Humberto Cruz, a syndicated financial columnist appearing in 120
newspapers worldwide, is one of eight financial planners or financial
experts who will receive the Financial Planning Association (FPA) Heart
of Financial Planning Distinguished Service Award for their
extraordinary contributions to the world of financial planning. The
awards, being presented for the second time this year, will be given at
the FPA Seattle 2007 conference in September.
Cruz has covered the financial planning profession for more than 15 years through his columns, The Savings Game and Retire Smart.
"Many journalists
have shown the importance and power of financial planning, and Humberto
has led that charge in his columns," says FPA Chairman Daniel B.
Moisand. "He has been invaluable in FPA's work to join together
journalists with planners to educate the public on the value of
financial planning."
Also among the
honorees will be Gwen Fletcher of Gwen Fletcher & Associates in
Northbridge NSW, Australia, who gained the reputation of being
Australia's First Lady of Financial Planning by being pioneering the
development of financial planning as a true profession in her country.
She was instrumental in the creation of the Financial Planning
Association of Australia.
Larry W. Johnson,
CFP, president of Sterling Financial Advisory Services Inc. in Itasca,
Ill., will be honored for his work with the Foundation for Financial
Planning and the assistance it provides to Hurricane Katrina victims,
among other things.
Being honored
posthumously is James Russell Parker, CFP, of Preservation Wealth
Management Group in San Antonio, Texas, who died suddenly earlier this
year. He will be recognized for his efforts to mentor new financial
planners studying for their CFP certification and for promoting the
profession while giving back to the community.