FP CAREER RESOURCES — NETWORKING

Updated August 25, 2024

I. ASK ME ANYTHING (AMA) — FOR PLANNERS AND ASPIRING PLANNERS

1. Andy Moran — Monthly Ask Me Anything — "Thinking about starting a firm? Career changing from another field? Bring your questions and I'll answer them honestly... no punches pulled!"

2. BLX Internship — BLX Office Hours — "The Internship Program for Aspiring Black and Latinx Financial Planners... The BLX team hosts monthly office hours for current or aspiring financial planners the first Friday of each month at 12:00PM PT. This is a time to ask us anything about getting started in financial planning, preparing for the CFP® exam, starting a firm, BLX and more."

3. Brenna Baucum, CFP®, CTS™ — Ask Me Anything — "This is a weekly offering for financial advisors, current or aspiring, to bounce ideas around on their career path, starting/growing a firm, marketing, financial life planning, serving the boomer demographic, venting, laughing, crying, whatever you need."

4. Danika Waddell, CFP®, RLP®, CSLP® — Ask me Anything! — "Monthly 'Ask me Anything' calls are intended for financial planners (or aspiring planners). If you want to ask about starting a firm, getting in to the business, picking a niche, this is your chance."

5. Elliott Appel, CFP®, CLU®, RLP® — Community Discussion Hour — "Community discussion hour is for current or aspiring financial planners to ask me anything. The topics discussed will depend on what you and other people ask. A few ideas to get you started: career paths, starting a firm, picking a niche, blogging, and life planning."

6. Jaaziel Palacios, EA — Ask Me Anything — Follow on Twitter ("X") — "These weekly meetings are intended for non-traditional career changers looking to break into the industry. I was an electrician for 6 years before joining, no college. There’s always a side door and I’m the one to find it!"

7. Kaylin Dillon, CFP® — Office Hours - Ask Me Anything — "Are you interested in entering the financial industry? Or looking for advice about starting your own firm? Join an open session to connect and talk fee-only financial planning."

8. Meg Bartelt, CFP®, MS — AMA with Financial Planners (with Meg) — "(Almost every) Friday AMA (Ask Me Anything) is for financial planners, current or aspiring. Equity comp, starting and growing a firm, blogging, life planning, curling into a fetal position... I gotchu."

9. Michael Reynolds, CSRIC®, AIF®, CFT-I™ — Office Hours — "Every month, I hold Open Office Hours to discuss anything that I normally help people with, which includes process and technology, Altruist, ESG, and marketing"

10. Mike Zung, CFP® — Hump Day AMA (for financial planners only) — "Mike, Mike, Mike.... what day is it?! This is intended for current or aspiring financial planners."

11. Wilson Liu, CFP® — Ask Me Anything (AMA) Fridays — "Questions about breaking into the financial planning industry? Or finding a great firm to work for? As a career-changer who started my first job in financial planning in February 2022, and earned my CFP® certification in February 2024, I just went through this! I also started a weekly associate advisor and paraplanner compensation and benefits survey in June 2023. Sign up for a Zoom meeting to chat with me about those things, or anything else on your mind."

    • "A Former IT Engineer's Path to CFP® Certification" by Wilson (Guo) Liu ​— If you'd like to learn more about my story, here's my CFP Board Candidate Forum blog post

    • CFP Board Mentor Program — If you're interested in requesting me as a mentor for the next CFP® exam cycle, please feel free to send me a mentor request to check for availability (you'll need to create a CFP Board Candidate Forum account and log in)​

12. Zach Teutsch — Office Hours — "Are you an advisor (or aspiring advisor) who wants some advice, especially about building a values-aligned practice? If so, feel free to join my office hours."

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II. ADDITIONAL NETWORKING RESOURCES

1. Aspiring Financial Planners Facebook Group — "Are you a part-time financial planner, an aspiring financial planning professional, or someone early in your financial planning career? This group is your go-to destination for connecting with like-minded individuals, learning from experienced financial planners, and growing in your financial planning journey."​

2. Financial Planning Association — Join the FPA (requires membership fee) and attend meetings for your local chapter (or another chapter that may be more active) — With online member forums for financial planning discussions and communities including: African American advisors, Asian-American/Pacific Islander knowledge circle, FPA Latino, PridePlanners knowledge circle, Women and Finance​

   • FPA Los Angeles — My local chapter has mostly Zoom meetings that anyone can join 

   • FPA NexGen Gathering — "...one of the only events designed specifically for those who are new to the financial planning profession."

