Since 1996, the College has surveyed financial planners including CFP® certificants and graduates of our own professional designation programs and MS programs. The goal is to analyze trends in the industry including planner profiles, career satisfaction, client profiles, and earnings. One of the most important (and requested) facets of the yearly survey of trends is the before and after earnings chart for the CFP® certification as well as our own professional designation and graduate programs. Below you can see the numbers from 2014, which illustrate earnings increases for all of our programs.

1. 2014 SURVEY of TRENDS
I N T H E F I N A N C I A L P L A N N I N G I N D U S T R Y

2. LEARN MORE.

3. 2 14
SURVEY of TRENDS IN THE FINANCIAL PLANNING INDUSTRY
EARN MORE.
The purpose of this study is to provide a snapshot of the financial planning industry via the eyes of CFP®
practitioners as well as graduates of our own professional designation and MS programs. The College has
been conducting the survey since 1996, although it hasn’t been published yearly due to varying response rates.
This year’s Survey of Trends features an entirely new format to make the most requested survey results easier
to see, interpret, and digest. Additionally, it offers a bit more background on each of the credentials and what
their purpose is.

4. S U R V E Y O B J E C T I V E S
The objectives of the studies were to:
Develop an understanding of current planner income levels and satisfaction with their financial planning education.
Examine the level of satisfaction, attitudes, and success in providing personal financial planning services for those
who hold the CFP® certification, one of the College’s professional designations, or one of our MS degrees.
These results will be of interest to corporations and individuals looking for benchmarks
against which to compare themselves, their clients, and their careers.
Since the first Survey of Trends in the Financial Planning Industry was conducted in 1996, these findings have remained
consistent. A financial certification or professional designation leads to greater earnings, job satisfaction, and more clients.
Respondents reported across the board that their success could be directly attributed to having their current credential,
their education background, and their continuing education efforts. Other factors that received strong recognition were
client referrals and effective communication skills.

5. O V E R A L L R E S U L T S
The Survey of Trends in the financial planning industry has illustrated three main findings:
21% BEFORE
$105,273
10 20%
INCREASE in respondents’ # of clients
AVERAGE EARNINGS INCREASE
$127,260
Survey respondents report significant
increases in their earnings after earning
their credential
Survey respondents report significant
increases in their number of clients
after earning their credential
Survey respondents report significant
increases in their job satisfaction after
earning their credential
AFTER

6. STUDENT WEALTH of EXPERIENCE
More respondents reported that they had been working in the industry between 10-14 years than any other 5-year window. That was the case
for nearly every program, although AAMS® and RP® designees were slightly younger due to the introductory nature of those programs.
MEN
72% 28%
WOMEN 5% 21-29
Male respondents outnumbered female respondents, although
two programs, the ADPA® & Foundations in Financial PlanningSM,
received a majority of female respondents.
59%
40-59
THE AGE OF OUR RESPONDENTS
SATISFACTION RATING
OUT OF 3.6 4
Reported they were extremely satisfied with their career choice.

7. CFP EDUCATION PROGRAM + PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATION RESULTS

8. BEFORE $109,966
AFTER $132,347
EXPERIENCE
15 –19 years
YEARS OF AGE
60%
33%
40 – 59
50 – 59
MEN
75%
WOMEN
25%
CERTIFICANT 5-10 yrs 20% AVERAGE EARNINGS INCREASE
The CFP® certification was created by the College for Financial Planning in 1972 as the financial industry’s first comprehensive
personal financial planning credential. The certification is now currently maintained and issued by the Certified Financial
Planner Board of Standards Inc., with more than 65,000 active practitioners and 200 registered programs.

9. EXPERIENCE
5 –9 years
MEN
84%
WOMEN
16%
BEFORE $135,812
AFTER $170,132
YEARS OF AGE
55%
28%
40 – 59
under 40
DESIGNEE 1-4 years
The Accredited Asset Management SpecialistSM program was developed in 1995 to help advisors
develop stronger client relationships and give comprehensive financial advice with a specific
focus on investment management.
25%
AVERAGE EARNINGS INCREASE

10. BEFORE $106,934
AFTER $117,021
EXPERIENCE
5 –9 years
YEARS OF AGE
67%
NONE
50 – 59
under 30
MEN
48%
WOMEN
52%
DESIGNEE 1-4 years
9% AVERAGE EARNINGS INCREASE
The Accredited Domestic Partnership AdvisorSM designation was created in 2009, and is the
nation’s first financial designation specifically designed for advisors looking to provide financial
advice to LGBT individuals as well as heterosexual couples who have chosen not to marry.

