Group Think

?- The FPA and Janus announced the winners of the 2008 Financial Frontiers Awards competition, which showcases research papers that present new ideas and practical solutions for financial advisors and their clients. Awards are given in two categories: financial techniques and financial concepts. In addition, an Editor's Choice Award is given to authors who had particularly outstanding work published in the Journal of Financial Planning over the past year. "The Hedonic Pleasure Index–An Enhanced Model for Spending Inflation," by James Shambo took top honors in the Financial Techniques category. Shambo is a CPA and president of Lifetime Planning Concepts, Inc. in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This year's winner in the Financial Concepts category is, "Who Is Planning for the Planner?–Becoming Consumers of Our Profession," by Richard Kahler, who is president of Kahler Financial Group in Rapid City, South Dakota. Shambo and Kahler will present their papers at FPA Boston 2008, the Association's annual conference. As in years past, Janus will award $10,000 to each of this year's winners. Editor's Choice Awards were given to William Reichenstein, for "Calculating After-Tax Asset Allocation Is Key to Determining Risk, Returns, and Asset Location" (July 2007); Charles Robinson, for "A Phased-Income Approach to Retirement Withdrawals: A New Paradigm for a More Affluent Retirement" (March 2007); and William Coaker for "Emphasizing Low-Correlated Assets: The Volatility of Correlation" (September 2007). The deadline for next year's competition is March 3, 2009.