Darcy Bergen and the Automotive Properties Group

Automotive Properties Group (APG) is a subsidiary of CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) that specializes in automotive sector real estate development. As a former management consultant with APG, Darcy Bergen is acquainted with numerous services that it provides to automobile manufacturers, dealership franchisees, and other automotive properties investors. APG specializes in the acquisition and development, and then the leasing or sale of auto dealerships throughout North America and Canada. As a full-service retail investment broker, Automotive Properties Group also provides guidance with consulting, auto center design, furniture acquisition, and relocation, among many other investor and developer services. Recently, AGP has set its sights on sustainability services that reflect the social responsibility inherent in the cultural climate today.

For example, as a subsidiary of CBRE, Automotive Properties Group is committed to resource conservation and emission mitigation through critical environmental assessments of occupied spaces with the aim of improving building performance and efficiency with little or no extra cost to the purchaser. With APG’s sustainability assessments, businesses should experience cost-saving opportunities through energy savings, and enhanced revenue generation while managing natural resources in a responsible manner. Darcy Bergen’s time with Automotive Properties Group was instrumental in the greening of the company.

Darcy Bergen and the Gathering of Angels

Because of his long and successful history in the financial sector as a management consultant and financial advisor, among other advisory positions, Darcy Bergen has participated in the Gathering of Angels seminars as a guest speaker.

The Gathering of Angels is the brainchild of Atlanta businessman Tarby Bryant who has acted as a conduit between high-worth investors and beginning entrepreneurs in monthly meetings located in Santa Fe and Atlanta. The Gathering of Angels brings start-up businesses in need of capital together with private investors, or “angels”, who are willing to provide necessary seed money for early-stage professional ventures, as well as capital for business expansion and entrepreneurial growth.

Although the primary function of the Gathering of Angels seminars is to bring together businesspeople of various backgrounds and experience, it also provides a forum for an exchange of ideas and strategies for maximizing profits and developing long-term, successful enterprises. Darcy Bergen’s longtime experience as a financial advisor and entrepreneur has brought him to the Gathering of Angels seminars and allowed to him offer his practical advice to beginning business people and angel investors like.

“Steps to Becoming a Certified Retirement Financial Advisor,” by Darcy Bergen

Darcy Bergen, the president of financial advisory firm Clear Solutions for Seniors, holds the title of Certified Retirement Financial Advisor. This elite status recognizes an advisor’s experience and expertise in working with clients planning for or living in retirement.

To become certified, a professional must have at least three years of experience working in the financial services industry or the equivalent in classroom training. Qualified individuals then may take the certification exam, which tests the candidate’s expertise in financial planning for retired persons. The test consists of 100 questions and covers taxes, investments, insurance, and trusts.

Exam questions typically focus on applying financial knowledge to practical situations. The Society of Certified Retirement Financial Advisors grants certification to those candidates who receive a score of 70 percent or above on the four-hour test. Advisors who earn certification must maintain their status through continuing education and an annual pledge of ethical client services.

Kenya’s Orphaned Children

Due in large part to the AIDS crisis, more than a million children in Kenya live without one or both of their parents. The number of Kenyan orphans reflects a disproportionately high death rate from AIDS among Africans. In fact, 46% of Kenyan orphaned children lost their parents to AIDS and its debilitating complications. Moreover, a number of Kenyan children are regarded as orphans not because their parents have died, but because they are wholly unable to care for them.

More than half of the orphaned children in Kenya are between the ages of 10 and 14 According to statistics, approximately 35% of Kenyan orphans are between ages fives and nine, with the remainder under five years old.

“The plight of Kenyan orphans saddens us immensely,” said Darcy Bergen, President of Bergen’s Mission, an organization that provides care and funding for those children in Kenya who lack parents to care for them. “We are gratified that we have the opportunity to positively impact so many young lives.”

For many of these orphaned children, neglect remains one of the most prevalent effects of the deaths of their parents. Even before their parents’ death, the children often suffer from physical and emotional neglect as their parents are too weak to provide for them. This can have a profound impact on the children for the rest of their lives. In addition, because they have lost the traditional family structure that is so important in Kenyan society, orphaned children may become disconnected from the rest of their community. The emotional trauma experienced by these children before the death of their parents and during the immediate bereavement period stays with them for years to come, and some experts worry that these issues could affect any children they might have. Another wrenching experience for Kenya’s orphans is their uprooting after the deaths of their parents. While there are an increasing number of organizations that provide care and hope for these children, some fall into less than ideal situations. As such, it continues to be vitally important that we support missions that care for orphaned children in Kenya.