<font color=red>FPA Convention</font> CFP certificants: We're happy with our career choice

A whopping 86% of planners said that they are satisfied with their career choice, according to a survey released today at a media briefing by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. This same question wasn't asked the last time the CFP Board conducted this survey in 2008. In addition, 91% of respondents said that they would recommend the CFP certification to other financial professionals. This question also wasn't asked in 2008. The median age of those obtaining their initial CFP certification is 39, the same as in 2009. The median age of a CFP certificant is 52, up from 51 in 2008. Meanwhile, respondents said that they plan to hold the CFP certification for 19 years, up from 15 years in 2008. The survey also showed that about 78% of CFP certificants are men, and 22% are women, compared with 72% men and 28% women in 2008. In terms of firm and practice types, 39% of those surveyed said they work for large or national firms, 25% said that they work for small or independent firms, 25% said that they are solo practitioners, while 11% said other. The figures from 2008 aren't comparable, as the categories were different. In a handout at the briefing, which took place at the Financial Planning Association's Experience 2011 annual conference in San Diego, the CFP Board said that planners serve many types of clients, most of whom would be defined as “mass affluent.” The median number of clients served by the survey respondents each year was 100, median client investable assets was $450,000, minimum assets under management for new clients was $250,000 and total 2010 personal pretax income generated from planning work was $144,850. The random sample of 297 CFPs was conducted by Westat Research for the CFP Board in July and August. There are 63,400 CFP certificants. The survey results will be released publicly next week, according to Dan Drummond, director of public relations at the CFP Board.