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The Liz Miller, CFP®, CFA® Scholarship

About the Scholarship

Liz Miller 

Liz Miller, CFP®, CFA®, is the founder and President of Summit Place Financial Advisors, LLC, an independent SEC registered advisor, offering personalized investment management and financial consulting to elite families and individuals.

Liz’s career spans over 30 years, starting out in the M&A and Proprietary Trading groups for The First Boston Corporation; serving as an analyst and associate portfolio manager for Oppenheimer Mutual Funds; and leading the equity research efforts as a principal owner of the investment manager, Trevor Stewart Burton & Jacobsen Inc. in NYC.

Liz served as the 2025 Chair of CFP Board’s Board of Directors and has spent more than 15 years providing leadership to Summit Place Financial Advisors as well as the profession. She led the first Private Wealth Management committee at the CFA Society of NY, envisioning the emerging field of financial expertise needed to help clients holistically manage their entire wealth portfolios. For this leadership, she was honored with a Volunteer of the Year award and later served on the Board of Directors. Liz also served on the Wealth Management task force for CFA Institute, helping to further define wealth management and contributing to the initial wealth management curriculum for CFA candidates.

Liz is also a recognized thought leader in wealth management. Her 2012 book, “Clutter-Free Wealth: A Goal-oriented Guide to Gaining Control of your Affluence,” is still relevant today, reflecting the firm’s commitment to a simplified approach to wealth that leads with a client’s goals. She is regularly quoted in the financial media and is a member of the editorial advisory board for Trusts and Estates Magazine.

At CFP Board, Liz led the Board of Directors through a complete review of the requirements to earn CFP® certification, assuring that CFP® professionals have the expertise to provide comprehensive financial planning and wealth management. In honor of her service, CFP Board created a scholarship in her name commemorating her contributions to CFP Board and the financial planning profession: The Liz Miller, CFP®, CFA® Scholarship.

The scholarship provides financial support to women who are seeking to complete requirements for CFP® certification through a certificate-level CFP Board Registered Program. Eligible candidates must identify as female and demonstrate financial need.

The scholarship awards up to $5,000 per student seeking to complete a certificate-level CFP Board Registered Program, which would qualify the student to sit for the CFP® exam. Applications will be reviewed by a Scholarship Review Panel comprised of CFP® professionals.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Must not be a prior recipient of a CFP Board Center for Financial Planning scholarship;
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident;
  • Must identify as female;
  • Must possess an undergraduate degree;
  • Must be either:
    • Enrolled in a certificate-level CFP Board Registered Program with fewer than 6 courses completed at the time of the award, or
    • If not enrolled at the time of applying, scholarship awardees must enroll in a certificate-level CFP Board Registered Program within 3 months of the award or forfeit the award;
  • Must provide documentation of enrollment in an eligible program and costs prior to receiving the award;
  • Must demonstrate financial need as explained in an essay to be submitted during the application process;
  • Must agree to share contact information with Miller or assigned designee and agree to be contacted by Miller or such designee regarding news, events, opportunities, etc.;
  • Must demonstrate commitment to the financial planning profession as explained in an essay to be submitted during the application process; and
  • Applicants will be required to pass a background check conducted by CFP Board and must enhance and maintain the profession’s public image.

Submission Requirements

Applications will only be accepted through this webpage. Please do not attempt to submit application materials via email, mail or fax.

When submitting application essays and materials, please pay close attention to spelling, grammar and presentation, as that will be factored into the grading process.

Award Process

Scholarship awards will be disbursed in two equal installments. To receive the first installment, recipients must demonstrate proof of enrollment in an eligible certificate-level CFP Board Registered Program. If not currently enrolled in a program, recipients will have up to 3 months to enroll after being notified of the award. The second installment will be awarded either upon completing the program (if the awardee has already started coursework) or when the awardee is halfway through the program (if the awardee has not yet started coursework).

Application Deadline

The application window will be open until March 25, 2026.

Award Decision

Scholarship applicants will be notified of the award decision via email by June 5, 2026. If you have a question about the status of your application, please contact us.