FPANJ Names Senator Steven V. Oroho as Heart of Financial Planning Award Recipient

MONTCLAIR, N.J. - Oct. 13, 2016 - PRLog -- The Financial Planning Association of New Jersey (FPANJ) will be honoring its best and brightest during its Fall Conference, on Thursday, October 20. The Heart of Financial Planning, Lifetime Achievement, and Member of the Year awards will be presented among others.

The Heart of Financial Planning Award recognizes individual professionals, financial planning firms, and organizations that engage in extraordinary work, contributing and giving back to the planning community and public through financial planning. Recipients embody the
spirit of financial planning and also represent FPA's Core Values. This year's award winner is New Jersey Senator Steven V. Oroho of the 24th Legislative District.

Since being elected in 2007, Oroho has demonstrated the value of financial planning, and his passion for the profession earned him a reputation as the "go-to" senator to help explain issues for his peers in the statehouse. He is a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations  and the Senate Economic Growth Committee.  Among the high profile issues he helped to enact were the reduction and ultimate elimination of the New Jersey Estate Tax; the increase of the qualified income exclusion from $20,000 to $100,000; the Transportation Trust Fund; and more than 120 other bills.

Our 2016 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement award really has seen the Lifetime of FPANJ; in fact, he's pre-dated it. Nicholas Nicolette, CFP®, is a principal at Sterling Financial groups and has been active in the financial planning profession for over 30 years. Nicolette served as President and Chairman of ICFP and was instrumental in navigating the challenges of its merger with IAFP to form FPA. He subsequently became FPANJ's first president in 2000.

He has been a staunch advocate for our clients as well, being the first member of FPA to appear before a Senate Special Committee to defend seniors from fraudulent or inappropriate investment advisors.

In 2010 Nicolette won the FPA of NJ Heart of Financial Planning Award and in 2011 the FPA National Heart award. Nicolette was appointed to Chair a six-member panel whose mission is to take input from FPA members regarding concerns about groups that formulate policies affecting planners.

Sean T. Keating, CFP®, ChFC, CDFA,EA, of Regal Securities in Sea Girt, NJ, has been selected as FPANJ's Member of the Year. Keating has been extensively involved with FPA, serving on the board for Membership and Student Chapters. He has also been active with military veterans' groups to provide pro bono services, including Wounded Warrior Project, Moving our Heroes Home, and is a founding member of Driven by Heroes.

Rookie of the Year honors go to two members, Larissa Mehlfelder, CFP®, CAIA, andGerald M. Korey CFP®, who were instrumental in launching the vital NexGen Group for the chapter.

Mehlfelder, an advisor at Massey Quick, has been lauded for her passion in reaching out and educating the NexGen population, and she also leads the NexGen committee at her firm

Korey is an "outstanding young man at Regent Atlantic with a very bright future in our profession," according to his peers and he has applied his talent with Mehlfelder to form this vital group.

Volunteer of the Year awards also go to a duo of advisors, Sharon M. Nikaido, Senior Associate at Sterling Financial Planning, and Liz Ciccone, Reverse Mortgage Specialist at Reverse Mortgage Funding.

A member of the Major Conferences Committee for over 5 years, Nikaido is an instrumental member, participating in monthly conference calls, acting as a liaison with speakers who present at the conference and waking up at the crack of dawn on conference day to arrive to the venue by 6:00 AM to assist in set up and help wherever needed throughout the day.

Liz Ciccone has also been an active member of the Major Conferences Committee for several years, joining monthly conference calls, offering ideas for topic presentations and acting as a liaison with speakers.  She too, willingly gets to the conference venue before dawn, cheerfully assisting in whatever task needs to be done.  Ciccone is also the host of our Bergen County Happy Hour every month.

It all takes place at the Renaissance Woodbridge in Iselin, NJ, with check-in and a social media pre-conference panel beginning at 7 a.m.; programs following from 8:30  a.m. - 5 p.m.

Media are welcome, and can gain access to our speakers, but must request credentials by contacting FPANJ at MediaContact@fpanj.org  by Monday, OCTOBER 17.

Visit http://FPANJ.org for more information.

ABOUT FPA of New Jersey and FPA:

Financial Planning Association of New Jersey is part of The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®). FPA connects those who need, support and deliver professional financial planning. FPA believes that everyone is entitled to objective advice from a competent, ethical financial planner to make smart financial decisions. FPA members demonstrate and support a professional commitment to education and a client-centered financial planning process. Working in alliance with academic leaders, legislative and regulatory bodies, financial services firms and consumer interest organizations, FPA is the community that fosters the value of financial planning, and advances the practice and profession of financial planning.

The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) is the largest membership organization for personal financial planning experts in the U.S. and includes professionals from all backgrounds and business models. FPA members adhere to the highest standards of professional competence, ethical conduct and clear, complete disclosure to those they serve. Based in Denver, Colo., FPA works in alliance with academic leaders, legislative and regulatory bodies, financial services firms and consumer interest organizations. For more information about FPA, visit www.OneFPA.org or call 800.322.4237.For more information about FPA of New Jersey, visit www.fpanj.org.