In Atlanta, GA on August 11-13, professionals from across the industry came together for the 19th annual Conference of African American Financial Professionals (CAAFP). The event’s theme, “Pathways to Prosperity,” encouraged attendees to consider their ability to make a difference not only in the lives of their clients and community, but also in the future of financial services.

Throughout the three-day event, attendees answered a variety of questions focused on the industry, their professional development, and financial literacy for both themselves and their clients. Their responses revealed valuable perspectives on the financial services industry, the knowledge that fuels professional development, and insights that empower advisors and clients alike.

Day One

What one word describes your view of the industry when you first started?

On the first day of CAAFP 2025, we asked attendees to reflect on their earliest perceptions of the financial services industry. This question wasn’t just about nostalgia — it was about understanding how financial professionals’ first impressions are shaped by broader industry trends, now and in the future.

The responses, captured in a word cloud, offered a nuanced illustration of the industry. On the positive side, words like “opportunity,” “education,” and” rewarding” point to the industry’s longstanding potential to create meaningful careers and lasting client impact. Simultaneously, descriptions such as “intimidating,” “challenging,” “overwhelming,” and “male-dominated” reflect the very real barriers professionals have faced — and continue to navigate — as the industry evolves.

Taken together, these insights suggest that while the financial services profession offers rich opportunities for success, it also demands resilience, continuous learning, and an intentional push towards an inclusive, forwarding thinking industry. They highlight how professional development and advanced education remain central to ensuring the industry continues to grow in ways that serve both financial professionals and their clients.

Day Two

What has helped you most to advance your career?

On the second day, we asked attendees to reflect on the resources that have most supported their professional development and career success: education, mentorship, networking, or performance. Among these, education emerged as the top resource, highlighting the critical role of continuous learning in helping financial professionals stay ahead in a constantly evolving industry.

Mentorship and networking also resonated strongly, with networking just slightly behind in first-place votes. These responses underscore the value of connecting with peers and experts to share insights and build community in the profession.

At The College, we aim to meet these needs by offering educational programs designed not just to impart knowledge, but to provide practical, real-world strategies that learners can apply immediately with their clients. Our enterprise events — like CAAFP or Horizons — create spaces for meaningful networking and peer-to-peer learning, helping professionals exchange ideas, gain diverse perspectives, and build professional relationships that last. Together, these efforts empower learners to advance their careers, strengthen their foundational and specialized knowledge, and contribute to bettering the broader financial services industry.

Day Three

What strategies do you use to help your clients generate retirement income?

On the third day, we asked attendees about the retirement planning strategies they most frequently use with clients. Annuities and delayed Social Security claiming emerged as the top two strategies, reflecting their continued relevance in helping clients secure predictable, reliable income streams and optimize their retirement timing.

These responses underscore the value of a comprehensive approach to retirement planning —  a perspective reinforced in programs like the Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) Program, which covers these strategies in depth. By combining technical knowledge with practical, client-focused applications, programs like the RICP® help financial professionals confidently guide clients through complex retirement decisions.

In addition to the daily questions, attendees also reflected on financial wellness and literacy during a keynote session with President and CEO of The College George Nichols III, CAP® and First Independence Corp and First Independence Bank CEO Kenneth Kelly.

The questions focused on their own and their clients’ wills and credit scores. The responses revealed that many attendees — and their clients — either did not have a will or were unsure if one existed, while credit scores were more varied, with most attendees rating themselves from “fair” to “exceptional” but often uncertain about their clients’ scores.

"How can I leverage what I know in such a way that others in the community can also benefit from it?"

- Kenneth Kelly

“When you look at the numbers, it's very telling,” said Kelly of the survey results. “As we talk about financial wellness or literacy, the data reveals an opportunity to continue to grow and make some changes culturally, but also individually. As George said, we can't help others if we haven't helped ourselves.”

The findings underscore the importance of ongoing financial education, not just for professionals, but for the clients and communities they serve. By first growing and educating themselves, as Kelly suggests, financial professionals can pass on their knowledge and help create pathways to prosperity for their clients, ultimately strengthening their decision-making, planning, and overall financial wellness.

More From The College

• Learn more about the American College Center for Economic Empowerment and Equality
• Get key insights for uncertainty with our Advising Through Uncertainty Study

At its core, life insurance is about more than a policy: it’s about creating stability, protecting loved ones, and ensuring that financial goals don’t unravel in the face of life’s uncertainties. Despite its importance, millions of Americans remain underprotected.

