We Rise Together: Women Shaping the Future of Financial Planning

Careers in financial planning are well suited to what many women say they want in their work: stability, flexibility and purpose. Yet women only make up 24% of CFP® professionals. To examine the forces behind this gap and to highlight pathways forward, CFP Board hosted a free webinar on Oct. 22, 2025, featuring four accomplished female CFP® professionals from its Ambassador program. They shared their challenges, successes and advice for women considering or advancing in financial planning. The conversation is part of CFP Board’s broader Accelerate & WIN initiative, which supports women in the profession by improving access, providing resources and amplifying women’s voices.

The tides are changing for women in wealth not just as professionals, but also as an economic force. Recent research shows they are positioned to control $34 trillion of wealth by 2030, creating a significant opportunity for current and future CFP® professionals serving women clients. “They’re not a niche,” said panelist Cary Carbonaro, MBA, CFP®, author of Women and Wealth: A Playbook to Empower Clients and Unlock Their Fortune. “They are the market.”

A lack of awareness remains one of the largest hurdles for women entering the profession. “I actually went to college wanting to be an athletic trainer … I knew nothing about this profession,” said Chloé Moore, CFP®, when asked what first drew her to the profession. Her academic advisor, who was also head of the financial planning program at her university, introduced her to the career. Years later, Moore founded Financial Staples, a firm serving tech employees who are entrepreneurial, philanthropic and purpose-driven.

With only 7% of American 4 year institutions offering financial planning degree programs, many women discover the profession later in life. “A lot of women don’t know that a CFP® professional is an option … the ‘It’s Gotta Be a CFP®’ campaign is working on that,” Carbonaro said, referencing CFP Board’s public awareness campaign that has generated millions of impressions and drives consumers to LetsMakeAPlan.org.

Bridget Venus Grimes, CFP® described the path she took from pastry chef to CFP® professional. “It was because of personal circumstance,” Grimes said. “I was going through a divorce and I learned that I had debt that I didn’t know about … I [didn’t] want this to happen to other women.” Today, Grimes is the President of WealthChoice, which serves female executives and co-founder of Equita Financial Network, a community of women-led financial planning firms.

Working With Women Clients

Like any client group, women seek planners who understand their lived experiences. “When I work with families, I always try to give a voice to the women,” Elaine King Fuentes, MBA, CFP® said. “Women are more [likely] to listen to other women.” Her perspective aligns with CFP Board’s research Building Wealth: Insights on Women’s Aspirations & Growing Financial Power, which found that women were more comfortable with planners who have similar life experiences to their own.

Grimes shared how this plays out in her own practice. She focuses on clients who “look like me,” which she defines as women who are the breadwinners in their families. “We’re connecting with our clients…” Grimes said, “we share a lot of similarities.”

Throughout the webinar, live polls invited attendees to weigh in. When asked about the biggest barrier for women entering financial planning, the top answer was “Gender Bias in the Industry.” Moore echoed that finding: “I never felt like I was given a fair shot …. I was always the only Black female advisor. I wasn’t treated the same as my co-workers, who were also at the same level as me.”

Despite these challenges, the panelists underscored how much progress is underway and how much potential lies ahead. As more women advance and build successful careers, they’re continuing to reshape the profession. And as clients continue to seek planners who understand their goals and experiences, CFP® professionals who bring that understanding will be well positioned to meet their needs. As Carbonaro put it: “As women we're so much better together than we are apart. We rise together.”