NAPFA Women's Initiative invites you to a new series called Expert Insights.
This Expert Insights will offer a conversation about industry designations beyond the CFP®. Learn what designations are available to advisors, designation trends in the industry, and what the data shows about advisor outcomes. Featuring two awesome experts from Kitces.com - Sydney Squire, Senior Financial Planning Nerd and Mark Tenenbaum, Director of Advisor Research. If you've thought about getting another designation but wondered if it is worth your time, energy, and money, don't miss the opportunity to hear from some of the best researchers in the industry on which designations to consider and why.
Moderator: Liz Bernhard, CFP®, MBA
President, Albion Financial Group
Audience: Everyone
Expert: Sydney Squires
Sydney Squires is Managing Editor at Kitces.com, where she spends her time building and maintaining the publishing process for the Nerd’s Eye View blog while leading its Editorial team. Selecting and working alongside the numerous guest authors featured on the platform to create quality, nerdy, and relevant content for financial advisors is not Sydney’s first foray into publishing.
Prior to joining the Kitces team, Sydney served as Editor in Chief for Virtual Global Village, facilitating the magazine’s launch while systemizing production process. Capitalizing on her background in marketing and public relations while maintaining a keen eye towards KPI, Sydney’s efforts in media have expanded market awareness and readership for every publication to which she has contributed. From SEO to social media management, from copyediting to writing and coaching, Sydney has worked closely with each piece of the digital and print publishing pipeline.
Sydney’s time at Kitces working alongside the financial planning industry’s most dedicated researchers and advisors has inspired her to transition her role within Kitces to that of a full-time writer. Sydney is further following her passion by working on earning her Certified Financial Planner® certification and remains dedicated to advancing knowledge in financial planning and helping to make financial advisors better and more successful.
Outside of work, you can usually find Sydney on a tennis court, sharing recipes with the team, and laughing at her cats with her husband.
Expert: Mark Tenenbaum, Ph.D.
Mark Tenenbaum is the Director of Advisor Research at Kitces.com, where he leads the team’s semi-annual studies on how advisors run and grow their firms—covering everything from technology and productivity to advisor wellbeing and marketing. A specialist in quantitative research methodology and data science, Mark brings both academic rigor and practitioner experience to the table, having earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from American University. Before joining Kitces, he worked as a financial advisor with WealthCare Investment Partners, a Rhode Island–based RIA. Mark currently serves as Managing Editor of Congress and the Presidency, a peer-reviewed journal exploring the legislative and executive branches.
At Kitces, Mark not only drives research that helps financial advisors benchmark their practices, but also contributes insights to the popular Nerd’s Eye View blog and speaks and consults regularly on how data can shape better business and client outcomes.
Outside of crunching numbers, Mark is a self-professed research geek who enjoys analyzing data as much as perfecting his Popeyes order (spicy chicken thighs drizzled with ranch with sweet heat sauce is a favorite). Mark is happiest sharing Portuguese food with his family or surprising people with the fact that his father is a professionally trained Russian mime.
As part of our commitment to fostering open and honest dialogue, please be advised that recordings of Expert Insights, like Conversation Circles, are strictly prohibited. This measure is in place to uphold the privacy and comfort of all participants. Additionally, we kindly request that attendees refrain from engaging in sales or promotion of products or services during the session.
Noncompliance with these guidelines may lead to removal from the session and from future NAPFA programs. Your cooperation in creating a respectful and conducive environment for discussion is greatly appreciated.