The Financial Planning Association has partnered with the Latino Leadership Institute (LLI) as part of its efforts to bring young talent into the financial advisor industry.
The institute, founded in 2014 and based in Denver, is devoted to advancing Latino and BIPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) professionals to positions of leadership, according to a news release today that announced the partnership. The organization also provides inclusion training for corporations and government agencies, and will now provide its programs to FPA members, the FPA said.
"FPA is committed to helping make our association—and the greater financial planning community—more inclusive of professionals of diverse backgrounds," FPA President Skip Schweiss said in a prepared statement. "But that means all of us as individual professionals need to know what we can do to be part of that important work. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to partner with our friends at LLI to bring their unique badge program to the financial planning community, which is open to all financial planners of all backgrounds."
The institute's Insight to Inclusive Leadership program consists of six virtual 90-minute modules, and those who complete the program receive an electronic badge to put on their LinkedIn profiles. "The badge tells other people about the journey that you're on, the commitment to DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) that you have as a business owner and as a financial leader," LLI CEO and President Joelle Martinez said in a prepared statement. "It gives you a competitive advantage to say that this is something that you have done for yourself, your business, for your employees, and your clients."
The first leadership program for FPA members will launch in the fall and will be limited to 30 participants, the release said. FPA members can also attend an "impact session" with LLI representatives on Sept. 8 at 2 p.m. ET by registering at the FPA website.
"Approximately 92% of America's population growth is attributed to the Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) community, and in order to continue to have economic vitality, companies must understand the market of the future," Martinez said. "Our work was created as a collaborative effort to solve the problem of why current DEI efforts haven't led to the results that we've hoped for."