What is the current state of the financial planning profession?

At present, there are between 50,000 and 60,000 individuals in Canada who offer financial advice and/or sell financial products. Of these, over 17,500 are CFP professionals and more than 14,000 are currently working toward CFP certification. It has been estimated that 80 per cent of those who hold themselves out as financial planners hold the CFP credential. The profession is still relatively young and market saturation has yet to occur. The results of our Quality of Work-Life Survey show that more than one-third of planners are over the age of 50 so there is, and will be, room for more financial planners.