The Best Industry Conferences for Financial Professionals in 2025

Each year, we publish our list of the “best” conferences for wealth management professionals to attend. This year we’re taking a slightly different approach. 

See previous “Best Conferences for Financial Advisors” lists: 2024 | 2023 | 2022

There is no shortage of “best of” lists and Michael Kitces maintains a comprehensive list of practically every event happening in the industry. 

So, we instead took the approach that we would bring some data into the conversation. This year, we’re not just listing out our 2025 best conferences for financial advisors, we’re also summarizing and interpreting the data we collected from a survey we ran. 

Data Collection Method for Our Wealth Management Conferences Survey

To be clear, we see this initial year of the survey as a “beta” phase, or a test. We wanted to see if we could get anyone to even care enough to take it. During the month of November 2024, we promoted the conferences survey via organic channels and word of mouth, primarily through our company social media accounts on LinkedIn and X, and to our email list. 

The survey received 107 unique responses from a mixture of RIAs, WealthTech employees, consultants, B/D reps, and more. With this initial foray into data collection under our belt, we’ll be looking for ways to intentionally expand the survey for next year and collect a larger sample size that is truly representative of the wealth industry. As it stands, however, our beginning sample size seems to give us a decent representation of what we might see across the industry as a whole.

Now, with that explainer out of the way, let’s dive into the results and what we can learn from them. 

This blog is structured into three key areas: Our top takeaways from the survey, our list of best conferences in 2025, and a comprehensive analysis of the survey data for those who want to go deeper into the highlights. 

Key Takeaways and Surprises

• Networking Reigns Supreme: The opportunity for peer-to-peer connection is the single most important factor driving conference attendance. Roughly 4 in 10 respondents ranked networking as their #1 reason to attend, and almost everyone placed it near the top of their list. No other factor came close to networking in weighted importance. This highlights that wealth management professionals primarily go to conferences to meet and build relationships with peers, partners, and prospects.
• Business Value is Only Average. We asked respondents to tell us how much business value they get from attending conferences. On a 1-10 scale, 48% chose either a 7 or 8 rating. Those are good numbers out of 10 if you’re tracking a quarterback’s completed passes, but a 7 isn’t terribly high if you’re an ROI-focused CEO looking to maximize your return on what are often very costly trips. If we zoom out, the picture gets worse. A full 23% gave a rating value at a 5 or below. The story is similar if we drill down only to RIAs—while a handful gave very high marks, the average respondent rated value at a 6.5 on our scale.
• Big-Picture Trends vs. CE Credits: High-quality content is a strong secondary motivator. Keeping up with industry trends was frequently among the top three reasons to attend. Seasoned advisors and consultants want to hear about new ideas, tools, and best practices at conferences. However, formal continuing education credits are comparatively less important – very few ranked CE as their top reason. This suggests that while learning is valued, it’s the practical insights and forward-looking content that attendees seek most, rather than just fulfilling credential requirements.
• Speaking = Strategy: A significant subset of respondents (about one-quarter) attend conferences primarily when they themselves are involved as speakers. Being a presenter or panelist – essentially using the event as a platform to build one’s personal brand – was the second-most common top reason overall. This was particularly true for industry consultants and fintech professionals, who often use conferences for thought leadership exposure. This insight implies that many conferences attract influencers or aspirational leaders who see speaking roles as a key ROI for attendance. For conference organizers, it underlines the importance of offering speaking slots or other profile-building opportunities to draw these attendees.
• Price Barrier is Real: Cost is a notable concern for many would-be attendees. When asked about the maximum they’d pay for a conference ticket, the most common response was $1,000. In fact, a majority of respondents (over 70%) indicated they wouldn’t spend more than $1,500 on a ticket. There is a very price-sensitive segment – about 5–6% said they only attend if it’s free (they won’t pay out of pocket at all). On the other end, a smaller group (~17%) are willing to spend $3,000 or more for the right event (often those with corporate support or who see very high value in conferences). The data on overall conference spending reinforces this sensitivity: about 84% of respondents spend under $4,000 per year on conferences (including travel), which likely limits the number of events or requires finding good value for money. In short, pricing and ROI are carefully weighed – many attendees have a budget, and exceeding around $1k in ticket cost can be a barrier for them. Conferences that can demonstrate strong value (networking, content, etc.) or offer financial assistance/early-bird pricing may win more attendees as a result.
• DEI Policies Get a Resounding “Meh”: The survey asked whether having a written Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy or an attendee conduct code is important when deciding on a conference. The majority responded “No” – 72% said a DEI policy is not important to them, and 60% said a conduct code is not important. We were quite surprised and disappointed at these results, but perhaps we shouldn’t have been. Given the polarized political climate where many companies are entirely shutting down DEI programs, and the news from earlier this year that Choir (an organization dedicated to increasing diverse voices through wealth management) would be shutting down, attendees seem to be following the larger nationwide trend. While these policies might be appreciated in principle (and can contribute to a positive conference environment), they are rarely a deciding factor in whether someone attends. In other words, lack of a DEI statement (or even conduct policy) wouldn’t stop most people from going to an event. That said, respondents from tech firms and the “Other” category were somewhat more likely to say yes – perhaps reflecting that certain company cultures or individual values put more emphasis on inclusive, well-managed event environments. 
• Who Attends (and Why)?: The reasons for attending preferred events can differ by role and background:
  • Independent Advisors (RIAs and similar) tend to prioritize networking and industry insights. They also care somewhat about location and are cost-conscious. This group is less attracted to vendor-specific conferences unless those align with their business (e.g., custodian events like Schwab IMPACT).
  • Consultants and Tech Providers are more likely to attend for exposure – many will go if they can speak or showcase their brand. They flock to big gatherings where advisors are (Future Proof, T3, EDGE) to network and generate leads. These groups attend a wide array of events and often rank networking and speaking equally high.
  • Broker-Dealer Affiliated Professionals place a very high premium on networking (even more than other groups) but they attend fewer of these industry-wide events overall. This group might rely on their firm’s conferences, explaining their lower presence at some independent events.
  • Experience Level: While veterans across the board value networking, less experienced advisors (under 5 years) were slightly more likely to be absent from certain events or not attend as many conferences (possibly due to cost or being early in building networks). Conversely, very experienced professionals often have established budgets or support to attend multiple events and tend to stick to conferences that deliver clear business value. The broad trend is that seasoned professionals see conferences as valuable and integrate them into their routine, whereas newer entrants are a bit more hesitant or selective, though they too recognize networking and learning as crucial for career growth.

