Message From the CEO of CFP Board

As America approaches its 250th birthday, I’ve been thinking about the American Dream. We often describe it as opportunity. Less often do we talk about what it takes to be ready for opportunity when it shows up.

The American Dream has always been rooted in the belief that people can build better lives for themselves and create greater opportunity for those who come after them. Every generation inherits that promise. Every generation also has a responsibility to renew it.

Preparation is part of that promise.

Opportunity, on its own, isn’t worth much to someone who doesn’t know what to do with it. A first job offer, a small inheritance or a chance to start a business doesn’t change a life unless the person receiving it knows what to do next. Preparation is what turns opportunity into something real. Yet, it’s the part of the American Dream we spend the least time talking about.

Thirty-nine states now require a personal finance course for high school graduation, up from just 17 states eight years ago. That’s real progress because it means more young people enter adulthood knowing the basics of budgeting, saving and how debt actually works. But a class in high school isn’t the end of the story. People continue to face decisions for the rest of their lives, through job changes, growing families, caring for aging parents and retirement. That’s where you come in.

When someone sits across from a CFP® professional, they see what preparation looks like in practice: someone helping turn a vague hope into a specific path.

As we look toward America’s next 250 years, CFP Board is committed to expanding access to competent, ethical financial planning for more communities, equipping CFP® professionals to meet the moment and helping more people know where to turn instead of guessing alone.

America’s promise becomes real when people are prepared for the opportunities in front of them and have the knowledge and guidance to turn them into something more.

K. Dane Snowden
CEO, CFP Board