The Financial Planning Association (or FPA), created in 2000 through the merger of the Institute of Certified Financial Planners (ICFP) and the International Association for Financial Planning (IAFP), is a leadership and advocacy organization for those who provide, support and benefit from financial planning. Based in Denver, Colorado, FPA works with academic leaders, legislative and regulatory bodies, financial services firms and consumer interest organizations. The organization's stated Primary Aim is to be the community that fosters the value of financial planning and advances the financial planning profession. FPA is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who are charged with helping the organization reach its mission while upholding the organization's bylaws.

All members of FPA must demonstrate a commitment to the highest standards of professional competence, ethical conduct and clear, complete disclosure for financial planning professionals. As such, they must adhere to FPA's standard of client care. These standards are as follows: Put the client's best interests first; Act with due care and in utmost good faith; Do not mislead clients; Provide full and fair disclosure of all material facts; Disclose and fairly manage all material conflicts of interest. Additionally, all FPA members are asked to commit to a Code of Ethics that reflects their pledge to help clients achieve their life goals. Under the Code, an FPA member must offer and provide professional service with integrity, objectivity, competence, fairness, confidentiality, professionalism and diligence. Members that do not adhere to this code can be subject to a review by FPA's Ethics Committee.

FPA also publishes a peer-reviewed journal in the financial planning profession, the Journal of Financial Planning.

History

On December 12, 1969, Loren Dunton convened a gathering of 13 financial services industry leaders at the O'Hare Hilton in Chicago. As a result of this meeting, the Society for Financial Counselling was formed to serve as an umbrella for both a membership organization, the International Association for Financial Planning (IAFP), and an educational arm, the College for Financial Planning. The first graduating class of the College, in turn, formed the Institute of Certified Financial Planners (ICFP) in 1973. On January 1, 2000, the IAFP and ICFP merged to form the Financial Planning Association (FPA).

FPA membership

FPA has close to 100 chapters throughout the U.S. and its tens of thousands of members represent more than 30 countries around the world.

Financial Planning Coalition

On December 3, 2008, FPA joined forces with Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board)

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board)

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. is the non-profit certifying and standards-setting organization that administers the Certified Financial Planner certification program and oversees more than 61,000 professionals using the CFP certification in the United States.-Mission:The...

 and National Association of Personal Financial Advisors

National Association of Personal Financial Advisors

National Association of Personal Financial Advisors is an American financial planning trade organization created in 1983 to expand the use of Fee-Only financial advisors by individual consumers. NAPFA established the first set of professional standards for Fee-Only financial advisors and has...

 (NAPFA) to form the Financial Planning Coalition, with the goal to represent financial planners as the U.S. government works to reform the financial services industry.

FPA and Community Service

FPA chapters and members engage in community service through financial education and pro bono financial planning initiatives. Chapter financial education programs aim to teach students and the general public on the basics of money management, while pro bono programs work to assist low-income individuals and families, disaster victims and others with special needs.

FPA and the General Public

FPA's financial planning portal for consumers includes resources, information and tools that allows them to:

• Be connected with financial planning professional through FPA’s PlannerSearch, a tool that allows the public to find a financial planner who will deliver advice using an ethical, objective, client-centered process.

• Obtain literature on a variety of personal finance topics.

• Ask a general financial planning question and receive an answer from an FPA member.

FPA collaborates with other organizations to help the public discover the value of financial planning and build awareness about the financial planning profession. Examples include a partnership with the AARP

AARP

AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is the United States-based non-governmental organization and interest group, founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, PhD, a retired educator from California, and based in Washington, D.C. According to its mission statement, it is "a...

, which resulted in a guide for financial professionals working with older clients, and a partnership with SallieMae in which FPA and Nellie Mae conducted student loan repayment and financial planning seminars in schools and graduate programs across the country.