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Building the Future of Advice

What Your Firm Needs to Know About Attracting, Hiring & Retaining Talent in 2026 & Beyond
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    The financial planning profession is at a turning point. 

    With seasoned advisors retiring in record numbers and client demand continuing to rise, the firms that thrive will be the ones that attract, develop, and retain the next generation of planners.

    This exclusive research brief, brought to you by Amplified Planning and Schwab Advisor Services, shares insights from over 1,800 aspiring and new financial planners who participated in the 2025 Externship.

    Through surveys and focus groups, we uncovered what students, career changers, and financial services professionals are really looking for in a firm. These insights can help you attract the right talent, reduce turnover, and build a stronger pipeline for the future.
    A peek into the statistics
    The Face of New Talent
    Today’s aspiring and incoming planners reflect a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and educational experiences.
    pie chart showing the statistics of age ranges of people who join the financial planning industry
    pie chart showing the percentage of men, women, and non-binary people who are in financial planning, also showing that the percentage of female CFP professionals has been increasing
    building the future of advice. data driven talent strategies. a guide for firms that want to recruit, develop, and keep top talent. research from the 2025 Externship by Amplified Planning.
    Inside this brief, you’ll discover:
    • Who makes up the next generation of talent
    • The 3 main pathways into the profession
    • What new planners value most, based on their pathway
    • The real drivers of retention (and turnover)
    • Why planners leave firms and what makes them stay
    • Attraction, training, and retention strategies from real firms 
    • Surprising insights into what new planners want — it’s not what you’d expect!

    Get the inside perspective on today’s (and tomorrow’s) advisors

    Hear directly from students, career changers from other industries, and current financial services professionals sharing their real experiences trying to break into firms like yours. Their stories reveal what attracts them, what turns them away, and what ultimately keeps them engaged.

    Alongside these voices, you’ll see case studies from RIAs already putting solutions into practice. These firms have strengthened recruiting pipelines, accelerated advisor development, and improved retention by making intentional changes, and they’re sharing what they did with you.

    This is your chance to understand what today’s talent is really looking for so you can position your firm as the place they want to join, and stay.

    Download your free copy of the research brief today and start building the pipeline your firm needs to thrive.
      The above-mentioned firm and their employees are not affiliated with or employees of Schwab unless otherwise noted. Mention should not be construed as a recommendation or endorsement by Schwab.

      The views expressed are those of the third party and are provided for informational purposes only
      The RIA Benchmarking Study from Charles Schwab contains self-reported data from advisory firms that custody their assets with Schwab. Schwab does not independently verify or validate the self-reported information. Participant firms represent various sizes and business models. Past performance is not an indicator of future results.