   • FPA Residency — "...immerse newly or soon-to-be certified CFP® professionals in practicing the 'art of financial planning'"

3. Amplified Planning Externship (formerly FPA Externship) — "Instead of working with just one firm, you get to peek behind the curtain and see over 25 firms and experts at work — and do the work yourself. You’ll also get access to over 20 deliverables and processes from these experts, so you can learn a new way to work that works for you... Join us this summer in The Externship for invaluable financial planning training and earn 500 CFP Board Standard Pathway Experience hours… in just 8 weeks!"

4. The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) — "For nearly 40 years, NAPFA has been the standard bearer for fee-only, fiduciary financial advisors advocating for high professional and ethical standards"

   • "Local groups are great places to meet other Fee-only advisors, attend... educational programming, and connect with your peers."

5. "The Value Of Advisor Study Groups – Not Just Studying Financial Planning, But Mastermind Your Business And Career" — "...most financial advisor study groups focus more on practice management and personal career development than discussing technical financial planning tools and strategies. In fact, such groups are sometimes dubbed 'Mastermind' groups..."

6. XY Planning Network VIP Facebook Group — A super active and supportive community for RIAs, financial planners, and even career-changers — Free to  join for anyone (just request access)​

7. FPA Activate Facebook Group — "This is the go-to community for financial planners who want to fast track their careers and develop their planning skills"

8. Reddit's CFP® Professionals Subreddit

   • Pros: Anonymous forum where financial professionals post honest answers to questions about salary, career choices, etc.

   • Cons: Anonymous, so anybody can post about anything (take everything with a grain of salt)

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III. FINANCIAL PLANNING INDUSTRY CONFERENCES

1. XY Planning Network LIVE Conference 2024 — "XYPN LIVE is THE can't-miss event for fee-for-service advisors because it takes a team to build a dream—and nobody brings that team together like we do."

   • Three associate planners and I spoke at a panel at the XYPN LIVE 2023 in Atlanta called "Inside Insights: Perspectives from Associate Financial Planners on Hiring & Retaining for Small RIAs".

2. Kitces.com - Master List Of Financial Advisor Conferences For 2023-2024 — "...we are happy to present to you a comprehensive calendar of all the financial advisor conferences across the US each year, from broker-dealer to RIA conferences, covering topics from retirement planning to practice management and everything in between."​

3. Kitces.com - The 9 ‘Best’ Financial Advisor Conferences (For Scaling Up) In 2023 — "Having updated our annual conference list every year since, I’m excited now to present my newest list of “Top Financial Advisor Conferences” for the upcoming 2023 year, with a particular focus on the best conferences for advisors facing various “scaling up” challenges"

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IV. LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY MONEY COACHES

1. Be Intentional Financial — "Be Intentional Financial is a remote, fee-only financial planning firm that specializes in working with transgender and queer individuals and families. We help clients understand their current financial situation, figure out their short- and long-term financial goals, and make a plan to get from here to there!"

2. Billfold Budget Counseling — "For most people, it's impossible to navigate the world without having some sort of money mishap. Be it overzealous spending, living paycheck to paycheck, or tanking your credit score...these things are actually relatively common."

3. Chillax Finance — "I’m here for the people who get overlooked by most of the financial industry. I want everyone, no matter where they come from, to feel joyful and confident about money. That’s my passion."

4. The Exuberant Elephant — "To help you create a more positive relationship with your money so you can use it as a tool to build your business, live Your Greatest Life and create positive change in the world!"

5. Mindful Money Coaching — "Mindful Money Coaching gives you the tools and guidance to start making impactful life-changing decisions today. We are experts in the field but more importantly we are living examples of what’s possible with your money - with the right guidance and support."

6. The Money Institute — "As your resident Lesbian Money Coach, I’m here to walk you through the steps and build an action plans that will work for YOU."

7. Money Moods — "Money Moods is a financial education program designed to help women explore their relationship with money, embrace the prism of their Money Moods, and recolor their lives with confidence and clarity."

8. Queer Money Coach — "I focus on helping queer folks take the reins on their money towards a life where we can be free from financial stress! We deserve ease and to be thriving, not just barely surviving."

9. Sarah Roller Financial Coaching — "Hi, I’m Sarah Roller, a financial coach for women and new parents. With an understanding of where your money is going, what your goals are and what expenses add the most value to you, making financial decisions becomes a lot easier."

10. Springhouse Financial — "Springhouse Financial - Resolving Your Financial Burdens. Business Finance - Financial  Solutions that improve your  bottom line. Personal Finance - Get Financially  Renewed!"

11. Traveler Charly Money Coaching — "I’m a nonbinary Latinx money coach helping my first gen clients become millionaires. I'm a formerly undocumented digital nomad helping my first gen clients embody their millionaire selves."

12. Young and Scrappy — "I specialize in helping young professionals, entrepreneurs, and members of the LGBTQ+ community make sense of their finances, build wealth for the future, and grow thriving businesses."