The financial advice profession is facing a dual challenge: the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in American history and a looming shortage of financial advisors. Over the next two decades, an estimated $124 trillion will shift from one generation to the next, while more than one-third of today's financial advisors are expected to retire within the next decade. This convergence threatens to leave millions of families without trusted guidance during critical financial transitions.
Industry experts project the U.S. could face a shortage of approximately 100,000 financial advisors by 2034. This raises urgent questions about who will guide families through retirement, wealth transfer, and financial planning, and who will lead the advisory profession in the future. These challenges will be addressed at the 2026 VISION Conference: The Wealth Shift: Ownership, Legacy & the Next Era, hosted by the Association of African American Financial Advisors (Quad-A).
Scheduled for September 10-12 at the JW Marriott in Washington, D.C., the conference will gather more than 600 financial advisors, wealth management executives, asset managers, RIAs, corporate partners, policymakers, and students. The event aims to tackle critical issues including succession planning, independent firm ownership, artificial intelligence in financial advice, wealth transfer and legacy planning, public policy, and the recruitment and mentoring of future advisors.
Nationally recognized voices, including civil rights attorney Ben Crump and sports broadcaster Stephen A. Smith, will share their perspectives on leadership, ownership, advocacy, and legacy. Their insights will complement the conference's focus on preparing the next generation of firm owners and industry leaders.
Sheena Gray, CEO of Quad-A, emphasized the significance of the moment: "The wealth shift happening in American families is also happening inside advisory firms. Ownership, leadership, and client relationships are all changing hands at once. Our responsibility isn't simply to prepare the next generation of financial advisors—it's to prepare the next generation of firm owners, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders who will define what this profession looks like for decades to come. That's the work Quad-A is here to do, and VISION is where those conversations spark action."
As Quad-A marks its 25th anniversary, the conference highlights both the organization's legacy and a forward-looking vision. For a quarter century, Quad-A has worked to expand opportunity, cultivate leadership, and increase access to trusted financial guidance. Today, the organization continues to lead national conversations around the future of wealth management.
The VISION 2026 conference is designed to address today's challenges, including succession planning and increasing enterprise value, independent firm ownership and entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence and the future of financial advice, wealth transfer and legacy planning, public policy and advocacy, and recruiting and mentoring the financial advisors of tomorrow. Members of the media are invited to attend conference sessions and interview speakers, industry leaders, and attendees.
The event will take place at the JW Marriott Washington, DC, located at 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004. For more information about the conference and Quad-A's initiatives, visit Quad-A's website.
