Illinois State economics alumnus Edward Gjertsen II ’89 will present “The Business of Financial Planning: Past, Present, and Future” at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, September 27, in the Caterpillar Auditorium of the State Farm Hall of Business. Gjertsen is vice president of Mack Investment Securities Inc.
His talk, exploring the opportunities and challenges that face the financial planning profession, is part of the Financial Planning Speaker Series hosted by the Institute for Financial Planning and Analysis and the Department of Finance, Insurance and Law.
As a certified financial planner, Gjertsen has served the financial planning needs of clients for over 20 years. He specializes in retirement planning, portfolio management, and estate planning with a keen focus on clients becoming financially organized.
Gjertsen served as past chairman of the Financial Planning Association’s National Board of Directors, a professional nonprofit with over 24,000 members. He is one of the co-founders of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) National Diversity Initiative and is past president and chairman of the Financial Planning Association of Illinois, the nation’s largest chapter. He is also a recipient of the FPA of Illinois’ 2008 Heart of Financial Planning Distinguished Service Award.
A sought-after industry resource, Gjertsen has appeared on local and national television, and has been quoted and published in numerous local and national media outlets. A popular speaker on personal finance, he presents at local and national conferences, nonprofit organizations as well as community and city of Chicago venues.
Gjertsen is involved in community sports programs and has served on the boards of the Kenilworth/Winnetka Baseball Association, and New Trier Trevian Pony Baseball program, and is past president of the Lake Shore Feeder Baseball League. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in economics from Illinois State University.
The talk is part of the Illinois State University Speaker Series. The series seeks to bring innovative and enlightening speakers to the campus with the aim of providing the community with a platform to foster dialogue, cultivate enriching ideas, and continue an appreciation of learning as an active and lifelong process. All talks are free and open to the public.
