2018 Milestones and Achievements Show Growth and Interest in CFP® Certification

Over the course of 2018, CFP Board reached several significant milestones that support its mission to benefit the American public with access to competent and ethical financial planning advice.

These achievements reflect the financial planning profession’s commitment to increasing diversity within its ranks. As of December 31, 2018, these milestones include:

• The total number of CFP® professionals is at an all-time high of 83,106 - one in four financial advisors in the United States holds the CFP® certification, according to Cerulli.
• The number of women CFP® professionals increased to 19,248, another all-time high.
• The number of black and Latino CFP® professionals is now at 2,916, which is 8 percent more than in 2017 – and double the rate of growth of all CFP® professionals.
• It is the five-year anniversary of CFP Board’s Career Center, which connects firms with qualified job seekers in the profession. During this time the Career Center has seen 1,700 employers post 3,500 jobs that have been promoted to 22,000 job seekers.
• The CFP Board Candidate Forum is connecting candidates for CFP® certification in a valuable online community to provide support on their path to certification. Nearly 64,000 subscribers shared 1,300 discussion threads in 2018 related to all stages on the path to CFP® certification.
• The CFP Board Mentor Program has significantly grown over the last year as there are now nearly 1,400 mentors working with more than 2,000 mentees. The CFP Board Mentorship program was expanded in 2018 to allow all candidates on the path to certification to connect with a CFP® professional for support and encouragement while on the path to certification.

“These milestones and achievements reflect the public’s desire for ethical and competent CFP® professionals who – through financial planning – can provide Americans confidence today and a more secure tomorrow,” said CFP Board CEO Kevin Keller. “We look forward to seeing even more interest in CFP® certification as consumers and firms alike embrace holistic financial planning to produce better outcomes and results.”