If you want to call yourself a lawyer, doctor or accountant, you must adhere to strict regulatory requirements. Even electricians and plumbers must be properly licensed. But that is not and has not been true of financial planners. Anyone can call themselves a financial planner.

That is about to change.

On July 21, the Financial Planning Association® (FPA®), the leading membership organization and trade association for Certified Financial Planner™ professionals and those engaged in the financial planning process, announced that it will lead a multi-year advocacy effort to achieve the legal recognition of the term “financial planner” through title protection.

My guests today are the two individuals charged with implementing that decision.