To give members a stronger voice with regulatory and certifying bodies
DENVER – Today, the Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) announces the launch of the FPA Member Advocacy Council to further bolster FPA’s role as the voice of financial planning practitioners by providing a mechanism to evaluate and influence––through ongoing analysis and feedback––the activities of regulatory and certifying bodies that impact FPA members and all CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) professionals.
“FPA is an organization that represents the best the profession has to offer,”said 2016 FPA President Pamela Sandy, CFP®. “Our members are passionate about their profession and need a crucial voice on issues that impact them, their businesses and their clients.”
Sandy continued to say that the FPA Member Advocacy Council will serve as a much needed sounding board for FPA members and leaders who have concerns, suggestions and opinions on the efforts by those entities who regulate and certify them and will be instrumental in helping the association be the collective voice practitioners need.
Seeking feedback and input
The Council will utilize a variety of methods to solicit feedback and input from association members and leaders on the activities, processes and initiatives of bodies that regulate and certify financial professionals. The Council will use this feedback to analyze the issues and inform FPA position statements and action plans that will be recommended to the FPA Board of Directors.
Additionally, the Council will play a key role in communicating with FPA members, chapter leaders, and more than 1,000 FPA volunteers across the country. It will meet on an as needed basis depending on the issues being addressed. Moreover, the Council will be comprised of three past and current FPA leaders, two at-large FPA members, and a representative of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) Board of Directors, who will serve rotating terms.
While the full slate of Council members will be shared in the coming weeks, FPA is pleased to announce that Nicholas A. Nicolette, CFP® will serve as chair of the Council. Nicolette, who has been a CFP® professional since 1984, has served in numerous leadership capacities in the association nationally and locally, including as president of FPA in 2007.
“We are grateful to Nick for agreeing to chair this important Council,” said Sandy. “His ability, along with the rest of the Council members, to listen to the opinions of our members and the reasoning of the regulatory and certifying bodies will result in a fair and balanced assessment that will help guide the work of our Board of Directors in serving FPA and the profession well.”
Initial survey to ascertain the issues
The Council will conduct an initial survey of FPA members and chapter leaders to ascertain which issues are of primary importance regarding agencies and bodies that regulate and certify financial planning practitioners. The results of that survey will be shared in a report to FPA members and will be used in determining the initial agenda of the Council. The work of the Council will center on issues that impact the financial planning profession as a whole and will not represent the personal interests of individuals before regulatory and certifying bodies.
While the Council will be focused on the activities of regulatory and certifying bodies, issues pertaining to public policy, including legislative matters (e.g. U.S. Department of Labor Fiduciary Rule, state taxation of financial services), remain the purview of the FPA Legislative and Regulatory Issues Committee, the FPA Political Action Committee (FPA PAC), and the Financial Planning Coalition – comprising FPA, NAPFA and CFP Board.
“The Council will play a key role in shaping the work of FPA while amplifying the voice of the financial planning community. We strongly encourage FPA members and leaders to participate in the upcoming survey and proactively reach out to the Council if they want to have their voice heard,” concluded Nicholas A. Nicolette, CFP®, chair of the Council.
About the Financial Planning Association
The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) is the principal professional organization for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM (CFP®) professionals, educators, financial services professionals and students who seek advancement in a growing, dynamic profession. Through a collaborative effort to provide more than 24,000 members with One ConnectionTM to tools and resources for professional education, business success, advocacy and community, FPA is the indispensable force in the advancement of today’s CFP® professional. Learn more about FPA at OneFPA.org and follow on Twitter at twitter.com/fpassociation.
