The Silicon Valley Chapter of the FPA has partnered with Santa Clara County, Department of Family & Children Services and a Community Partner, to present a financial literacy training program for foster youth transitioning out of Foster Care. The program is part of the California Connected By 25 Initiative.

FPA volunteer members have contributed to the success of the financial literacy curriculum and its evolving message. The collaboration, which has been in place since 2007, assists in organizing the training and identifying new FPA volunteers to teach the program. Each training session consists of two days of activities to develop fundamental financial skills including asset building, budgeting, credit understanding, differences between a bank & a credit union and how to save money. The interactive learning, as well as practical hands-on exercises, assist the foster youth to purchase an allowable asset that they can utilize to better their financial present & future.  At the end of the workshop, each participant has the opportunity to open an IDA (Individual Development Account) where savings are matched dollar for dollar up to $1000 for a period of 3 years. In 2009 the program began offering evening seminars on more advanced financial literacy topics to foster youth that had already attended the two day program.

Most FPA members are aware of Financial Planning Week which is a national effort on the part of chapters across the country in early October.

For the past two years the local cornerstone event for Financial Planning Week has been the Oakland Financial Planning Clinic. On the day of the clinic which is generally a Saturday during Financial Planning Week, planners with different areas of expertise provide one on one financial planning advice to the public. In 2009 over 200 members of the public turned out to receive advice from our planners. The goal is to eventually bring a program similar to the Oakland event to Silicon Valley. Typically there are also seminars held at local libraries during Financial Planning Week.

We currently need one to two people to lead this project as well as volunteers to participate on the committee to assist in organizing these events. If you are interested please contact Mike Caulkins at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (408) 370-3303 or
Julie Schatz, CFP® at 1 (855) 966-9291x2 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Since 2006 Bob Adams, CFP® has run the Food Drive to benefit West Valley Community Services at the November and December chapter meetings. FPA SV has donated over $4000 to West Valley Food Bank.

In 2009 Project Managers Mark Clark and Sandra Wales, CFP® started working with Family and Youth Enrichment Services of San Mateo County to provide financial literacy training to the foster youths in their program. Initial training for the youth was provided in a two day workshop and it is expected that the program will run similar to the Santa Clara program.

Foster Youth is a Saturday and Sunday program from 9 am – 3 pm generally held once or twice a year where several FPA volunteers teach Foster Youths ages 18 to 25 the basics of financial literacy such as how to open a bank account, write a check and what credit is.

The program is run in conjunction with Santa Clara Family Services who have representatives at the training sessions. FPA member Mark Clark is the Project Manager and makes all the arrangements for training and handles the curriculum. FPA volunteers for this project do not need to be CFP® professionals but they must go through training and be fingerprinted through Santa Clara Family Services. Mark also added an advanced training program for youths that had already been to the weekend program covering subjects such as IRAs and what a mutual fund is. Mark is also hoping to add financial literacy training for youths ages 14 to 17. The Foster Youth curriculum is available to FPA chapters through the Foundation for Financial Planning and a link to a video on the program can be found at http://www.youtube..com/fpatelevision.

The Indian Community project is a fledgling project spearheaded by Lavina Nagar. Lavina, herself being from India, realized that our financial system poses many challenges to someone arriving here from her former country. She has been working with members of the local Indian community to provide public awareness seminars on the value of financial planning.

Silicon Valley FPA is partnering with Junior Achievement of Northern California to promote financial literary among local elementary schools. The Junior Achievement programs include six sequential themes for kindergarten through fifth-grade students and two capstone experiences. Students learn the basic concepts of business and economics and how education is relevant to the workplace. The sequential activities build on studies from each preceding grade and prepare students for secondary school and lifelong learning.  To have the greatest impact the chapter has chosen the half day format, usually from 8:30 - 1:00, that can require from 10 to 25 chapter volunteers. Junior Achievement provides all program materials and has materials geared to each grade level. These are all the Elementary School Day programs.

The FPA Silicon Valley chapter continues the fantastic work with military families at the local Navy Operational Support Center.

Seminars are provided during the reservists’ drill weekends on various topics such as investments, insurance planning, and managing credit.  As needed, one-on-one consulting and financial planning for individuals, is scheduled on Saturdays of the monthly drill weekend. The Project Manager for this program is an FPA member and CFP® professional who is also a military reservist. The program has been running since 2006 and has served over 400 reservists and full-time military personnel.

An informational manual was developed to assist civilian financial planners in understanding military issues and culture, and has been shared with the Financial Planning Foundation for publication and distribution to all chapters that would like to develop a similar program, including a program already underway in San Diego.  The Project Manager has developed an active liaison with the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Office of Personal Finance and Transition (Military Community and Family Policy).

Special Needs Outreach is a fledgling project. Project Manager Kevin Wu and Oskar Vierny have identified a group that could benefit from seminars and planning due to this group’s special circumstances.

Upcoming seminar can be found on the following link: www.fpasv.org/documents/events/FPA_specialneeds_flyer_May8.pdf

FPA Silicon Valley has partnered with the San Mateo library to assist them in their quest to develop “Financial Planning in a Box” for libraries across the country. In 2007 Business Librarian Roslyn Donald won a grant from the CFP® Board to develop a set of tools for use by libraries to boost financial literacy in their community and promote the value of financial planning. Once Ms. Donald’s grant work is completed the CFP® Board will print the materials she has created and off them to libraries across the county.

Larysa Prytula, CFP® is the Library Project Manager. Our committee has done seminars at the San Mateo and Cupertino libraries. The seminars are generally chosen by the FPA member doing the presentation and the library. The presenter must be a CFP® professional and may use a seminar of their own or one from the committee library.

Since 2006 Silicon Valley FPA has been sponsoring a food drive over the Holidays. In 2007 – 2009 they worked to raise money for the West Valley Community Services Food Bank.

West Valley Community Services, Inc. (WVCS) is a private non-profit, community-based agency that has been providing direct assistance and referral services to the west valley communities of Santa Clara County for over 35 years.  WVCS provides a continuum of basic needs, family support services and housing services including: information and referrals, food pantry, clothing, rotating shelter, transitional housing, affordable housing, emergency financial assistance, family resource and support programs, and case management services.  WVCS serves the west valley communities of Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, West San Jose and the unincorporated mountain regions.