APRIL 2025: Ethics and the Profession
COVER STORY
Inclusive Leadership Theory and the Future of the Profession
By Bryan Powell, PCC, CPBA, CPMA
Across the financial services industry, representation lags the general population. What does it mean for financial planning and the clients you serve?
Click HERE to access the DIGITAL EDITION
CLIENT SUCCESS STORIES
The Power of Planning
By Danielle Andrus
Financial planning doesn’t just change the lives of your clients. Hear from planners themselves about how this profession has impacted them.
FPA NEXT GENERATION PLANNER
Forward Thinking
Embrace Leadership Early in Your Career
By Patrick Marcinko, CFP®
Lead Article
Get Your Reps: Build Professional Muscle Through Repetition
By Deshawn Peterson, CFP®, and Mike Zarrelli, CFP®, EA
Planner Poll
The FPA Community Weighs in on What Makes a Good Leader
Planning a STUDY GROUP? Check out suggested questions and other resources to make your study group a success!
COLUMNS
Leadership
Half the Population Is Waiting for You, Let’s Go!
By Barbara Kay, LPC, RCC, TIPC
Many women have different financial objectives and service expectations compared to men. Here are some things to keep in mind when working closely with female clients.
Estate Planning
Understanding the Unauthorized Practice of Law in Estate Planning: What It Is, How to Navigate it, and the Role of Technology
By David Haughton, J.D., CPWA
AI can make some tasks less cumbersome, but planners must honor the standards of professional conduct.
SPECIAL REPORT
How Clients Can Sustain Real Withdrawals Beyond 30 Years
By Edward F. McQuarrie
This article outlines a novel strategy for decumulation using Treasury Inflation Protected Securities. It shows how a TIPS ladder can be extended beyond 30 years—the longest maturity currently offered on TIPS bonds.
RESEARCH
Bridging the Adviser-Academic Gap: A Call to Unite Practitioner Preferences with Academic Research
By Donovan Sanchez, CFP®; Megan McCoy, Ph.D., LMFT, AFC, CFT-I; Khurram Naveed, CFA, CFP®; and Blake Gray, Ph.D., CFP®
A strong practitioner–academic partnership is essential to financial planning’s evolution as a profession. Without this partnership, academics risk producing research that does not inform financial planning practice, and practice risks not being evidenced-based. This paper explains existing challenges and offers solutions to help improve communication between financial planning stakeholders.
Earn one CFP CE® credit by reading this month's Journal and access past exams for additional credits.
DEPARTMENTS
STARTING THOUGHTS
Working Toward a Shared Vision
By Danielle Andrus
OBSERVER
Consumers Want to Pay, BOI Reporting Requirements, SSFA Retroactive Payments
Stat Bank
JFP ACADEMICS
Upcoming Research
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
An Exploratory Study of the Wealthy’s Investment Beliefs, Preferences, and Behaviors
By Matthew Sommer, Ph.D., CFA, CFP®, and Sonya Lutter, Ph.D., CFP®
Using primary data collected from an online survey in 2023, this study explored the investment beliefs, preferences, and behaviors of wealthy individuals. A multivariate analysis was conducted, yielding some surprising results about how high-net-worth and affluent clients feel differently regarding portfolio construction, financial literacy, and more.
Click HERE to access Journal of Financial Planning ARCHIVES
