A number of well known financial planning figures from the local industry are stranded in the US after the Financial Planning Association in America cancelled its annual conference in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in New York.
Those stranded includeProfessional Investment Services(PIS) managing director Robbie Bennetts and Money Managers Kevin Bailey.
They were to attend the US FPA Success Forum 2001 in San Diego due to start yesterday and then head onto briefings with fund managers on the east coast of the US.
A number of the group had arrived early in the US ahead of the remainder which was due to leave on Wednesday of this week.
The tour which was organised by Julie Rigoni of m.c Marketing Concepts is also scheduled to head to the UK to attend the Institute of Financial Planning (IFP) conference and to Europe for a series of briefings with fund managers.
Since the news of the attack, the tour will now only take in the European leg with those planners stranded in the US either heading home or meeting with other members of the tour in the UK in the next few days. Among those to fly out to the UK are Rigoni, Tom Collins, Ken Brewer and Dominic McCormack.
The US FPA says that the decision to cancel its four day event was brought on not only by the difficulties in travel but also out of concern for safety of those attending the event, according to president Guy Cumbie.
It has also stated that it would be examining whether the conference would go ahead at a later date, but says due to the logistical arrangements involved, it was highly unlikely that this would occur.
The US FPA also says that while the cancellation would have financially affected the association, it was an essential course of action.
“While there are potentially significant financial implications for FPA, we believe that this decision was in the best interest of our members and others who would have participated in the Success Forum. In short, we believe we couldn’t afford not to do it.”
