1. Back in May, I was able to personally provide 50 Chick-fil-A meals to medical professionals on the cardiac floor at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. It was certainly a blessing to do something for all of the front-line workers that put the interest of others above their own. —
Jovan Johnson, CFP, Piece of Wealth Planning, Atlanta
2. This year I participated in my local church’s Thanksgiving food drive. My wife and I filled a box with all of the ingredients for a Thanksgiving dinner that feeds up to 10 people. —
John Bovard, CFP, Incline Wealth Advisors, Cincinnati
3. During this time of the year, it can be awfully hard for people to pay for things like Thanksgiving dinner. An added complication is finding people who are willing to work close with the public given the COVID-19 crisis. I decided I would do something different this year, and instead of offering contributions of money, I would contribute my time. At New Kingdom Faith Christian Church, in Glen Burnie, Maryland, I helped load turkeys into the trunks of guests for Thanksgiving. It was fun, and I even got a good workout as well. —
Manny Henson, CFP, Gamma Wealth Management, Towson, Maryland
4. I am part of a Red Cross young professionals volunteer group. Each year we host a fundraising gala to support the Red Cross of Massachusetts, but for obvious reasons we weren’t able to do that this year. Instead, we hosted a virtual trivia fundraising event. We had a great turnout and raised over $10,000, which went directly to the Red Cross’s Boston Food Pantry. —
Kathleen T. Kenealy, CFP, Boston Private Wealth, Boston
5. This Thanksgiving I had my four daughters decide which charity they wanted to support and my husband and I gift matched on Giving Tuesday. I will do this every year from now on. —
Catherine Valega, CFP, Green Bee Advisory/Bay Financial Associates, Waltham, Massachusetts
6. My husband and I signed up to be CASA volunteers for children in the foster care system. We act as a voice of the child while their court case for permanency is pending. It has been such a blessing hanging out with our three CASA kids every week and having the opportunity to make a difference in their lives. —
Stephanie Trexler, CFP, Grand Wealth Management, Grand Rapids, Michigan
7. The charitable activity I participated in this year that made the biggest difference was being able to donate to a local children’s charity to benefit families who are not only struggling financially, but also have children facing dire health circumstances. Being able to help those who are already in the incredibly unfortunate position to have a child with serious illness, that may not be able to afford the proper treatment, is a cause I am happy to support without hesitation. —
Justin Rucci, CFP, Warren Street Wealth, Tustin, California
8. I recently became the board chair of Arizona Helping Hands, a foster care resource organization that provides basic needs to Arizona’s foster care kids. In addition, I recently joined the board of directors of the Valleywise Health Foundation, a foundation that supports the Valleywise Health system, our community safety net hospital. I have enjoyed helping to raise the resources necessary for them to help achieve their respective missions. —
Jay R. Spector, CFP, Barton Spector Wealth Strategies, Scottsdale, Arizona
9. In September, I participated in the Women’s Empowerment Workshop in Detroit put on by
Project 2, a nonprofit organization. Their mission is to provide support, guidance, and compassion for women who have fallen on hard times and are interested in reentering the workforce. .... I discussed topics such as how to build an emergency fund, managing debt and creating a budget as well as give one-on-one guidance to participants...For years I’ve been frustrated by the disconnect between those who really need financial advice and those who can pay for it. Project 2 understands that financial literacy is another form of empowerment. —
Julie Quick, CFP, Cultivate Financial Wellness, White Lake, Michigan
10. I helped to put on a lecture series for a local no-profit on different charitable giving techniques, from donor-advised funds to community foundations. The charity was able to invite their legacy donors and it can become a valuable resource on their website. This is a charity I have been consistently supporting monetarily and with volunteering. —
David J. Haas, CFP, Cereus Financial Advisors, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
11. We gave each person in our 28-person company $300. The rules were simple: Give to any person or organization. Include at least one other person in the decision. Then share your story with the team. Super powerful stuff! —
Rob Greenman, CFP, Vista Capital Partners, Portland, Oregon
12. My wife and I collected donations for the benefit of a very poor part of Ecuador, which was struggling very badly at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. We used apps like Zelle and Venmo to collect the donations and used Xoom to send the money to a local contact in Ecuador. Everyone who donated were alums of a study abroad program, and the local contact was the academic director of that program. I generally would not advise anybody to send money directly to people in foreign countries, but in this case, we knew everybody involved. —
Cullen Fischel, CFP, Prosperity Financial Design, Chagrin Falls, Ohio
13. My firm has supported the the Alzheimer’s Association during this most challenging time. I’ve been impacted by Alzheimer’s disease both personally and professionally. In fact, it has changed the way I approach legacy planning for clients. Pandemics know no boundaries and can create an unbearable burden on caregivers and those suffering from the disease alike. I’ve developed videos to raise awareness and provide general knowledge and support to those in need. —
Nicole Gopoian Wirick, CFP, Prosperity Wealth Strategies, Birmingham, Michigan
14. My family and I donated to the local animal shelter in honor of our former rescue dog, Fool. It wasn’t a huge donation, but it definitely made our family happy. —
Dan Herron, CFP, Elementary Wealth Advisors, San Luis Obispo, California