The CFP Board Center for Financial Planning and the Financial Planning Association have announced a scholarship in the name of the late Dick Wagner, an advisor, attorney and Financial Advisor contributor, as well as a passionate champion of financial advice as a profession.
The Richard B. Wagner Memorial Scholarship Fund is meant to advance and diversify the certified professional planner professional workforce, according to the CFP Board and FPA.
Wagner passed away in 2017 at age 68. He held the CFP certification and was a well-known thinker and columnist writing about the nature of economics and putting the financial planning profession in a historical context. He also had a passion for building the profession and empowering younger financial planners to succeed.
The scholarship was announced Thursday at the FPA Retreat 2018 in Litchfield Park, Ariz.
The scholarship will be awarded to students seeking to complete a CFP Board-registered program—either a certificate or bachelor’s program—that would qualify them to sit for the CFP exam. The scholarship is also open to new CFP professionals wanting to advance their education through FPA professional development programs, such as the FPA Retreat, the FPA Residency, NexGen, the FPA Annual Conference and the association’s mentorship opportunities.
“Eligible individuals,” say the sponsors, “must reside in the United States, demonstrate financial need and be part of an under-represented population related to gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, individuals 35 and under or those with disabilities.”
“Dick Wagner was an inspirational thought leader whose passion for financial planning forged a path forward for the profession,” said FPA Executive Director/CEO Lauren M. Schadle in a statement. “His work, guidance and candor [have] helped so many seasoned and aspiring financial planners.
“This scholarship is just one way we can keep his legacy at the forefront of the profession and in the minds of us who called Dick a friend and colleague,” she added. “We know this scholarship will play a key role in opening this profession up to the CFP professionals of tomorrow while also celebrating a man who meant so much to the profession we strive to build.”