In this Blueprint | FPA NexGen episode hosts Mike Zarrelli, EA, CFP® and Deshawn Peterson, CFP® bring you inside FPA Annual 2025 in Las Vegas to capture the voices shaping a profession that’s still young — and being built in real time. From students and career changers to firm owners, AI innovators, legacy-planning founders, and CFP Board leadership, this episode reveals what the next generation is learning, questioning, and creating as financial planning evolves.

What You'll Learn

• Why financial planning’s youth as a profession creates massive opportunity for NexGen advisors
• How students are choosing personal financial planning for its human impact
• Why career changers succeed — and how transferable skills translate into planning
• How the CFP® certification has become a client expectation
• What legacy planning truly includes beyond wills, trusts, and insurance
• How AI tools give advisors back 8–12 hours/week
• Why marketing platforms like Snappy Kraken accelerate early-career growth
• What firm owners are really hiring for (core values > résumé)
• How conferences compound your career through community and repeated exposure
• Why FPA’s new CEO says NexGen’s work is directly shaping the profession’s future

Key Takeaways:

• Financial planning is still young — which means NexGen has influence now, not later.
• Students and early-career advisors should lean into community as their accelerant.
• Career changers succeed when they align values, curiosity, and empathy with planning.
• The CFP® remains the gold standard: clients ask for it by name.
• Legacy planning requires organization, communication, and preparation — not just documents.
• AI is here to augment advisors, not replace them — especially when human connection stays central.
• Marketing is a business investment: growth, visibility, and valuation all depend on it.
• Firms hire for character: ambition, humility, and service mindset stand out.
• Conferences create the highest ROI for NexGen: connections, mentorship, and clarity.

Chapters:

00:00 — Welcome to FPA Annual 2025

02:12 — Annual vs. FPA NexGen Gathering: deeper content & broader ecosystem

05:40 — How Mike & Deshawn approach the conference as learners + leaders

03:13 — Interview: Noelle Lancaster — choosing planning & building student experience

05:04 — Interview: Zocks AI (Annie Ganousis) — AI myths, CRM integrations & time savings

08:18 — Interview: Snappy Kraken (Mary Rose Eagan) — marketing as a growth catalyst

22:30 — Interview: Michael Pumphrey, MS, CFP®, AFC® , EA — confidence, community & first-time conference tips

13:30 — Interview: Jump AI (Dallin Burningham) — using data, trends, and human connection

15:25 — Interview: James Serrano, CFP — content creation & finding your authentic voice

17:41 — Interview: Soma (Farah) — legacy planning beyond documents

21:09 — Interview: Josh Pierce, CFP®, CEPA® — building an RIA, getting fired, values-based hiring

25:06 — Interview: Eddie Bruegger (CSUF) — choosing planning & learning through conferences

28:11 — Interview: Leo Ortega — discovering career paths & the power of networking

31:09 — Interview: Dr. Chia-Li Chien (CFP Board) — the rising importance of the CFP®

33:47 — Interview: Akron Students (Gavin & Isaac) — advanced sessions & early insights

36:48 — Interview: FPA CEO Dennis Moore — community, NexGen, and shaping the future

39:41 — Hosts’ recap: biggest lessons, favorite sessions & one-word summaries

40:15 — Closing thoughts & why NexGen drives tomorrow’s profession