11. The Accredited Portfolio Management AdvisorSM program was created in 2010 to better educate
advisors on the process of creating, augmenting, and maintaining profitable client portfolios.
BEFORE $71,891
AFTER $101,677
EXPERIENCE
10 –14 years
YEARS OF AGE
21– 29 30 – 39
60+ 20%
50 – 59
MEN
90%
40 – 49
WOMEN
10%
DESIGNEE 1-4 years
41%
AVERAGE EARNINGS INCREASE

12. BEFORE $93,484
AFTER $129,375
EXPERIENCE
10 –14 years
YEARS OF AGE
62%
20%
MEN
87%
40 – 59
under 40
WOMEN
13%
DESIGNEE 1-4 years
38%
AVERAGE EARNINGS INCREASE
Created in 2005, the Accredited Wealth Management AdvisorSM designation focuses on providing
advisors with the tools to better handle the unique needs of high net worth clients.

13. The Chartered Mutual Fund CounselorSM program was created via a partnership with the College
and the Investment Company Institute (ICI) in 1995. The CMFC® designation is the nation’s
only recognized mutual fund credential.
BEFORE $62,200
AFTER $75,780
EXPERIENCE
10 –14 years
YEARS OF AGE
69% 40 – 59
MEN
94%
WOMEN
6%
DESIGNEE 1-4 years
22%
AVERAGE EARNINGS INCREASE

14. BEFORE $104,680
AFTER $122,467
EXPERIENCE
10 –14 years
YEARS OF AGE
29%
23%
MEN
77%
under 40
40 – 49
WOMEN
23%
30%
50 – 59
DESIGNEE 1-4 years
Created in 1995, the Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM designation is the nation’s
premier comprehensive retirement planning credential with more than 23,000 graduates.
17%
AVERAGE EARNINGS INCREASE

15. $105,910 BEFORE
$126,085 AFTER
EXPERIENCE
10 –14 years
YEARS OF AGE
81% 40 – 59
MEN WOMEN
51% 49%
DESIGNEE 1-4 years
19% AVERAGE EARNINGS INCREASE
Created in 1995, the Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist SM program educates
advisors on the process for building and maintaining business retirement plans.

16. $40,193
$46,447
BEFORE
AFTER
EXPERIENCE
5 –9 years
YEARS OF AGE
41% under 40
18% 82%
MEN WOMEN
DESIGNEE 1-4 years
In 1985 the College created the Foundations in Financial Planning SM
Program – which leads to the Registered Paraplanner SM designation –
to educate front-line employees and support staff
on the basics of personal financial planning.
16% AVERAGE EARNINGS INCREASE

17. BEFORE $230,818
over 40
19% AVERAGE EARNINGS INCREASE
AFTER $274,681
EXPERIENCE
20 –24 years
YEARS OF AGE
82%
54.5% 50 – 59
MEN
85%
WOMEN
15%
The College began offering graduate degree programs in 1990. These programs build on the knowledge from other credential-based
programs and combine it with real-world scenarios and case studies. The College is currently home to three MS
programs: the Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning, the Master of Science in Finance, and the Master of Science
in Finance, Financial Analysis major.

18. SOT | 2014
AVERAG E I N C R E A S E I N R ESPONDENT E A R N I N G S ACROS S T H E B OARD
25% 9% 41% 38% 20% 22% 17% 19% 16%
19%
AAMS® APMA® AWMA® CFP® CMFC®
CRPC® CRPS® RP® MS
300k
250k
200k
150k
100k
50k
0k
ADPA®

19. A B O U T T H E 2 0 1 4 S U R V E Y O F T R E N D S
Methodology
A series of questions was developed to inquire
about planner demographics including age,
sex, experience, and earnings. The survey was
administered in cooperation with Discovery
Database, which provided a list of recipients
for our financial planning survey.
We also sent the survey to recent graduates
of our own CFP Certification Professional
Education Program, each of our professional
designation programs, and Master of Science
degree programs.
Procedure
An e-mail letter of invitation, along with a link
to the survey, was sent to the various credential
holders. As compensation for their efforts, the
respondents were offered a free Code of Ethics
online class.
The deadline for accepting surveys was 11/1/13.
The number and percentage of surveys distributed
and returned by the final cutoff date were judged
to be satisfactory for the purposes of describing
and comparing the opinions and experiences of
the group of respondents. There were 927 total
valid responses for the Survey, although not every
respondent answered every question.
Survey Results
In addition to the demographic information
in the previous pages, the survey contained
questions about advisor client bases, method
of earnings, and type of practice.
If you have any questions about the survey
or the results, contact the College at:
cffpresearch@cffp.edu.
INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE COLLEGE FOR FINANCIAL PLANNING AND ANY OF THE CREDENTIALS COVERED IN THE SURVEY OF TRENDS? VISIT WWW.CFFPINFO.COM
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the marks CFP, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM, and the federally registered CFP (with flame design)® in the U.S., which it awards
to individuals who successfully complete initial and ongoing certification requirements.

20. 2014 SURVEY of TRENDS
I N T H E F I N A N C I A L P L A N N I N G I N D U S T R Y
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