Our 2025 Best Conferences for Financial Advisors

1. MarketCounsel Summit

Dates: December 2025 (Exact dates to be determined)

Location: To Be Announced

Description: The MarketCounsel Summit acts as the industry’s capstone event, bringing together leaders at the largest and most innovative RIA firms to discuss current and future challenges facing their firms and the industry overall.

Website: MarketCounsel Summit

Register: The MarketCounsel Summit is invitation-only. 

 

2. Future Proof Citywide 

Dates: March 16-19, 2025

Location: Miami Beach, Florida

Description: Future Proof Citywide is a transformative four-day experience bringing together thousands of RIAs, financial advisors, family offices, institutional investors, and wealth management executives. The event focuses on forging the new frontier of investing through innovative sessions and networking opportunities.

Website: Future Proof

Register: Register Here

 

3. Future Proof Leaders Retreat 

Dates: May 12-15, 2025

Location: The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Description: This retreat gathers over 500 wealth management CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, COOs, CMOs, and fast-growing financial advisors for an unconventional event focused on fostering meaningful business relationships in a serene alpine setting.

Website: Future Proof

Register: Register Here

 

4. Future Proof Festival 

Dates: September 7-10, 2025

Location: Huntington Beach, California 

Description: An award-winning four-day festival that brings together thousands of financial advisors, wealth management executives, asset managers, fintechs, and media to build the modern wealth management industry through unique event formats and tech-enabled networking. It’s an experience unlike any other in wealth management.

Website: Future Proof

Register: Register Here

 

5. Wealth Management EDGE 

Dates: June 10-12, 2025

Location: Boca Raton, Florida 

Description: Wealth Management EDGE is a premier conference designed for financial advisors and leaders of advisory firms aiming to accelerate business growth. Look forward to a comprehensive experience encompassing investment strategies, technology integration, and practice management. 

Website: WealthManagement.com 

Register: Register Here

 

6. Nitrogen Fearless Investing Summit

Dates: October 22-24, 2025

Location: Denver, Colorado 

Description: The Fearless Investing Summit is the intersection of wealth technology, investing innovation, and cutting-edge financial strategies, curated exclusively for financial advisors. Over 1,000 industry leaders and innovators gather to connect and hear about the latest advancements to the Nitrogen platform.

Website: Nitrogen Wealth

Register: Register Here

 

7. Schwab IMPACT

Dates: November 4-6, 2025

Location: Denver, Colorado

Description: IMPACT 2025 is a premier event where industry experts, service and product providers, and thousands of advisors gather to discuss various topics, including the psychology of succession planning, best practices for firm growth, and effective communication methods. It’s also exclusive—only invited guests of Schwab (see: high-AUM RIAs) get to attend.

Website: Schwab IMPACT

Register: Registration details to be announced.

 

8. AdviceTech.LIVE presented by Asset-Map

Dates: To be announced

Location: Online

Description: AdviceTech.LIVE is a virtual event that embraces the digital-only trend, offering short, impactful sessions. If you want to learn the latest about WealthTech but don’t want to leave your couch, this is the event you want to attend.

Website: Asset-Map

Register: Registration details to be announced.

