By Melissa Kemp, CEO, Financial Planning Association Arizona
April is Financial Literacy Awareness Month. In our profession, we don’t need convincing that financial literacy matters every month. We see the consequences — good and bad — every day.
But step outside of our profession for a moment, and a different question emerges:
When and how do people learn this?
For many of us, it wasn’t in a classroom. It was learned later through life experience. From the financial mistakes we’ve made along the way to people (like financial professionals) who took the time to explain what no one else had.
That financial learning gap still exists today.
Across Arizona, high school students are increasingly asking for practical financial education —how to manage money, how to think about debt, how to make smart financial decisions that won’t follow them for decades.
And yet, access remains inconsistent.
There has been progress. Arizona now offers a Personal Finance Seal for high school students, and all four major state universities have developed college-level personal finance programs with some leveraging peer-to-peer models to help students build foundational skills.
Financial literacy at the heart of our mission
While momentum is building, for most high school students, access to quality, consistent financial education is still far from guaranteed.
This is where the opportunity shifts. Not as an abstract policy conversation, but as something more immediate:
- Where are the schools that want this now?
- What resources already exist?
- Who is willing to help connect the dots?
At the Financial Planning Association (FPA) Arizona, we see this as central to our role:
to serve as the essential hub of our financial planning community, connecting planners to the resources that drive real community impact.
Financial literacy sits at the heart of that mission.
[Pull quote] High school students are asking for practical financial education — how to manage money, how to think about debt, how to make smart financial decisions that won’t follow them for decades.
Right now, across Arizona, we are bringing together educators, planners, nonprofits, policymakers and community leaders — not to present new solutions, but to align around what’s already working, identify what’s missing and move forward together.
What role do financial planners play?
For financial planners, this raises a practical question: What role do I want to play in this?
The impact doesn’t have to be abstract. It can look like:
- Helping one school implement a course
- Supporting an educator who doesn’t want to do this alone, or
- Making sure one student enters adulthood with more clarity — and fewer avoidable financial mistakes.
There’s no single path, but there’s a clear need for engagement.
[Pull quote] FPA Arizona’s mission: to serve as the essential hub of our financial planning community, connecting planners to the resources that drive real community impact.
If you’re interested in being part of that conversation, we invite you to join us.
On June 17, FPA Arizona will host a statewide Financial Literacy Town Hall, a working session designed to bring all stakeholders to the table, surface opportunities and identify next steps to expand access to personal finance education in Arizona high schools.
No panels. No spectators. Just participation.
Because if we’re serious about closing the gap between awareness and access, it will happen by showing up — and building it together.
For advisors in Arizona, register for the June Financial Literacy Town Hall HERE.
For advisors outside of Arizona, find your local FPA chapter HERE for opportunities to expand access to financial literacy in your area.
As chief executive officer of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) Arizona, Melissa Kemp oversees how the chapter connects, supports, encourages and educates financial planners in Arizona.
As a Catalyst with the FPA Arizona, Dynamic Advisor Solutions (“Dynamic”) contributes time, insights and resources to support FPA Arizona’s efforts to advance financial literacy across Arizona. Dynamic supports 22 independent wealth advisory practices in Arizona, providing a bespoke business solution to grow their businesses and deliver exceptional client experiences.
Investment advisory services are offered through Dynamic Advisor Solutions, LLC, dba Dynamic Wealth Advisors, an SEC registered investment advisor.