The Externship Shows Growing Interest in Financial Planning Careers
News related to:Amplified Planning · 2 min read
DALLAS, Sept. 29, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- The seventh annual The Externship program, designed to give aspiring and developing financial planners hands-on exposure to the profession, has enrolled 2,825 participants, a 36% increase from 2,078 in 2025 and the largest cohort in the program's history. The 2026 Externship achieved a completion rate of 74.79%, up from 66.6% in prior years and the highest in Externship history.
This year, the program also produced the program's most comprehensive data set to date on people actively exploring and adapting to careers in financial planning. Nearly 40% of the 2,500 entrance survey respondents identified as coming from diverse backgrounds, with 39.4% identifying as non-white or multiracial, compared to just 15% of new CFP® professionals. Nearly 42% of Externs are women, representing 23.8% of CFP® professionals nationally.
The Externship has also welcomed a growing number of university students, with 700 participating in 2026, up from approximately 530 in 2025. Additionally, 28% of 2026 Externs were transitioning into financial planning from other careers, including backgrounds in technology, healthcare, education, and the military, as well as professionals from journalism, marketing, government contracting, human resources, law enforcement, entrepreneurship, and the arts.
The Externship has also become a development resource for people already in the profession, with 32.5% of 2026 participants currently working in financial planning or related financial services. The program has now trained more than 8,000 alumni since its launch.
Participants in the program have reported that the opportunity to experience financial planning in practice helped broaden their understanding of both the profession and their own potential career paths. The Externship has also introduced financial planning to a younger audience, with 30 high school students participating in a pilot program with Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Amplified Planning's founder, Hannah Moore, CFP®, believes that the numbers from the Externship suggest a growing interest in financial planning among a diverse range of individuals.
The Externship's success highlights the need for more ways to introduce financial planning to a broader range of individuals, including career changers and university students.
Amplified Planning's The Externship has trained more than 8,000 alumni since its launch, and the company's year-round subscription platform, CORE, provides ongoing professional development through real client cases, live learning sessions, and an expert community for planners at every stage of their careers.