The CFP Board Center for Financial Planning and Envestnet announced a new scholarship to support individuals looking to become CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals.

The Envestnet Scholarship provides up to $5,000 in financial assistance to individuals from underrepresented populations seeking to complete requirements for CFP® certification. The scholarship was announced today at the Envestnet Advisor Summit in Austin, Texas. The first round of scholarships were recently awarded to 11 individuals.

The scholarship is a collaboration between the Center and Envestnet as part of the Envestnet Institute On Campus program, which aims to provide the asset and wealth management industry with a talented, diverse pool of workforce-ready interns and entry-level employees.“Offering a scholarship to those pursuing CFP® certification is a natural extension of our efforts to support diversity in our industry,” said James Seuffert, Director of Envestnet Institute On Campus. “What’s especially rewarding is the impact this will have on the individual recipient.”

The Envestnet Scholarship requires applicants to be eligible to become a CFP® professional as outlined in the CFP Board Fitness Standards. They also must be enrolled in a CFP Board-Registered Certificate Program, or plan to enroll within six months of being awarded the scholarship.

Individuals eligible for the scholarship will have demonstrated financial need and are a part of an underrepresented population within the financial planning profession in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, disability and/or sexual orientation.

“Strengthening the talent pipeline is crucial to the future of the financial planning profession – especially with regard to gender and racial and ethnic diversity,” said Marilyn Mohrman-Gillis, Executive Director of the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning. “The Envestnet Scholarship will advance the next generation of diverse, competent and ethical financial planners.  Providing financial assistance to those who might not otherwise afford to meet the educational requirements for CFP® certification is also a direct and effective way to address a key barrier to entry into profession.”

The education requirement for attaining CFP® certification includes completing college or university-level coursework through a program registered with CFP Board, in addition to holding a regionally accredited college or university bachelor’s degree or higher. The coursework requirement must be completed before sitting for the CFP® certification examination.

The next application window for the Envestnet Scholarships will open this fall, with the next awards expected to be made in 2020. For more information, visit centerforfinancialplanning.org/scholarships.

Envestnet also supports the broader work of the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning as a Founding Sponsor.

ABOUT CFP BOARD

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. is the professional body for personal financial planners in the U.S. CFP Board sets standards for financial planning and administers the prestigious CFP® certification – one of the most respected certifications in financial services – so that the public has access to and benefits from competent and ethical financial planning. CFP Board, along with its Center for Financial Planning, is committed to increasing the public’s awareness of CFP® certification and access to a diverse, ethical and competent financial planning workforce. Widely recognized by firms and consumer groups as the standard for financial planning, CFP® certification is held by more than 84,000 people in the United States.

ABOUT THE CFP BOARD CENTER FOR FINANCIAL PLANNING

The CFP Board Center for Financial Planning seeks to create a more diverse and sustainable financial planning profession so that every American has access to competent and ethical financial planning advice.  The Center brings together CFP® professionals, firms, educators, researchers and experts to address profession-wide challenges in the areas of diversity and workforce development, and to build an academic home that offers opportunities for conducting and publishing new research that adds to the financial planning body of knowledge. More about the Center and its initiatives can be found at www.CenterforFinancialPlanning.org.

ABOUT ENVESTNET

Envestnet, Inc. is a leading provider of intelligent systems for wealth management and financial wellness. Envestnet’s unified technology empowers enterprises and advisors to more fully understand their clients and deliver actionable intelligence that drives better outcomes and improves lives. Envestnet Wealth enables enterprises and advisors to better manage client outcomes and strengthen their practices through its leading Wealth Management Operating System and advanced portfolio solutions. Envestnet | Tamarac provides portfolio management, reporting, trading, rebalancing and client portal solutions for registered independent advisors (RIAs). Envestnet Data & Analytics provides intelligent solutions that enable dynamic innovation through its Envestnet | Yodlee platform. For more information, please visit www.envestnet.com.