Certificant Surveys
2024 CFP® Professionals Financial Outlook Survey
A survey of CFP® professionals found that American investors are overwhelmingly optimistic, with 6 in 7 CFP® professionals reporting that their clients have a positive outlook for 2024 despite ongoing economic uncertainty.
The 2024 CFP® Professionals Financial Outlook Survey also found that nearly half of CFP® professionals (48%) say their clients’ outlook is more optimistic than in 2023. Even with the optimism, the upcoming U.S. elections weigh heavily on investors’ minds. Eighty-three percent of CFP® professionals’ clients expect the 2024 election cycle to have at least some impact on their financial decisions.
Optimism is making Americans bullish on investing this year. Nearly 3 in 5 CFP® professionals say their clients are more likely to start to invest or increase their level of investment because of their financial outlook.
When meeting with CFP® professionals, investors want to discuss issues including preparing for retirement (77%), dealing with inflation and rising prices (60%) and understanding the national economy (56%). During their conversations, CFP® professionals are recommending a range of strategies, including developing or revising a financial plan (62%), prioritizing retirement savings (60%) and investing in the stock market (32%).
Methodology
On February 1, 2024, CFP Board’s Research team sent a 12-question survey to randomly selected CFP® professionals nationwide. The survey had generated responses from 675 CFP® professionals when it closed on February 20, 2024. The data collected from the survey, which serves as the basis of this report, is subject to a sampling error of +/- 3.8% at the 95% confidence interval.