EISENBERG GARNERS PFP DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDThe American Institute of CPAs has named Michael Eisenberg, CPA/PFS, of Los Angeles, the recipient of the 2007 Personal Financial Planning Distinguished Service Award.
Eisenberg received the award at the institute's recent personal financial planning conference in Las Vegas. The award is given to an AICPA volunteer who contributes to the advancement of personal financial planning as a practice discipline and exemplifies the CPA as financial planner.
Eisenberg currently serves as a member of the National CPA Financial Literacy Commission, which directs the institute's 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy initiative. He is a past chair of the AICPA Personal Financial Specialist Credential Committee and a past member of the AICPA PFP editorial board.
SURVEY: RETIREMENT, HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION ARE TOP FINANCIAL CONCERNS
Having enough money to retire and the costs of funding health care and education are the top concerns of Americans facing financial pressures, according to CPA financial planners surveyed by the American Institute of CPAs.
Some nine out of 10 CPAs surveyed said that their individual clients were concerned about retirement. Costs associated with health care and education were ranked by respondents as the second (59 percent) and third (47 percent) financial concerns of their clients.
Nearly one third of the survey respondents (32 percent) reported that clients who are approaching retirement age are postponing leaving the workforce for financial reasons. One third of the CPA planners said that their clients were carrying more credit card debt than they did five years ago, with the median level of increased credit card debt rising to $8,333.
The survey was conducted in December via a questionnaire e-mailed to members of the AICPA Financial Planning Membership Section.
1ST GLOBAL WINS DALBAR AWARD
Broker/dealer 1st Global has been awarded its fifth consecutive Dalbar Award, which recognizes exceptional levels of customer service in the financial services industry. Texas-based 1st Global received the award after a year-long evaluation of its customer service practices and procedures by Dalbar, an independent financial services market research firm. The process also measured the capabilities, attitudes and knowledge of 1st Global staff against specific service benchmarks.
