and inspiring women by regularly speaking at events. She knows firsthand the challenges women face in a pro- fession traditionally led by men. Miller began her career in investment banking and worked as a young woman on a male-dominated trading floor. As she advanced in her ca- reer, she became one of the few women portfolio managers at Oppenheimer Mutual Funds and later a principal owner of a small asset management firm. She is now recognized as a pioneer in the wealth management profession. Miller learned early in her career the tremendous value women gain by supporting each other to navigate and ad- vance in the industry. However, she didn’t become passion- ate about helping other women until she was inspired to do so by her daughters. “When I started my career, women were having di ffi culty being successful on Wall Street, and I pursued portfolio man- agement, which was a very objective segment of the indus- try. Success was measured by results. It was not measurable by so f ter issues that were hard to identify. I watched other women around me as their careers moved forward, and I thought we were going to make progress,” said Miller. “Later, as a mother of two daughters, I looked up as they were growing up and realized we hadn’t made anywhere near the progress I thought we would when I was starting my ca- reer. I think that renewed my energy to try to make a dif- ference, even one young woman at a time. And I think that men and women alike, if we can each get one new woman into the industry successfully and help her with the skills, the certification and the journey to a successful career, we will make more progress.” CFP Board has been working for years to bring more women into the profession and has ambitious long-term goals. “One of my priorities is to shine a brighter light on the op- portunity for women as CFP® certificants and in the financial planning profession,” said Miller. “We realize there’s more we can and should do to bring attention to the opportunities for women, the wonderful possibilities for those who are mid-career and for those who are considering the career. I’m thrilled to be part of shining that light this year.” CFP Board is committed to accelerating the growth, influ- ence and leadership of women in financial lpanning. “We’re thinking big,” Miller said. “We’re developing resources, high- lighting best practices, hosting events and buildilng the visi- bility of the profession.” When asked about the biggest challenges women in finan- cial planning face, Miller responded, “Women are increasingly realizing they have a legitimate voice with advisors, and that they have a right to demand an advisor who listens fully to them and speaks in whatever language they’re looking for. We know the historical image of financial planning is a male advisor, o f ten speaking more to a male clientele, and that is changing dramatically.” CFP Board’s recent focus on the psychology of financial planning shows that women are asking for di ff erent things, and they want someone who has mastered those so f ter skills in active listening, for example. “We o f ten find that our women CFP® certificants are particularly strong in these areas and connect well with other women — and men — who are looking for a broader holistic conversation and that includes focused listening and working together to build their financial plan.”
Certificant Connection TOWNHALL
CFP Board CEO Kevin R. Keller, CAE (left) looks on as 2024 Board Chair Matt Boersen, CFP ® , the 2024 CFP ® Professionals Financial Outlook research. CFA ® shares results from
A lifelong advocate for women
Each year, CFP Board’s Certificant Connection series visits cities across the country to meet with local CFP ® professionals, those pursuing CFP ® certification, educators and other stakeholders. These town hall-style events are an opportunity to learn about the CFP Board latest programs, initiatives and resources, discuss the profession’s most pressing topics and, most importantly, share your feedback directly. Regional events include a networking reception and Psychology of Financial Planning CE. Certificant Connection Townhall Meetings Engage CFP® Professionals on CFP Board’s Key Priorities
in the financial planning profession, 2025 CFP Board Chair Liz Miller, CFP®, CFA® is committed to increasing the num- ber of women CFP® professionals through example, program- ming and support, but there’s still a long way to go to meet the growing public demand for more women financial planners. CFP Board has made significant strides in its longtime e ff orts to bring more women to the profession, and that’s starting to pay o ff . In 2024, 1,720 new women became CFP® professionals, the most ever in a single year. “I’m so proud of how women in our profession grew,” Miller said. “[In 2023] new women CFP® certificants grew at a rate more than twice that of overall certificants. That still leaves us at under 24% women out of 100,000-plus CFP® certifi- cants. And we know that the U.S. population is more than 50% women. We know that this is a wonderful profession, and recent research confirms that women prefer to work with a woman advisor. So, we have a whole lot more work to do.” In addition to her commitment to growing women CFP® professionals, Miller plans to focus on two important CFP Board initiatives in the coming year. “I’m very excited that we’re also going to be doing a deep dive into the evolution of technology, really look at where AI is today, how it might change the profession going forward and how CFP Board should be considering AI.” Miller also plans to ride the momentum created by 2024 CFP Board Chair Matt Boersen, CFP®, CFA® in examining the role social media plays and will play in the financial planning profession and in delivering financial advice to the public. “Our core mission is to provide competent, ethical financial planning to the public. So, looking at and thinking about so- cial media advice is aligned with our core mission,” she said. MILLER LEADS BY EXAMPLE Even though she’s a busy professional, business owner and in- dustry thought leader, Miller has consistently dedicated time and energy to supporting women in the profession through workshops, mentoring and internships, as well as engaging
In 2024, Certificant Connections discussions focused on:
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2024 Certificant Connection Regional Events
● ProposedChangestotheCompetency Standards for CFP ® certification ● New Public Awareness Campaign Client Impact Research ● New resources for CFP ® professionals: Tech Guide and Compensation Research and Tools
New York City May 21, 2025
Dallas Houston San Antonio Austin Pittsburgh Detroit
Minneapolis Kansas City, MO Phoenix San Diego Orange County Los Angeles
Charlotte, NC May 21, 2025
Atlanta May 22, 2025
Attendees at the May 24, 2024 Certificant Connection event in Kansas City, Mo.
CFP Board also hosts Certificant Connection webinars throughout the year.
CFP.net/events
Opening Photo by Gus Aronson
THE STANDARD
A LOOK AT 2024
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