According to LIMRA, 42% of U.S. adults — more than 100 million people — say they need more life insurance coverage.¹ This illustrates the nation’s growing “coverage gap,” which leaves countless households financially vulnerable in the event of unexpected loss. For many, this gap reflects not a lack of concern, but a lack of understanding, with misconceptions about cost and coverage standing in the way of financial stability.

Misconceptions About Life Insurance

Much of the coverage gap is caused by misconceptions, and the most common one is cost. More research from LIMRA reveals that 72% of U.S. adults overestimate the cost of life insurance, with younger Americans often assuming it costs three times more than it actually does. In fact, healthy adults aged 18 to 30 have been found to overestimate the median cost of life insurance by as much as 10 to 12 times.¹ These misconceptions keep many Americans from pursuing much-needed coverage, even when affordable options are within reach.

Another persistent myth is that life insurance is only necessary for parents or primary breadwinners. It’s important for clients to understand that, in reality, life insurance can serve a variety of purposes, including:

• Protecting dependents like spouses, aging parents, or others
• Covering debts such as mortgages or student loans
• Creating a financial legacy for loved ones

Delaying life insurance in response to these misconceptions can be costly, as premiums typically increase with age and health changes. While it may feel like an uncomfortable or premature decision to clients, purchasing coverage early is one of the most effective ways to build a strong foundation for long-term financial wellness.

Employer-sponsored life insurance adds another layer of complexity. While workplace coverage provides a helpful starting point, relying on it alone often leaves many individuals unprotected. A study conducted by Guardian Life found that almost two-thirds of life insurance owners rely solely on employer-sponsored coverage, and half of those only have one or two times their salary in protection — far less coverage than even the lowest recommended amounts.²

Given these gaps, it’s clear that many Americans need additional guidance to fully understand and secure adequate coverage.

How Financial Literacy Improves Life Insurance Coverage

Findings from The College’s Retirement Income Literacy Study underscore the fundamental gap in financial literacy, including the topic of life insurance. Despite scoring relatively high compared to other financial topics, many individuals still don’t fully understand how life insurance fits into a retirement plan. Without literacy in these areas, families and individuals may continue to underestimate their coverage needs, leaving themselves vulnerable to financial shortfalls.

So, what can you do to close the gap? Guardian Life also found that individuals who work with a financial professional are more likely to both own life insurance and carry higher coverage amounts — resulting in greater protection overall.²

That’s why education matters. In-depth knowledge on the complexities of life insurance solutions, like that provided by the Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) curriculum, equips advisors to address misconceptions and guide clients toward solutions that protect what matters most. By fostering understanding and encouraging proactive planning, advisors can help bridge both the coverage gap and the financial literacy gap.

More on Life Insurance and Risk Management

• Get more insights from the Retirement Income Literacy Study
• Specialize in life insurance planning with the Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) Program

Making a better financial future for all means serving people from a variety of situations. The Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) designation helps accomplish this goal.

Imagine a hypothetical scenario. A young person begins their professional career in one industry, however, after a few short years in the field, this person decides to shift roles. This person instead finds a role in financial services.

After finding some success in this new role, the individual decides this is a career worth pursuing and wants to support their goal by obtaining a professional designation. Unfortunately, there’s one problem — this person does not have a college degree. This puts this individual into a surprisingly large group. Though a bachelor’s degree may not seem like an exceedingly high mark to obtain, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 62.3% of Americans (or roughly five out of every eight Americans) do not have one.

Though not having a college degree does not restrict an individual from having a successful career, it does mean they cannot obtain what many view as the gold standard for a financial services mark, the CFP® certification. However, there are still options available to them, namely the ChFC®.

The ChFC®, similar to the CFP® mark, demonstrates a familiarity with several core competencies involved in the field of financial services. Those who complete the ChFC® program become versed in the essentials of financial planning, including:

• Investments and insurance
• Taxation
• Retirement and estate planning
• Special needs planning
• Small business planning

In many ways, the ChFC® fills the same function to the CFP® mark, differing in a few key areas such as the focus on behavioral finance. However, the fundamental differences between the two are the prerequisites. The ChFC® only requires a high school diploma to obtain, whereas a CFP® mark requires a college degree. This key difference makes the ChFC® the preferable option for financial services professionals who may have taken unconventional career paths to arrive where they are today.

