Andrew Komarow, financial planner, owner of Planning Across the Spectrum and autistic himself, joins the pod to share his story and talk about the importance of financial planning for families with neurodivergent members. Kevin Keller, CEO of the CFP Board, joins to talk about the board's plans and the proliferation of sometimes questionable designations.

Episode Notes

Guest Interview — Andrew Komarow — autistic adviser — 0:30-25:30

• How Andrew came to start the firm.
• The extra aspects of working with autistic or special-needs families as an adviser.
• Hiring to work with that client base.
• What bias looks like from an autistic adviser’s perspective.
• Working with the autistic community as an outsider.

Guest Interview — Kevin Keller — CFP Board — 26:30-53:15

• Turning the CFP into the standard.
• Changing age mix in the CFP world and the pandemic effect.
• Are there too many designations?
• How do we clean this up?
• Trends in the profession and industry — hiring at the big firms, the holistic approach.
• The questions over the right fee-based model.

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Guest Bios

Andrew Komarow understands the difficulty and stigma that many individuals with special needs face. Having received his autism spectrum disorder diagnosis as an adult, many questions about the struggles he had growing up, and as a young adult, were answered. Through this experience, Andrew knew that he wanted to do something to work with the special-needs community to provide answers and security in the financial world.

Andrew is the founder of Planning Across the Spectrum and specializes in helping any self-advocating client or family with autism and intellectual disabilities.

Kevin Keller is chief executive officer of CFP Board, the professional body for personal financial planners in the U.S. Under his leadership, CFP Board is pursuing ambitious goals to:

1. Growing Awareness of CFP certification as the recognized standard for competent and ethical financial planners, and of financial planning as an attractive career choice;
2. Expand Access to competent and ethical financial planning by increasing the number and diversity of CFP professionals and delivery of pro bono financial advice to underserved communities;
3. Assure Accountability by holding CFP professionals to rigorous standards, recognition of financial planning as a profession, and effective oversight of financial planners;
4. Serve as the respected Authority for the profession by setting standards, certifying financial planners and by advancing the Center for Financial Planning.