Financial Planner Re-Entry Initiative: Career Path for Professional Women in Financial Planning
In December 2018, the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning published a comprehensive report detailing outcomes from the initial pilot of its Financial Planner Re-entry Initiative ("FPRI"). The report, Financial Planner Re-Entry Initiative: Career Path for Professional Women in Financial Planning, discusses the pilot program’s model and its key components, initial hurdles, successes and outcomes shared by the participating firms, as well as insights from re-interns and firm program managers.
As of the date the report was published, the FPRI program had reached a total of 11 completed internships, with 10 interns converted to full-time positions, resulting in a strong 91% conversion rate.
The report outlines how cross-firm collaboration, access to subject-matter expertise in career re-entry programming, sourcing boosts from tapping the Center and iRelaunch networks, and a model in which each firm sets up its own unique program are at the core of successful re-entry programs. These included best practices for managing a re-entry program, such as:
- Leadership support
- Willingness to collaborate
- Designating a strong program manager
- Willingness to experience
- Setting gender diversity goals
- Re-entry intern onboarding and training for others
- Firm support of CFP® certification
- Early client engagement and employee meetings
Firms that participated in the initial FPRI pilot included: Edelman Financial Engines and United Capital, both of which were sponsored by TD Ameritrade Institutional; Luma Wealth and Yeske Buie, sponsored by Schwab Advisor Services through the Schwab Foundation; and Fidelity Investments.