* FIRM UNVEILS FINANCIAL CONCIERGE PROGRAM FOR PRO ATHLETES: Piascik & Associates, a Richmond, Va.-based CPA and financial planning firm, has rolled out a financial concierge program for its professional athlete clients. The program is designed to keep professional athletes on a managed budget with automatic, on-time bill payment and advice on making high-dollar purchasing decisions on tangibles such as cars, jewelry and houses.
"Athletes need someone who will bend over backwards, at any time of day or night, to get whatever that athlete wants. But they should work hand in hand with the athlete's financial advisors, so they can make the right decisions on how the athlete's money should best be spent," said firm founder Steven M. Piascik, CPA.
The firm works with the athlete to establish a bill-payment program, which includes setting up a separate checking account set aside for bill payment that receives regular, automatic deposits from the athlete's earnings. Once this is in place, Piascik & Associates begins paying the athlete's bills. Through a secured Web site, the athlete can access account information around the clock, including checks written, deposits, and monthly and year-to-date listings of expenses.
* BATMAN AMONG MOST INFLUENTIAL IN PFP: Stephen A. "Tony" Batman, founder and chief executive of broker/dealer 1st Global, was named one of the 25 most influential people in financial planning by Investment Advisor magazine. Inclusion in the roster was predicated on an individual's present influence posing challenges and forming solutions, as well as building companies and associations. Batman was cited for his dedication to upholding the integrity of the independent broker/dealer in his role as chairman of the Financial Services Institute.
Others named by IA as most influential include President George W. Bush, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan and Charles Schwab & Co. chief executive Charles Schwab.
* FISERV OFFERS TPAS REVENUE MANAGEMENT: Third-party administrators and record-keepers who custody retirement plan assets with Fiserv Investment Support Services TPA Services will soon gain access to revenue management services and capabilities.
Using Delta Data Software's Revenue Manager, Fiserv ISS will be able to manage the accounting of revenue-sharing agreements. The solution is scheduled to become available in the third quarter of 2005.
Revenue Manager - a module within Delta Data Software's proprietary FundLinx solution - is designed to account for shareholder service and sub-transfer agent fees paid by mutual fund companies for record-keeping on omnibus trades, and 12(b)1 fees paid out to referring brokers.
"Our TPA and record-keeper clients, and the financial intermediaries such as brokers and advisors who work with them, have been asking for an enhanced revenue management system," said Sean Gultig, vice president of TPA Services.
The addition of Delta Data's Revenue Manager allows Fiserv ISS to enhance how it displays its fund portfolio, i.e., providing more detailed information that allows TPAs and record-keepers to build and manage plan transfers more efficiently, the company said.
* FPA OFFERS ETHICS COURSE: The Financial Planning Association has released its new ethics course - "The Responsibility to Work from an Ethical Foundation: CFP Code of Ethics Case Studies."
Presented by Keith Loveland, J.D., the course is designed to cover direct and practical applications of the CFP Board of Standards' Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility.
The program is available in both online and self-study formats. Either format is available for $45 to members or $65 to nonmembers. The online course can be accessed at www.linkconferencecall.com/reg/fpa/vlc/events, or to purchase the self-study format, visit www.fpanet.org/products. The program is approved by the CFP Board for its two-hour ethics requirement.
