Date: January 2023
In Episode #01 of NAPFA Nation, “Talent Pool: Advancing Diversity in the Financial Planning Profession,” we hear from Luis Rosa, CFP®, EA. Rosa came to the U.S. at age 11 from the Dominican Republic. Growing up in New York City, he noticed the lack of financial literacy in his community and was inspired by his parents to work hard and pursue an education. He founded Build a Better Financial Future LLC and is the host of the On My Way to Wealth podcast. In 2019, Rosa was named to the InvestmentNews “40 Under 40” list, Financial Advisor magazine’s “10 Young Advisors to Watch” list, and as Investopedia’s “Top 100 Advisors” list. From participating as an FPA NexGen Ambassador & Host, to speaking at the CFP Board’s Diversity Summit, Rosa uses his platform to help spread financial literacy as well as encourage younger and diverse planners to join and thrive in the industry. He joined NAPFA in May 2020.
Rosa tells us:
- How he got started in this profession and why he made the business decisions he did
- Some of the biggest money mistakes he made when younger
- How learning about cultural competencies helped him to better serve his clients
- Why being an advocate for DEIB in financial planning is critical to the profession and the communities that advisors serve
- What advisors starting their DEIB journeys might consider
- Why he and three other co-founders established the BLX Internship program for aspiring Black and Latinx financial planners to obtain an internship at a Fee-Only financial planning firm.
Key point: The financial planning industry is woefully underrepresented from a diversity standpoint. In fact, 73% of Certified Financial Planners are white males. Rosa believes that in order to move the financial planning profession forward, the profession must be more representative of the population of our country.
Special Note: In 2023, we rebranded the NAPFA podcast with a new album cover and series title: NAPFA Nation. We are shifting our monthly episodes to bring you inspiring conversations and key insights from leaders in the Fee-Only financial planning profession. Marie Swift, Founder and CEO of Impact Communications, will continue on as host, interviewing a variety of NAPFA members and professionals. You will still be able to find on this channel the 32 Mindset Mastery episodes with respected fiduciary financial planners and allied advocates who are committed to accomplishing great things as they master their own mindset and continue to serve their clients in the best ways possible.
Luis Rosa
Luis is the founder of Build a Better Financial Future, LLC based in Henderson, Nevada. At age 11, Luis came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic. Growing up in New York, Luis noticed the lack of financial literacy in his community and was inspired by his parents to work hard and pursue an education.
From participating as an Financial Planning Association NexGen Ambassador and host, to speaking at the CFP Board Center for Financial Planning’s Diversity Summit, Luis has used his platform to help spread financial literacy through media outreach as well as encourage younger and diverse planners to join and thrive in the industry.
He is the host of the “On My Way to Wealth” podcast, co-founder of the BlatinX (BLX) Internship Program and LatinXcellence – an initiative that seeks to bring awareness to and help close the wealth gap in the Hispanic community. Luis was named one of InvestmentNews 40 Under 40 in 2019 and Financial Advisor Magazine’s 10 Young Advisors to Watch, as well as an Investopedia Top 100 Financial Advisors in 2020.