Erica James, CFP®, CPA
Financial Planner
Creative Planning
Task Force Co-Chair
Erica James, CFP®, CPA works as a Financial Planner at Creative Planning in the McLean, VA office. She transitioned to the financial planning industry in 2018 after ten years in accounting. Erica graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a minor in Spanish. She started her career as an auditor at PwC, and eventually, shifted to practicing tax at a boutique firm. Her passion for helping others combined with a love of solving problems led her to complete Georgetown University’s financial planning certificate program and sit for the CFP® exam. Only a few years after her career-change, Erica is certain she has found her calling and wants to make financial planning more accessible to as many people as possible, including future planners and clients. She is currently serving in her second term as the Co-Chair for the FPA NexGen Gathering planning committee. She also serves as a financial mentor for Britepaths, a local non-profit and grantee of the Foundation for Financial Planning. In her free time, Erica enjoys listening to podcasts, practicing her Spanish, going to live concerts and planning her next international trip.
Emma Cramm, CFP®
Wealth Planner
Cadent Capital
Task Force Co-Chair
Emma finds joy in serving others and alleviating the financial stress that so many people face by creating a thoughtful, achievable financial plan. The fear she initially had when it came to money became her mission to lead others to create the life they imagine. After graduating from the Texas A&M Financial Planning program, Emma began her career at Cadent Capital in Dallas, TX and now works as a Wealth Planner alongside an incredible team to serve clients that want to steward their wealth in a meaningful way. Emma oversees the client onboarding process, and spearheads Cadent charitable efforts. In addition, she is currently pursuing the CFA® designation with the goal of leading clients to invest with confidence. She has served as Co-Chair of DFW FPA NexGen, and coordinated the annual DFW FPA Career Day for several years. Outside of work, you can find Emma whipping up a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies, passionately cheering on the Dallas Cowboys, sweating through a yoga class, or taking one of the high school girls she mentors out for coffee.
Franklin Gay, CFP®, EA
Tobias Financial Advisors
Wealth Advisor
Task Force Member
Franklin Gay, CFP®, EA joined Tobias Financial Advisors in August 2020 and serves as a Wealth Advisor. Before joining Tobias Financial Advisors, Franklin worked in a boutique wealth management and financial planning firm in which he assisted the principal of the firm in developing financial plans for over 120 clients in 14 states. Born and raised in Central Florida, Franklin Gay is a proud alumnus of the University of Central Florida from which he graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in finance. While pursuing his degree, Franklin also concurrently attended Bryant University’s financial planning certificate program. In his spare time, Franklin enjoys reading finance-related texts as he strives to learn and remain current about the industry. When he is not studying, you can find him hiking, kayaking, and enjoying the beautiful, sunny South Florida weather with his loved ones.
Alli Masoero, CFP®
Lead Financial Planner
Zenith Wealth Partners
Task Force Member
Alli recently joined Zenith at the beginning of May and is excited about her new team! Her goal is to help impact and change this industry that is constantly in flux. As a Financial Planner, her job is to provide a safe space for clients to feel secure about their financial wellbeing. She helps guide them through their worries and financial woes. She implements psychology into her practice as she knows every client is different. She believes it is her job to identify and cater her style to their needs. Alli has some of her best memories attending NexGen conferences. She has laughed, she has cried, (maybe drank too much ha), and made friends for life! You can find her constantly giving back to the FPA community and encouraging young females to pursue financial planning. She loves living in Philadelphia with her fiance, Brad. You can find them at every Philly sporting event and climbing mountains in their free time! Alli will always find herself outside.
Soraya Morris, ChFC®
AVP Training, Strategy Innovation | Advisor Institute
Task Force Member
As Assistant Vice President, Soraya is responsible for the delivery of live and virtual trainings to new and experienced financial advisors. She strives to help LPL Advisors expand their financial planning, sales and practice management knowledge. In this role, Soraya builds, implements and trains on new and existing curriculum. Soraya is passionate about increasing racial, gender and age diversity within the financial services industry.
Prior to LPL, Soraya worked within the financial planning industry at various RIA firms and was a Lead Trainer at Envestnet MoneyGuide. She earned a B.S. in Finance with a concentration in Financial Planning and holds the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) designation.
When she is not conducting trainings, Soraya can be found serving on the FPA National NexGen Board, volunteering to present financial literacy workshops or mentoring finance students from her alma mater.
Christopher Stroup, MBA, CFP®
Abacus Wealth Partners
Financial Advisor
Task Force Member
Christopher Stroup, MBA, CFP® works as a financial advisor for Abacus Wealth Partners, a fee-only, independent firm that is a change-maker in the financial planning world with a focus on impact and socially responsible investing, diversity and inclusion, and making financial planning accessible. Having previously worked as a petroleum engineer in the oil and gas industry, Christopher used his MBA from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to pivot into wealth management. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community that is passionate about the intersection of startups, entrepreneurship and wealth management, Christopher serves as the keystone advisor trusted to navigate the financial planning complexities of executive leaders across emerging and Fortune 500 companies, as well as to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs. Guided professionally by the quote, “The doors will be opened to those who are bold enough to knock,” Christopher was recognized as a future leader in the financial planning industry by being named to the 2021 InvestmentNews Class of 40 Under 40. When not reading the latest volume of the Journal of Financial Planning or problem solving for his clients, you can find Christopher at the beach playing sand volleyball, riding his Peloton, enjoying conversations with friends over a Martini, traveling between coasts or catching up with his four older siblings. His one-word mantra for 2022: simplify.