CFP Board center announces mentorship program for women

Women studying to be certified financial planners will now be able to work with a mentor provided by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards' Center for Financial Planning. Under a program called WIN-to-WIN, the center plans to address the gender gap in the industry by connecting women wanting CFP certification with professionals who can assist them through the process. “The fact remains that only 23% of CFP professionals are women,” said Marilyn Mohrman-Gillis, executive director of the Center for Financial Planning in a press release announcing the initiative. “The financial planning profession needs to reflect the population it serves.” Recent research suggests that those pursuing the certification are more likely to continue through the process if they know someone who has been through it, be it a friend, colleague or mentor, according to the CFP Board. Women interested in being mentored by a CFP professional can visit cfp.net/WINMentor. The webpage includes a search tool where women can find and request a mentor based on geographic location, years as a CFP professional, language and business model. CFP professionals interested in participating in the program as mentors can sign up on the same webpage.