For immediate release: 

Saint Paul, Minn. – A local group of female financial planners, the Goddesses of Financial Planning, today announced a $25,000 donation to the Center for Financial Planning initiative in honor of the group’s 25th anniversary. The funding will support the initiative’s work to promote women and diversity in the financial planning industry.

Founded in 1995, the Goddesses of Financial Planning is a group of more than a dozen women financial advisory firm owners in Minnesota. The group meets regularly to share strategic advice and best practices to support each other in the financial planning industry. In addition to the Goddesses of Financial Planning, each member also belongs to the Financial Planning Association of Minnesota (FPA MN), a nonprofit organization of more than 900 financial planning professionals.

“The Goddesses of Financial Planning has been invaluable to me in the past 20 years, especially when I started my own business in financial services in 2003 as an Asian woman immigrant planner,” said member Echo Huang, owner of Echo Wealth Management. “With our donation to the Center for Financial Planning, our group hopes we can help aspiring planners find the same support as they begin their careers.”

Approximately 23% of certified financial planners in the U.S. are women and less than 3.5% are black or Latino. The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board)’s Center for Financial Planning initiative is working to attract, onboard and train women and people from diverse communities to become the next generation of financial planners. 

Members of the Goddesses of Financial Planning include Dana Brewer and Kay Kramer of Birchwood Financial Partners, Cassidy Burns of WR Baird, Ellen Dubuque and Joan Rossi of Rossi Dubuque Breckenridge LLC, Echo Huang of Echo Wealth Management, Laura Kuntz of Laurel Wealth Planning, Kathy Longo of Flourish Wealth Management, Kelly Olson Pedersen of Caissa Wealth Strategies, Lauri Salverda of Castle Rock Financial Planning, Janet Stanzak of Financial Empowerment, Amy Jensen Wolf of AJW Financial, and Susan Zimmerman of Mindful Asset Planning. A photo of the group is available for download here.