The CFP® Professionals
Sentiment Indices

The CFP® Professionals Sentiment Indices (CPSI) measure the financial and economic outlooks of CFP® professionals and their clients. The quarterly survey provides investors, the media and the public with data to evaluate the strength of the economy through the lens of the trusted advisor-client relationship, leveraging the insights and views of CFP® professionals, who guide and advise millions of Americans at every phase of their financial lives.

Fall 2026 Results

Fewer CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professionals report that their clients have an optimistic financial outlook than three months ago. Amid persistent global political instability and affordability concerns, client sentiment has hit a new low for the year (current conditions CPSI at 60) and is at its lowest level since Spring 2025 (44). The current conditions index reading is down 9% from a year ago (66).

Fewer CFP® professionals describe their clients’ financial outlook as positive (38%) than as neutral (45%). Seventeen percent report a negative outlook among clients (also the highest since Spring 2025). Further, nearly half of CFP® professionals (46%) say their clients’ sentiment has held steady over the past year, while over one-third (36%) say their clients’ financial outlooks have worsened over the past 12 months.

Slightly more than half (52%) of CFP® professionals have a positive financial outlook, down from 61% in Q3 and 54% a year ago. Nearly half of CFP® professionals (47%) report that their personal financial outlook has been stable over the past year, with nearly equal percentages saying they have become more optimistic (28%) or more pessimistic (26%) since this time last year. Additionally, fewer CFP® professionals are confident about the U.S. economy's future. Approximately equal proportions predict that economic conditions will remain about the same (38%) or worsen (35%) in the coming year, with the latter at a near-record high for the CPSI’s two-year history. Only about one quarter (27%) believe conditions will improve.

Finally, nearly two-thirds of CFP® professionals (64%) report that their client bases have grown over the past year, and nearly three-quarters (73%) expect further growth over the next 12 months.

In your opinion, which of the following best summarizes your clients’ current financial outlook?

(A higher index score indicates clients are more positive.)

Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding.

Read the Full Report With Seven CFP® Professionals Sentiment Indices