their) estimated Social Security benefits. In this session, we dive deep into data from the Social Security Board of Trustees’ Annual Report to clear up common misconceptions about the actual health of the Social Security system, review a range of policy options being considered to shore up Social Security for the rest of the century, and discuss how financial advisors can analyze the impact of these policies for both working-age, near retirement, and already retired clients, and ways to adapt financial planning assumptions to model the scenarios, providing clients with a more accurate picture of how they might (or might not) be affected.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the mechanics of how the Social Security trust fund operates.
- Explain the expected trajectory of the Social Security trust fund and the factors that will influence its future path.
- Learn how clients’ Social Security benefits would be expected to change if the trust fund is exhausted.
- Identify potential policy options, including changes to taxes and benefits, that could be considered by Congress to put the Social Security system on a more sustainable path.
- Learn how financial advisors can support their clients by modeling different paths and policy scenarios for the Social Security system and their implications for each client’s financial plan.
Time: 7:30 A.M. Reg/Breakfast | 7:45 – 9:00 A.M. Program
Venue: Wolferts Roost Country Club
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December 18, 2025, Thursday
1.5 Hours
Expected CE: 1 hour CFP, CPA, and self-reporting designations
THE BIG, BEAUTIFUL SHIFT: WHAT THE 2025 REFORM MEANS FOR ESTATE & FINANCIAL PLANNING
Speaker: Tara Anne Pleat, Esq. of Wilcenski & Pleat PLLC
- Recognize the key tax and entitlement law changes introduced in the 2025 federal reform package and how they influence foundational estate and financial planning.
- Identify how updates to public benefit benefits programs including Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security – impact long-term care and special needs planning, especially for clients facing aging or disability.
- Understand how revised trust structures, gifting opportunities, and asset protection strategies can be coordinated with financial plans in light of the new legal landscape.
- Strengthen cross-disciplinary collaboration with estate and elder law attorneys to ensure client plans are legally sound, tax-efficient, and responsive to the needs of both the affluent and vulnerable clients.
Time: 7:30 A.M. Reg/Breakfast | 7:45 – 9:15 A.M. Program
Venue: Wolferts Roost Country Club
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January 15, 2026, Thursday
1 Hour
Expected CE: 1 hour CFP, CPA, and self-reporting designations
WHAT’S AHEAD: AN OUTLOOK FOR 2026+
Speaker: Michael Dembro Lead Strategist Investment Solutions, MFS
Join us for our first program in 2026! Michael returns to share insight into the economy – where it has been, where it is, and the likely direction for 2026 – and onward. What’s new given the political – domestic and foreign – landscape?
Time: 7:45 – 9:00 A.M. Program
Venue: Wolferts Roost Country Club
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February 12, 2026 Thursday
1 Hour
Expected CE: 1 hour CFP, CPA, and self-reporting designations
Protecting Portfolios and Passwords: A Cybersecurity Survival Guide for Financial Planners
Speaker: Reg Harnish, CEO, OrbitalFire
Financial planners know risk. You help clients prepare for market swings, unexpected life events, and long-term goals. But when it comes to cybersecurity, both your own and your clients’, the risks are often underestimated, misunderstood, or simply ignored. In this fast-paced, no-nonsense session, Reg Harnish, CEO of OrbitalFire Cybersecurity, will break down the 5 to 10 critical things every financial planner should be thinking about to protect themselves, their practice, and their data. These are not “pie in the sky” enterprise controls. This is practical, effective cybersecurity designed for the reality of smaller businesses like yours.
Then we will flip the lens and talk about your clients. Cyber risk is financial risk. Reg will arm you with three essential conversations you should be having with clients to help them protect their assets, reputations, and futures. Think of it as a new kind of risk management that belongs in your toolkit right next to asset allocation and tax planning. You will leave with actionable strategies to reduce your own exposure and add real value to your client relationships. Because protecting wealth now means protecting data too.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify 5 to 10 critical cybersecurity practices that financial planners can implement to protect their business, data, and clients.
- Recognize the connection between cyber risk and financial risk to better advise clients.
- Apply three key cybersecurity conversation starters with clients to help them reduce exposure and safeguard their assets.
- Develop a basic action plan to strengthen their own cybersecurity posture while enhancing the value they deliver to clients.
Time: 7:30 A.M. Reg/Breakfast | 7:45 – 9:00 A.M. Program
Venue: Wolferts Roost Country Club
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March 19, 2026, Thursday
TWO 1 hour programs ⇒ 1 ticket!
Expected CE: 1 hour CFP, CPA, and self-reporting designations
Speaker: Eric Ludwig, Ph.D. CFP, The American College of Financial Services
Program 1: AI IN ACTION: EXPLORING THE USE OF CHAT GPT IN RETIREMENT PLANNING (8:00 to 8:50 A.M.)
The retirement planning landscape is rapidly evolving with the advent of AI technologies. While these tools, like ChatGPT, offer promising enhancements in client communication and operational efficiency, they also present challenges in integration and understanding. The implications of not harnessing AI effectively can lead to missed opportunities and inefficiencies in service delivery. This session will address the need for financial planners to understand the potential pitfalls of AI, specifically ChatGPT, and provide guidance on how to incorporate it strategically into their practices for optimal benefit.
Learning Objectives:
- Overview ChatGPT, understanding its foundation, capabilities, and the significance of its rapid adoption in the financial industry
- Discover how AI integration in retirement planning can streamline operations, freeing up time previously spent on routine tasks, allowing professionals to focus on higher-level functions, deepening client relationships, and expanding their client base.
- Delve into collaborative approach: leveraging ChatGPT as a transformative tool for retirement planning professionals.
- Dive into real-world use cases and limitations illustrating the integration of ChatGPT in various retirement planning scenarios, including risk assessment, portfolio diversification, and long-term financial strategies.
Program 2: HOW MUCH CAN I REALLY WITHDRAW? NAVIGATING SAFE RETIREMENT SPENDING IN TODAY’S MARKET (9:10 to 10:00 A.M.)
As market conditions evolve and traditional retirement income rules face new challenges, financial advisors are encountering clients who are uncertain about unsustainable withdrawal rates from their retirement portfolios. The classic 4% may no longer provide adequate guidance in an environment of elevated equity valuations and shifting bond yields, potentially leading to either premature portfolio depletion or unnecessarily conservative spending that diminishes the quality of life. This uncertainty can undermine advisor confidence in withdrawal recommendations and leave clients anxious about their financial security throughout retirement. This presentation will equip advisors with current research-based frameworks for determining appropriate withdrawal strategies based on changing market conditions and client priorities.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze current research on safe withdrawal rates and understand why traditional rules may need updating
- Evaluate different withdrawal strategies and their impact on portfolio longevity versus lifetime spending
- Apply flexible withdrawal frameworks that can adapt to market conditions and client circumstances
- Assess the trade-offs between maximizing retirement income and preserving assets for bequests
- Develop communication strategies to help clients understand withdrawal decisions and manage retirement spending anxiety
Time: 7:30 A.M. Reg/Breakfast | Program 1: 7:50 – 8:45 A.M. Program 2: 9:15 – 10:00 A.M.
Venue: Wolferts Roost Country Club
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(Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday!) May 13, 2026
Hilton Garden Inn, Troy
We are happy to feature Carolyn McClanahan, M.D., CFP as a presenter of TWO sessions.
more to come – stay tuned!
Course line-up is subject to change
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