In August, I was in Denver to attend the 2026 CSA Conference and LEARNED SO MUCH. The Breakout Sessions were educational and the Key Note speakers were inspirational.
As we landed in Denver, exciting news was shared that Compass Plus had been featured in an Inman article.
It was also a great time to meet other Compass Plus agents from all over the country. If someone I know here in Vancouver has relatives in another state that need a Realtor/Senior Advisor, I can help coordinate that. For example, I enjoyed getting to know Lenna Doyle, a Compass Plus board member and San Diego agent with a fun back story as a zookeeper in the nursery. She shared amazing photos of baby animals and also how she was featured on the Jay Leno show! Best of all, she shares my delight in french fries, so we enjoyed some as we waited for our delayed flights at the Denver airport.
Our local CSA leadership group in PNW was well represented and I enjoyed connecting in person with our members, including Washington Compass Plus agents Nancy Sievert (who runs our group) and Connie Sorensen (both pictured here).
I attended a session about reverse mortgages and was surprised to come away with a new perspective. As a realtor, I thought I was pretty knowledgable about reverse mortgages: they can be a useful tool but more of a last resort than a go-to strategy. I walked out of the room thinking “hmm, maybe I should get a reverse mortgage,” because it was presented as a clever (and safe) way to utilize funds and grow wealth.
Dr. Sara Schoenhals Martinez, Dementia Consultant with Sparrow Senior Advisors, ran a session on dementia titled “Communication Skills Every Certified Senior Advisor Needs” which was full of excellent information. She explained about the various types of dementia, and the described the most common types, but we learned there are over 100 types, forms and causes.
The conference was full of new information as well as connecting me with valuable resources. I look forward to the next one in 2027!