The main purpose for certifications like the CFP® mark and ChFC® is the credibility, competency, and strong knowledge bases they offer to financial professionals that may be starting out their careers in the financial services industry. These designations serve as indicators of knowledge and trustworthiness and can be the difference in securing clients for some advisors. FUSE Research Network found data supporting this trend in the 2024 Designation Outcomes Study. The study highlights how designations can help advisors to grow and thrive in their chosen field.

When looking at the data included in the 2024 Designation Outcomes Study, one can find that the ChFC® provides a significant career boost to the advisors who obtain it. According to the study, based on self-reported growth over the past three years compared to financial professionals with no designations, ChFC® designees demonstrate:

• 30% higher growth in production
• 32% higher growth in earnings
• 49% higher growth in number of clients
• 75% higher growth in client retention

These numbers indicate positive trends for those who want to obtain a ChFC®. The growth in key statistics suggest that holders of the ChFC® designation can achieve significant levels of career success, even without the need for a college degree.

Another trend emerging in the financial services industry is skill-based hiring. Skill-based hiring de-emphasizes the formal credentials such as academic degrees and experience, and instead evaluates individuals based off of assessments that measure abilities that are crucial to the role. Skill-based hiring is particularly popular in financial services, as 87% of finance employers have adopted some form of skill-based hiring in their recruitment process.

This level of implementation across the industry suggests that financial services as a whole may be willing to do away with the common notion that individuals seeking a professional career need to start with a college degree and could instead be shifting their focus towards fluency in core competencies.

Due to this shift and the flexibility it offers, the ChFC® may be more desirable than any point in its history, as it aligns with where the industry is headed as it looks to focus on capabilities rather than credentials. The ChFC® also offers financial professionals a clear path forward when approaching a second, more specialized designation. The College’s Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) designation program requires only two additional classes for ChFC® designees, allowing financial professionals to earn a specialized education that helps them grow in their chosen field of expertise. For many, the shift from credential-based hiring to skills-based hiring will be a welcome one.

Learn more about the advantages a ChFC® designation can provide.

For many, the CFP® certification represents an industry standard. If you’re pursuing the CFP® certification, here’s what you should expect on the exam.

For many financial professionals getting started in the industry, the CFP® certification serves as the first major milestone in their career. With over 100,000 active CFP® professionals in the United States, the credential is one of the most widely recognized symbols of competency among financial planners. Earning this respected credential acts as a signpost to potential clients, letting them know that a professional has dedicated themselves to education beyond the basics and has a strong understanding of the core competencies needed to perform the necessary functions of a financial advisor.

However, there are several factors to consider aside from whether or not the CFP® is a good fit for you — and perhaps the most important item that any prospective CFP® professional must plan for is the CFP® exam.

The CFP® exam is held three times annually: March, July, and November. Testing consists of an eight-day window during which hopeful CFP® professionals must earn a passing grade to earn the credential. The exam consists of 170 questions covering a variety of topics broken up into sections. These sections address the following categories:

• Professional conduct and regulations
• General financial planning principles
• Risk management and insurance planning
• Investment planning
• Tax planning
• Retirement savings and income planning
• Estate planning
• Psychology of financial planning

The exam is graded on a pass or fail basis and the CFP Board does not disclose the minimum score required to pass the exam. Needless to say, the exam is not easy. According to the results of the latest round of exams, the CFP Board announced a 65% pass rate for first-time test takers. However, with the appropriate preparations, steps can be taken to improve your odds of passing.

The first step in preparing for the CFP® exam is registration. Registration for any given exam window typically opens about five months prior and costs $925, with $100 discounts or additional fees possible for those who register during the respective early bird or late windows.

Once registration is complete, the logical next step is to study. When asked about the process of preparing for the exam, The American College of Financial Services’ CFP® Certification Education Program Director Chet Bennets, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, RICP®, CLF®, said, “The CFP® exam is rigorous, and success requires disciplined, strategic preparation. Candidates who consistently perform best typically have a structured study plan, use comprehensive review courses, and engage in frequent practice exams to build both competence and confidence.”

Fortunately, with the CFP® being one of the most commonly held credentials across the financial services industry, there are a variety of resources available to help study for the exam. Practice exams are readily available in a litany of locations across the internet, ranging from the full-length practice exam featured on the CFP Board’s website to smaller tests that give prospective test takers a feel for the type of questions that will be included in each section of the exam.

