Weekend Reading For Financial Planners (June 6–7)

Enjoy the current installment of “Weekend Reading For Financial Planners” – this week’s edition kicks off with the news that a survey of financial advisors by CFP Board found that respondents had a median income of $195,000 in 2025, with CFP professionals having 11% higher income than their peers (after controlling for a variety of factors), and that median pay can move significantly higher along with an advisor’s years of experience and the number of individuals they manage. The survey also found that 85% of CFP professionals surveyed said they experience personal fulfillment with their careers, with 54% of respondents expressing “very high” fulfillment. Altogether, these findings suggest that financial planning can be a financially and personally rewarding career with a potential bump for those who make the investment in CFP certification (though it might take some time for such benefits to accrue).

Also in industry news this week:

A report finds that while overall financial advisor client satisfaction is high, relatively lower levels of client engagement and willingness to make referrals suggest some firms might have room to grow not only by evaluating their client value propositions, but also by forging closer client relationships
The compliance deadline for affected smaller RIAs subject to amendments made under Reg S-P hit this week, as some firms appear to face challenges securing assurances from third-party vendors that they are properly protecting client information and will be able to meet the notification deadline when a data breach occurs

From there, we have several articles on retirement planning:

Four risks to retirement security, including those that can be mitigated through portfolio-based strategies (e.g., longevity and market risk) as well as those (including mortality and decision risk) that require different types of solutions from the advisory toolkit
Why the relationship between retirement date and lifespan can be particularly hard to disentangle
Three questions advisors can consider to gauge a client’s retirement risk, from the composition of their spending to the percentage of their portfolio that is inflation-adjusted

We also have a number of articles on client communication:

Why clients sometimes put off implementing the ‘perfect’ financial plan and the strategies advisors can use to encourage action
While asking questions early on in the relationship is natural, clients might be more willing to open up if they feel like they aren’t being judged based on the response
A three-part framework that can take clients from being merely satisfied to actively engaged with the planning process

We wrap up with three final articles, all about kindness:

The difference between being “nice” and “kind” and when each might (or might not) be appropriate
Experimental research suggests that those engaging in generous or kind acts might underestimate the ultimate impact they’re able to make
How the ability to stand up for one’s interests is a valuable complement to kindness in personal and professional interactions

Enjoy the ‘light’ reading!