CFPs earn 11% more than other financial planners: Compensation study

Holders of the CFP mark still make more than advisors without the certification, although that premium declined slightly in 2025.

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In its latest annual compensation study, the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards found that advisors with the CFP certification earn an average of 11% more than other planners in the industry. The CFP Board, a nonprofit group that manages the professional certification generally considered the gold standard for the industry, reported the median salary for certified financial planners was $195,000.

The data came from a survey of 1,624 financial planners conducted from mid-January to mid-March. While the median salary grew roughly 5% from $185,000 year over year, the 11% margin over compensation for non-CFP financial planners marks a slight decline from the 13% premium reported for 2024.

The CFP Board said the 2025 compensation figures were adjusted to account for factors like advisor experience, geographic location and services offered. The premium earned by CFP holders demonstrated the “the value employers and clients place on their expertise and professionalism,” the board said in its 2026 report. Looking at individual responses to its surveys, the CFP Board found that mark holders’ compensation rose by 15% on average year over year, easily outpacing inflation.

READ MORE: What 5 years of broker compensation data says about advisor pay

Firm affiliation, experience, leadership responsibilities all affect CFP pay

Among CFP holders, the biggest contributors to higher pay were experience and leadership positions. CFPs with more than 20 years in the industry had annual median compensation of $360,000, and those who supervised five or more employees had a median of $452,135. (On average, according to the CFP Board’s latest survey, 37% of mark holders’ total compensation comes from an annual salary, 46% from variable pay and 17% from company profits and profit sharing.)

The types of firms that CFP holders worked for also had a big influence on their compensation. CFPs at large wirehouses and brokerages, for instance, had a median for total compensation of $213,760 last year. Those at independent broker-dealers, where advisors work as independent contractors rather than employees and often keep more of the revenue they generate, was even higher, at $226,500.

The lowest compensation was for CFPs at RIAs, who made a median total compensation of $175,000. For more on what advisors make at wirehouses, regional firms and RIAs, check out these articles:

What to expect in advisor pay in 2026 As RIAs grow, here’s how advisor compensation is changing How financial advisor compensation is crucial to succession and M&A 

Evolving qualifications to become a CFP

The CFP certification may come with many benefits. But it’s not easy to obtain. 

Over time, the CFP Board has made various tweaks to the criteria financial planners must meet to obtain the designation. Yet, even amid the changing qualifications, the number of mark holders has continued to rise. 

The CFP Board reported in January the total number of CFPs rose by 4.3% last year to 107,529. For more on recent changes to the CFP Board’s criteria, check out these articles:

Do CFPs need bachelor’s degrees? It’s now up for debate CFP exam pass rates are on the rise — how come? Exclusive: CFP Board tool buries thousands of advisor red flags 

The benefits for CFPs often go beyond total compensation

As in previous compensation surveys, the CFP Board’s latest report found that CFPs enjoy benefits beyond pay. Just over 95% reported having access to a defined-contribution retirement plan like a 401(k), while 92% said they had general health insurance, 89% said they had dental insurance and 83% had disability and vision insurance. The survey also found that respondents benefited from generous time-off policies, with a median 20 days of paid leave every year and a median of 10 paid holidays. Eighty-five percent reported being allowed maternity leave, and 82% paternity leave.

As more and more big employers require employees to return to the physical office, CFP holders also enjoyed an increasingly uncommon luxury: the ability to work either from home or under a hybrid arrangement allowing for a combination of in-office and remote-work days. Just over 80% of the respondents to the CFP Board’s survey cited that benefit.

In the years since the COVID-19 pandemic made remote work mandatory for many, policymakers and firms have struggled to find ways to accommodate many advisors’ newfound preference for doing their jobs at a distance from a main office. For more on that, go to:

Should RIA offices be remote or in-person? FINRA tells firms there’s no mandatory RTO — but it’s time to register your remote locations Large firms seek to show FINRA remote work can work