Additionally, there are many options for more robust study plans. The College’s CFP® Certification Education Program offers seven courses covering topics critical to the CFP® exam and provides learners with strong context to help them comprehend the materials, resulting in 72% of those who learned with The College passing their exam, well above the national average. Similar programs may vary from one institution to another, but they can also offer access to additional practice exams, study groups, and other resources that help those enrolled in the program build confidence about passing the exam and build a strong understanding of the material. As Bennets states when talking about the best preparation methods, “Understanding not only the material but how it applies practically to client scenarios is key. The goal is to master the content, not just memorize it.”

Ultimately, registering for the CFP® exam is one of the most important steps an early-career financial professional can take. As such, it is critically important to take the necessary steps to prepare for this exam and maximize your chances of passing. For more on getting the education you need to prepare for your exam, learn more about The College’s CFP® Certification Education Program.

In a session at The American College of Financial Services’ Horizons 2025 conference, Michael Finke, PhD, CFP®, joined Jason Fichtner, PhD, Andrew Biggs, PhD, and Brandon Buckingham, PhD for an in-depth discussion about Social Security.

Finke convened Fichtner, Biggs, and Buckingham — two of whom are former deputy commissioners of the Social Security Administration (SSA) — to talk about the uncertain future of Social Security and how to approach the topic in planning conversations with clients. All participants recognized that Social Security has grown over the years from simply providing a supplemental benefit in retirement to being one of the main sources of retirement income most Americans depend on.

The panel agreed that concerns from political and business leaders regarding Social Security fraud are often overblown, as the number of those abusing the system is likely vanishingly small. They also recognize that while the program needs reform, recent moves by the Trump administration to radically restructure and in some cases scale back support for Social Security may cause more problems than they solve — not interfering with those already collecting, but those who are approaching claiming age in the near future.

The experts stressed that it’s important to make clients understand just how much money they could potentially lose if they claim Social Security too early. Fichtner noted that while many still view age 65 as the ideal claiming age, the truth is that age is now probably closer to 70. In addition, those who waited to claim Social Security until age 70 got 77% greater returns than those who claimed at the minimum age of 62. In addition, Finke pointed out that any retirement plan built to maximize Social Security should take into account clients’ lifestyle choices and actual projected lifespan. He reminded the audience that most people greatly underestimate how long they will live — according to research, a majority of Americans believe they won’t live until age 75, when the truth is they will probably live at least ten years longer than that.

In the end, the experts concluded that clients may need to adjust their expectations of Social Security benefits in the future, and financial professionals need to prepare them with a retirement strategy that takes changes into account. Even though the government likely has until 2033 to address the solvency of Social Security, what that solution might look like is still unclear. However, the panel agreed it would be wise to begin to adjust clients’ expectations now, as the belief that they will get a benefit from Social Security bigger than what they paid into it in taxes is probably not true anymore.

Want to learn more? Watch the full panel discussion now!

In 2025, some 12 million Americans will reach retirement age. Equip yourself to meet all their planning needs as a Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®).

It’s no secret that the pinnacle of Peak 65 is here. If you pay any attention to the news, you’ve likely seen stories about the baby boomer wave cresting over the next several years — and along with it, an influx of potential clients with substantial assets and a need for specialized retirement planning advice. But to attract those clients and deliver the expertise they need, you need to look beyond standard, one-size-fits-all strategies.

According to the CFP Board, less than one-fifth of the CFP® exam covers retirement income planning — and many other foundational designations offer only high-level overviews of retirement planning. To offer potential clients something different, you need to seek deeper knowledge, like that from the RICP® Program offered by The American College of Financial Services.

Here’s one way you could explain this to clients: if you suspected there was something wrong with your heart, would you be satisfied with the report of a general practitioner? Or would you seek out a cardiologist, someone who specializes in exactly the kind of medicine you might need? It’s the same with retirement income planning — and with RICP®, you and they benefit from a recognized mark of excellence backed by a nearly 100-year-old accredited academic institution and powered by the insights of 45+ top academics and thought leaders. Your peers’ performance speaks for itself…and you can reach the same heights in less than four months.

