You’ve got to spend money to make money.

In an effort to bolster its marketing efforts and ultimately draw more clients to certified advisors, the CFP Board will increase its certification fees to $575 from $455 — a 26% hike — starting October 1. The Board said the $120 increase will go entirely toward its consumer public awareness campaign that help the industry group “maintain our competitive edge in a crowded field of designations.”

But do advisors who pay for the designation agree with the increase? Well, it’s a mixed bag.

The Campaign Trail

The fee increase will generate one-fourth of the $12.5 million needed to add a fall 2025 broadcast window to the Board’s marketing efforts, which will include a TV campaign, according to CFP Board Chair Liz Miller. The TV ads coincide with the time of the year many people are seeking advice about tax planning, retirement contributions, holiday purchases, and gifting, she told Advisor Upside.

“The campaign keeps CFP certification front and center with consumers, builds trust and sets professionals apart from today’s ‘alphabet soup’ of financial designations,” Miller said, adding that 90% of CFPs say that increasing awareness and promoting the brand to the public is a top priority.

By 2026, the certification fee will fully support the expanded awareness campaign, according to the CFP Board.

Advisor Sentiment. Some CFP Board-certified advisors fully support the higher payment and praise the awareness campaign. “I’m more than willing to pay the increased renewal fee—for both myself and my team—because I see the return on investment,” said Gregory Furer, CEO of Beratung Advisors.

However, not everyone is a fan of the extra $10 a month in fees. “Everything in this country is going up in price for the most part so I’m not surprised,” said Ryan Salah with Capital Financial Partners. “We’ll see if it leads to any value add… I’m not holding my breath.”

Faith in the Board’s marketing efforts was also rattled last fall when the organization released a series of ads geared toward high school and college students that many with the CFP designation felt depicted the profession as underworked and overpaid. “The most recent ones involving naps, burritos, and bubble baths were a complete disaster and were widely criticized by those who hold the marks,” said Michael Espinosa, an advisor with TrueNorth Wealth. Those ads were part of the Board’s recruiting campaign, separate from the its consumer public awareness campaign.

The final component of COVID-era federal student loan relief ends this Monday, with the government starting collections on millions of accounts that are behind on payments. Unlike the professional wrestling theatrics that Secretary of Education Linda McMahon spent her career promoting, the consequences will be very, very real.

It’s a difficult time for many borrowers. After eight different pauses on student loans starting in 2020, the government started requiring repayment in 2023, though delinquency didn’t affect credit scores until October 2024. Recent grads who have never faced consequences for nonpayment have seen their credit scores drop, making it more difficult to rent apartments and buy or lease cars. Add in an increasingly difficult job market, and there’s a recipe for delays in building wealth, buying a home, or just getting out of debt. “The administration has announced they will garnish wages,” said Laurel Taylor, founder of Candidly, a firm that works with employers and financial services companies on student loan repayment, emergency savings, and other areas. “Avoidance of payment is no longer possible. The best thing that [borrowers] can do is engage now to get into a payment plan they can afford.”

Summer Slam

While the government can start recouping student loan debt by withholding tax refunds next week, it plans to begin garnishing Social Security benefits and workplace pay this summer. It’s an issue that doesn’t just affect young workers. Parents and grandparents who took out Parent PLUS loans may find fewer income-linked payment choices, as options put in place by the Biden administration are held up in court. Additionally, many parents may end up giving additional financial support to adult children who are just starting to repay their student loans.

“Many student loan borrowers have inflated their lifestyle expenses to the point that little room is left to restart loan payments,” said Samantha Heflin, a financial planner at Apella Wealth. “This will be a time for borrowers to take a hard look at their spending and repayment options.”

With 5 million borrowers in default and another 4 million nearing it, “25% of the [federal student loan] portfolio is headed toward default,” Taylor said. Candidly, which facilitates 401(k) matching contributions for employers whose workers are repaying student loans, has seen a 480% increase in the use of its platform by workers this year, including a more than two-fold rise in demand for its financial coaching services. “The highest outstanding balance is held by those over age 50,” Taylor said. “This is a household issue.”

According to the Education Data Initiative:

• The outstanding federal student loan balance is $1.7 trillion
• The average federal student loan debt is over $38,000

Tag Team Approach. “Advisors have a real opportunity to step in by helping families protect long-term goals while navigating short-term repayments,” said Ben Loughery, founder of Lock Wealth Management.

There’s a changing of the guard (and more) happening at Edward Jones.

The St. Louis-based financial services firm with roughly $2.2 trillion in assets under management is shuffling its top brass as executives approach retirement. The company is also expanding its offering to reel in more high-net-worth clientele and tackle an increased demand for financial planning. “It’s a new year for Edward Jones — our first as a financial planning firm,” said Penny Pennington, managing partner at Edward Jones.

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