Our Initiatives

As a growing number of financial planners retire, our profession faces a shortage of CFP® professionals to serve the increasing demand of the public. To meet this challenge, CFP Board Center for Financial Planning works to build a sustainable financial planner workforce for the 21st century.

We connect employers with skilled and competent financial planning professionals via the Career Center and other initiatives. We also offer scholarships and conduct research on important trends such as career paths.

Our work aims to attract and develop the next generation of financial planning professionals, ensuring the profession can recruit and retain the talent it needs to grow.

The American public – and with it, those seeking financial advice – is increasingly diverse. As consumer demand for financial advice grows, it is imperative that the financial planning profession work toward expanding and diversifying the ranks of financial planners who can meet the needs of increasingly diverse consumers.

We seek to effect systemic change across recruiting, training and retention practices to foster a more diverse workforce that reflects the diversity of the public. Learn about our efforts such as the Women's Initiative (WIN), "I am a CFP® Pro" campaign, Diversity Summit, mentor program, research and more.

The Center for Financial Planning creates opportunities for conducting research, convening and showcasing experts, and building cutting-edge knowledge to advance the field of financial planning. This knowledge helps CFP® professionals and other financial practitioners excel in their career and deliver outstanding service to clients. Through the Financial Planning Knowledge Center (launching in 2020), Academic Research Colloquium, Financial Planning Review and Client Psychology Program, among other efforts, we are leading the way to grow the profession.

As consumers better understand the value of CFP® certification, the more likely they are to seek competent and ethical financial planning services offered by a CFP® professional. By raising awareness, we can ensure that the CFP® mark is the recognized standard of excellence in personal financial planning. Learn more about how we raise the visibility and credibility of CFP® certification through efforts such as our current Public Awareness Campaign, “It’s Gotta Be A CFP®”.

The campaign emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions – with the most important question being, “is my financial advisor a CFP® professional?”

CFP Board is leading the first peer-reviewed academic study to track and report on the actual impact of holistic financial planning on clients, in support of our work to increase awareness of the value of financial planning and working with a CFP® professional.

This multi-year longitudinal Client Impact Study will track, follow and measure financial and non-financial aspects of a diverse and representative sample of households in the U.S.

Protecting consumers and benefiting the public are core tenets of our mission. When public policy impacts our profession, we are aggressive and effective advocates for thoughtful positions that serve the public’s best interest.

Among our public policy efforts, we actively participate in public policy forums, testify on legislative issues that impact our profession, and advocate for public policy initiatives that advance the profession and ensure that consumers have access to competent, ethical financial planning services.