The RICP® is a specialized financial planning designation for professionals who want greater knowledge of retirement income strategies and solutions. It is usually not the first designation professionals earn, but is a strong follow-up and complement to a foundational certification such as the CFP® mark or The College’s Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®). The RICP® focuses on advanced areas of retirement income planning that go beyond the basics and into subjects of growing importance in today’s uncertain markets, including:

• Social Security claiming
• Healthcare and long-term care
• Estate and legacy planning
• Tax-informed retirement planning
• Employee retirement savings plans, and more

Perhaps most importantly, the RICP® Program’s enhanced and accelerated curriculum means you’ll be able to start putting what you learn into practice for your clients on day one — and complete the entire program in under four months. If you don’t want to miss the baby boomer wave, the RICP® is your must-have designation.

Surveys of your potential clients and peers over the last few years consistently show the need for specialized retirement planning knowledge: according to the American College Center for Financial Security, 71% of financial professionals surveyed recognized their clients’ need for in-depth retirement planning services, and research including The College’s 2024 Advisory Services Survey consistently ranks retirement planning as one of the top concerns for financial professionals and clients alike.

Even putting this aside, the benefits of getting your RICP® designation are clear from the increased growth and success your peers are enjoying. Our 2024 Designation Outcomes Study in conjunction with FUSE Research Network examined self-reported growth over the past three years from RICP® designees compared to professionals with no designations, and the results speak for themselves.

• 71% higher growth in client retention
• 45% higher growth in number of clients
• 26% higher growth in earnings

In addition, those who secured the RICP® designation saw significant improvement in their knowledgeability to talk about retirement planning and strategy with their clients.

• Over 80% reported ability to help clients with a greater number of goals and improvement in quality of client conversations
• Over 80% also reported improved ability to help clients with areas including Social Security planning and retirement income and withdrawal strategies
• Over 90% reported improvements in their general retirement planning capability

If you still need some convincing about the value of specialized retirement planning knowledge like the RICP® Program, here’s something else to think about. While the current wave of baby boomer retirees and their over $80 trillion in wealth may be rolling on at some point in the next few years, another wave is on the way. Starting around 2030, members of Gen X will be reaching age 65 as well, and they stand to gain the most from that wealth transfer; many are set to inherit assets worth $5 million or more. Combined with an average net worth of over $1 million per household, Gen X is the next frontier of retirement planning.

So why wait? Get started on earning your RICP® now and ensure you’re equipped for the current retirement opportunity — and ahead of the curve for the next one — in four months or less.

Major changes brought on by the One Big, Beautiful Bill prompt advisors to create proactive strategies around tax planning, estate planning, investing, and charitable giving.

President Donald Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act was officially signed into law over the Fourth of July weekend, signifying impactful changes for financial professionals and their clients — especially when it comes to taxation.

The bill makes permanent many provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), raises SALT deduction limits, adjusts estate tax exemptions, and expands opportunities for tax-efficient retirement and business planning. Industry leaders are already poring over the bill’s impacts and implications, and for advisors, it marks a critical turning point in the planning process.

Many see this as not just a tax update, but a fundamental shift in long-term strategy, including America’s IRA expert, Ed Slott, CPA — a professor of practice at The College. “This bill provides long-term certainty and opens up more tax and estate planning opportunities for advisors to share with clients,” Slott says, referring to the portion of the bill that makes tax provisions from the TCJA permanent. “Another big game-changer is the SALT deduction increase to $40,000 for those in high-tax states. The combined extensions of the TCJA cuts, plus several of the new tax deductions, will pave the way for more Roth conversions at lower tax rates — at least for the next few years. Advisors should be alerting clients to this opportunity to build more tax-free retirement savings!”

Leading financial publications echo Slott’s sentiment. A recent Vanguard article details the key opportunities within the bill for advisors aiming to help clients optimize their lifetime tax benefits. Like Slott suggested, the passage of the bill offers a timely reason for advisors to proactively engage clients and reassess their financial plans for the years ahead. While the impact of the bill will vary by client, maintaining open communication about new options is crucial. Vanguard specifically encourages advisors to discuss the advantages of donor-advised funds with high-net-worth clients, revisit income thresholds and entity structures to maximize deductions for business owners, and overall embrace tax policy changes in their planning approach.

