WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CFP Board Connections Conference, the financial planning profession's premier annual gathering, returns October 5-7 at Aria® in Las Vegas with a program built to support CFP® professionals navigating a rapidly changing profession. Now in its third year, the Connections Conference is where the financial planning profession converges, providing a unique forum for CFP® professionals, firm leaders, financial services innovators, researchers, CFP Board Registered Program faculty and students to exchange ideas and perspectives in ONE conversation. Participants will engage in more than 50 educational sessions and hear from thought leaders and industry experts, including Michael Kitces, CFP®, Liz Ann Sonders and Patti Brennan, CFP®, who are among the featured keynote speakers.
This year's theme, Advise With Purpose. Plan With Precision., reflects a program designed to give attendees practical, real-world strategies they can apply immediately, from AI and fintech to talent development and regulatory change. Attendees can earn up to 15 CE credits while connecting with peers and leading experts from across the profession.
“The pace of change in financial planning is bringing new questions and high-stakes decisions,” said K. Dane Snowden, CEO of CFP Board. “Connections Conference is where the entire financial advice ecosystem comes together to explore what’s changing, see what’s working in practice and cut through the complexity.”
A Program Built Around What Matters Most to CFP® Professionals
Sessions this year include:
- From Exploration to Execution: Operationalizing AI and Automation in Financial Planning — Firm leaders and practitioners share how they're moving beyond simply selecting AI tools to integrating them into workflows, driving adoption and improving client outcomes without adding operational complexity.
- Planning for and Managing a Client's Diminished Financial Capacity — Planning for a client’s diminished financial capacity represents one of the most crucial yet frequently overlooked aspects of financial planning. This session provides practical strategies for identifying and supporting clients facing cognitive decline.
- Demystifying CFP Board Enforcement: How the Code and Standards Are Applied in Real Cases — and How to Avoid Common Missteps — Pull back the curtain on CFP Board’s enforcement process using real, anonymized cases to illustrate how issues arise, how investigations unfold, and how outcomes are determined. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of the disciplinary process and what proactive steps CFP® professionals can take to uphold the Code and Standards.
- Building the Talent Engine: How Leading Firms Attract, Develop and Retain the Next Generation — This session goes beyond recruiting to examine internships, mentorship, manager training, culture and compensation transparency, including a look at CFP Board's work with The Externship.
- Public Policy Washington Update 2026 — Learn what you need to know when it comes to policy changes that impact your practice. Explore what CFP Board is doing in the policy space and how new laws could affect your clients.
- Answer Engine Optimization: What Financial Planning Firms Need to Know — As consumers increasingly get direct answers from AI tools instead of clicking through search results, this session breaks down the difference between traditional SEO and answer engine optimization (AEO), and what firms need to do to stay visible to both people and AI systems.
Featured Keynote Speakers
Michael Kitces, CFP®, Chief Financial Planning Nerd, will unpack what the research actually shows about making financial planning more efficient and scalable as firms grow.
Crystal Washington, futurist, author and Hall of Fame speaker, will show attendees how to spot the early "breadcrumbs" the future leaves behind — rather than reacting with rushed, panic-driven fixes — so they can innovate with intention and stay ahead of constant change.
Patti Brennan, CFP®, CEO of Key Financial, Inc., will introduce Vitality Planning — a framework grounded in MIT AgeLab research that moves beyond traditional financial, tax and estate planning to equip advisors with the conversations and tools needed to help clients truly thrive.
Liz Ann Sonders, Chief Investment Strategist at the Schwab Center for Financial Research and cohost of the On Investing podcast, will bring her market insight to the Connections Conference stage.
Theron Schaub, founder of The Volcan Group and award-winning mentalist & magician, will blend behavioral finance expertise with interactive mentalism in a keynote that makes investor psychology and decision-making engaging, thought-provoking and unforgettable.
Expanded Networking and Recognition
For the first time, Connections Conference will feature a dedicated Exhibit Hall for networking time with vendors, sponsors and fellow participants. Braindate also returns, giving attendees the space to host or join one-on-one and group discussions on the profession's most pressing challenges. Last year's Braindate program generated more than 161 hours of peer learning and facilitated over 590 connections, with 85% of participants reporting they felt empowered by the experience.
CFP Board will also recognize outstanding academic research through two awards presented at the conference: the CFP Board Financial Planning Longitudinal Study Best Paper Award, honoring research using data from CFP Board's Financial Planning Longitudinal Study and the Academy of Financial Services Best Paper Award, honoring high-quality academic contributions to financial planning research from Academy of Financial Services members.
Register Today
Registration for Connections Conference is open through September 18. For more information, including the full agenda and speaker lineup, visit CFP Board's website.
ABOUT CFP BOARD
CFP Board is the professional body for personal financial planners in the U.S. CFP Board consists of two affiliated organizations focused on advancing the financial planning profession for the public’s benefit. CFP Board of Standards sets and upholds standards for financial planning and administers the prestigious CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification — widely recognized by the public, advisors and firms as the standard for financial planners — so that the public has access to the benefits of competent and ethical financial planning. CFP® certification is held by more than 109,000 people in the U.S. CFP Board Center for Financial Planning addresses diversity and workforce development challenges and conducts and publishes research that adds to the financial planning profession’s body of knowledge.
CONTACT: Jane Riley Jacobsen, Director of Public Relations, P: 202-379-2305, E: media@cfpboard.org
