FPA of California Council

Welcome to the FPA of CA Council

The Financial Planning Association (FPA) of California was formed in 2012 to be an advocate on behalf of our members and their clients regarding issues that impact our clients’ financial success and the financial planning profession. In addition, FPA of CA seeks to be a resource for California’s elected and appointed officials, offering an informed, professional perspective on legislative and regulatory issues.

• FPA of CA is the coalition of eleven California chapters of the Financial Planning Association. We represent over 2,000 members and serve over 300,000 California constituents. Our coalition is part of the national Financial Planning Association which serves almost 20,000 members across more than 75 chapters nationwide.
• The Financial Planning Association (FPA) of California is working to establish collaborative relationships with allied professional organizations representing CPAs, attorneys and insurance professionals in order to build strong alliances on issues that affect our clients and the financial planning profession.

Our Primary Areas of Focus

Your Voice in Sacramento
We regularly bring our members to meet with legislators and regulators in Sacramento. We come to these meetings to provide our government leaders with advice and counsel as representatives of FPA members in California, their clients and the profession of financial planning.

Advocacy
In co-operation with FPA National, we seek to bring attention to regulatory and legislative issues (primarily Californian) that concern our members statewide. This includes education, direct communication with members and calls to action.

Engagement
Part of our mission is to open up the channel between the members of our local chapters and their legislators and regulators. We encourage and support all members to engage their local legislators and share their expertise and perspective as financial planning professionals.

Why is FPA and Financial Planning important to Californians?

• FPA members commit to the highest standards of professional competence, ethical conduct and clear, complete disclosure to those we serve. We deliver advice using an objective, client-centered, ethical process. We adhere to a fiduciary standard – we put our client’s best interest first – and are registered to provide investment advice.
• Financial planning promotes financial literacy and stability to Californians from all walks of life and at every economic level. That’s good for our state and for the overall economy.
• Our members span the state and we are active in our local communities. For example:

1. We host community-based educational forums on personal finance
2. We provide pro-bono tax preparation services for low-income families
3. We have student outreach programs that teach financial literacy in our schools and through community organizations