In addition, College thought leaders weighed in on the bill’s potential ramifications at this year’s AICPA Engage conference with speculation that has now become reality. Professor of practice in tax planning Jeffrey Levine, CFP®, CPA/PFS, ChFC®, RICP®, CWS, AIF, BFA™, MSA says it’s hard to pin down the new law’s most significant provision, but one thing is clear: we now live in a whole new world when it comes to tax planning. “Everyone is focusing on the thing that is most impactful for their clients,” he says. “Those who work with high-net-worth clients are focused mostly on estate taxes and the fact that the exemption there is not just extended, but even higher now. Those who work with business owners are focused on things like qualified small business income deductions and bringing back bonus depreciation. And those who work with regular retirees are looking at the extension of the tax brackets and a large-scale extension of TCJA provisions, like a higher standard deduction.”

Professor of wealth management Michael Finke, PhD, CFP®, adds that to him, the real surprise is not what’s in the law, but rather what’s not in it. “A lot of us were expecting some of the TCJA provisions would start to sunset, but it seems not,” he says. “Things aren’t going to change all that much for those who hold wealth from where we are now. But the expectation was we might have to do a lot of creative planning for those who are thinking of passing assets onto others or who are thinking about strategic types of investment decisions. It turns out holding steady is still the right way to do it.”

This unexpected stability gives advisors a rare planning window, one that allows them to prioritize tax strategies, manage long-term distributions, and revisit philanthropic and trust plans with greater confidence. As Finke sees it, this bill rewards disciplined planning and tax efficiency. “You can’t do wealth management unless you consider the tax consequences of the investments you make,” he says. “Tax efficiency is a real advisor outcome.”

Whether working with retirees, business owners, or high-net-worth families, advisors now have an expanded toolkit to reduce lifetime taxes, support estate planning, and more. The real challenge — and opportunity — lies in the personalization of these strategies. As Slott, Levine, and Finke all emphasize, this is not a one-size-fits-all law. The bill opens the door to a wealth of opportunity, but it’s up to advisors to turn policy into meaningful, real-world outcomes for their clients.

Get more powerful tax planning insights from experts like these in The American College of Financial Services’ Tax Planning Certified Professional® (TPCP®) Program.

New research from The American College of Financial Services shows clients need an all-weather financial planner to expertly guide them through uncertainty.

The Advising Through Uncertainty Study indicates that advisors who focus on financial planning are often better equipped to navigate market uncertainty than those who focus on investment management — yet only 40% of respondents claim financial planning as their primary focus. This illustrates a gap between the services and expertise clients need in uncertain times, and the services advisors are prioritizing.

When markets become volatile, clients need an all-weather financial planner. During market storms, 43% of investment-focused advisors receive portfolio change requests from clients, while only 23% of planning-focused advisors do. By acknowledging the anxiety clients may feel and redirecting their focus to overall, long-term financial planning, the all-weather financial planner can better ease client worries.

The consensus of the study is clear: client behaviors evolve in times of market uncertainty. Most advisors say that client inquiries have increased and the topics of their conversations with clients have seen changes. In fact, a majority of advisors (53%) say client focus has shifted during market uncertainty.

A starker difference, however, is seen between the client behaviors of advisors focusing on financial planning and advisors with specialized designations, and clients of advisors focusing on investment and advisors without designations. 43% of investment management-focused advisors report more frequent portfolio changes during market turbulence. Similarly, 81% of non-designees say their clients are more anxious amid market uncertainty. As market storms loom, it’s financial planners and designees who are most prepared to weather uncertain conditions.

So, what do these findings mean for advisors looking to confidently navigate uncertain markets? The Advising Through Uncertainty Study offers numerous key takeaways:

1. Be the Calm Amid the Storm — When the forecast turns severe, it’s a time to prepare, not panic. Similarly, financial planners are significantly less likely to be anxious than clients during market swings. Expert advisors can ease client worries with the help of advanced knowledge, offering perspective, reassurance, and a steady hand through uncertainty.
2. Stand Out With Specialized Advice — Clients of College designees are significantly less likely to shift their focus to investments, request portfolio changes, or feel more anxious. This shows that clients can better endure volatility — even in downturns — when their advisors display additional expertise. By communicating the importance of specialized and thorough financial planning in uncertain times, advisors can stand out among their investment-focused peers.
3. Put Market Volatility into Context — Every storm runs out of rain, and those who stay in the market will recover faster than those who change course. With historical context, advisors can help clients see that short-term performance in uncertain times doesn’t define their value or the long-term impact of their advice.

For more insights, see the full results of the study.