Litter Bit Better 2024 success
I’ve participated in Litter Bit Better every one of its 18 years, before kids I was a group organizer and now I’m thankful that others do the heavy lifting to make these events happen. The 2024 key results for the Rochester MN community include: Thanks to everyone who helps keep…
Selected for an editorial review board
Apparently all of my 2024 professional recognition is rolling in at once [1, 2, 3]! Today I was just accepted to the standing editorial review board for the journal “Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology“. So you’ll eventually be seeing my name show up on https://journals.sagepub.com/editorial-board/TAG . This joins my standing position…
Reviewing Scholarship Applications – a community building experience
It was that time again. Time to review scholarship applications for future Certified Financial Planners, courtesy of the Measure Twice Planners CFP scholarship to Bryant University. It was my pleasure to be on the Scholarship Board again this round. There are so many ways to build your community. Measure Twice…
Building resources for a professional community
I like to give back to my professional community. One of the ways I’m doing that in 2024 is to lead a discussion at the eCOTS (electronic Conference on Teaching Statistics) conference on “Connecting industry statisticians and educators needing field-specific teaching examples” (unfortunately they beat up my name). What does…
Community Build – reviewing scholarship applications
There are so many ways to build your community. Measure Twice Planners memberships provide the funding for full ride scholarship for the CFP classes. Two to three times a year a Scholarship Board works with Cody to select recipients out of the applicant pool for these needs-based scholarships. As a…
Just because it’s small, doesn’t mean it’s not worth preserving
It can be hard to get started with investing. It doesn’t feel like much, it grows so slowly, it doesn’t feel like it’s going to add up to anything worth while. And you may feel like the only one trying to do anything. But we can draw analogies to nature,…
Mentoring as a form of giving back
Have you ever volunteered as a mentor? Mentoring provides a lot of benefit for the mentor, as well as the mentee. The mentee gets a boost up on their career as well as emotional and informational support, while the mentor gets to make connections and pay forward all of the…
Volunteering with the FPA of Minnesota: Financial Planning Days
This past week was the annual pro bono event hosted by the Financial Planning Association’s Minnesota chapter: Financial Planning Days. Financial Planning Days is an opportunity for people without a financial planner to connect for free with a CFP who will provide 25 minutes of 1:1 assistance on questions (typically…
What can we do for bees?
Now that it’s June, and No Mow May has passed, what can you continue to do for pollinators in general and bees specifically? Easy to hard There are easy things, like simply mowing less frequently and letting dandelions and other flowery weeds live in your yard. There are harder things,…
In the Journal of Financial Planning – How do you give back to the community?
In the August 2021 edition of the Journal of Financial Planning, members of the FPA community were asked to weigh in on the topic of “How Do You Give Back to the Community?” I was quoted, talking about one of my favorite financial topics – providing financial literacy. I advocated…