CFP Board Center for Financial Planning Joins Financial Alliance for Racial Equity (FARE)

The CFP Board Center for Financial Planning (“Center”) today announced it will join the Financial Alliance for Racial Equity (FARE), a partnership between leading financial services organizations, associations and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

FARE was formed in late 2020 by a group of leading financial services firms and HBCUs to address barriers to entry faced by Black advisors and financial professionals. In Spring 2022, FARE will fund and launch a scholarship to remove financial barriers for people of color to earn the CFP® certification. More information will be available in the coming months.

“CFP Board is honored to join the FARE partnership and support the growth of Black professionals entering and succeeding in the financial services profession,” said CFP Board CEO Kevin R. Keller, CAE. “We are eager to join FARE and help Black professionals become more familiar with the financial planning profession and ensure that they have the right resources to become successful once they join. This will help develop a more diverse and sustainable financial planning profession that better reflects the U.S. population it serves.”

FARE members convene semi-annually to share research and best practices, partner on initiatives and identify actionable solutions that contribute to lasting change in the financial services profession. In Spring 2022, FARE will fund and launch a scholarship to remove financial barriers for people of color to earn the CFP® certification. More information will be available in the coming months.

“Attracting the next generation of talent, particularly those with diverse backgrounds, is incredibly important to the future of the financial planning profession,” said Kristi Rodriguez, Senior Vice President of the Nationwide Retirement Institute®. “This scholarship will benefit the next generation of Black students working towards CFP® certification, setting them up for long-term success when they enter the workforce.”

In addition to Nationwide Financial, FARE members include Morgan Stanley, M Financial Group, NFP, Employee Benefit Research Institute, Huntington Bank, Franklin Templeton, Miami Life and National Brokerage Atlantic. HBCUs in the Alliance include Hampton University, Howard University, Lincoln University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University and Winston-Salem State University.

FARE is a Benefactor Sponsor of the Center’s fourth annual Diversity Summit and Career Fair, which will take place virtually from November 17-19, 2021.