 

9. SER Latino Summit

Dates: September 3-4, 2025

Location: Chicago, Illinois 

Description: A cool new event that deserves more attention, the SER Latino Summit focuses on empowering the Latino community through financial education and professional development. This event offers a space for meaningful connections, knowledge growth, and renewed passion, all aimed at uplifting your community and shaping an inclusive industry future.

Website: SER Summit

Register: Register Here 

 

10. Jolt! Presented by Snappy Kraken

Dates: June 9-11, 2025

Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Description: As far as we know, Jolt! is the only industry conference dedicated solely to marketing for independent financial advisors. It’s an energetic few days as the sessions go far beyond the surface-level “just be your authentic self” fare that you find in most marketing panels at other events. This year’s event features keynote speaker Sally Hogshead, a true titan of marketing.

Website: Jolt! Conference

Register: Register Here

 

Full Survey Analysis

Factors Influencing Conference Attendance

To determine which reasons to attend were most influential overall, we examined how often each factor was ranked at the top and calculated a weighted ranking with first place selections getting the most points. The results clearly show that networking opportunities dominate as the key driver for why people attend conferences in the wealth management industry (and likely every other industry as well).

• Peer-to-peer connection (Networking) – This was the #1-ranked factor for 43 out of 107 respondents (about 40%). It also earned the highest weighted score by a wide margin, with an average rank of approximately 2.1 (indicating it was usually among the top two factors for most people). There’s no argument about it: Networking is the primary reason advisors attend conferences overall.
• Speaking/Presenting Opportunities – The chance to speak at an event was the top factor for 26 respondents (~24%). This was the second-highest driver in the weighted ranking. Given that many industry professionals only attend conferences if they are speaking or presenting, however, this also isn’t a surprising finding..
• Educational Content and Trends – “Keep up with trends” was frequently near the top of rankings (ranked #1 by 14 respondents and often in the top 3 for others). This suggests attendees highly value content that keeps them up-to-date on industry developments. In contrast, though, “Continuing education” (e.g. earning CE credits) was a primary motivator for only 6 respondents out of the 107 who completed our survey. Content is important – especially fresh insights and trends – but formal CE credits are a lower priority than we anticipated. With the prevalent ability to gain credits remotely via webinars, it’s clearly no longer a differentiating factor for a conference to have a heavy CE focus.
• Location and Amenities – The location of the event was the top factor for 10 respondents, indicating that an attractive or convenient city can sway some people’s decision to attend. Venue and entertainment factors were generally ranked low. Almost no one ranked “Quality of food” or “Entertainment and activities” as their top reason to attend (these were consistently in the bottom tier of rankings). This implies that while nice venues and entertainment are appreciated, they are not deciding factors compared to networking, content, or speaking opportunities.  
• Personal Branding – Like CE credits, here’s another that we thought might be higher, but “Build personal brand” was the top motivator for only 7 out of 107 respondents. This factor had a mid-tier weighted rank on average. It’s important for some individuals (notably those looking to elevate their profile after a job change, or reach “influencer” status in the industry) but not as universally top-of-mind as networking or content.

 

Conference Attendance Trends: Who’s Going Where? 

We analyzed responses related to which conferences respondents plan to attend in the near future (columns T through BF of the survey). The data indicates a strong overall intent to join conferences among the surveyed professionals. The vast majority of respondents plan to attend at least one conference in the coming year, whereas only a small minority do not plan to attend any.

• Planning to Attend: 97 out of 107 respondents (roughly 91%) selected one or more specific conferences that they intend to go to. On average, respondents expect to attend several different events over the year.
• Not Planning/None: Only about 9% of respondents (approximately 10 individuals) indicated “None of these”when presented with our curated list of upcoming conferences.

In practical terms, almost every wealth management professional surveyed has some conference participation on their calendar. It’s worth noting that even among those who said “none,” a couple had initially marked interest in events but also checked the “None” option (possibly by error). Excluding such inconsistencies, about ten respondents genuinely have no conferences on their agenda. Everyone else is gearing up to attend a small handful of conferences, underscoring the importance of these events in the wealth management community.

 

Respondent Demographics

The survey’s demographic questions offer a profile of the typical respondents and context for their conference habits:

• Firm Type: A majority of respondents work in independent advisory channels. The largest group (about 36%) identify as working at an RIA (Registered Investment Advisor) firm. The second-largest segment (25%) are Consultants (which we assume includes a mix of industry consultants, coaches, or other independent professionals who provide support services to advisors). About 19% work in FinTech/Tech companies serving the wealth management industry. Meanwhile, 11% are with Broker-Dealer firms, and around 8% chose “Other” (miscellaneous roles such as asset managers, media, etc.). Only 1 respondent works at a TAMP (Turnkey Asset Management Platform). This distribution indicates we should see a heavy emphasis toward independent events rather than company sponsored events, and that bears out from the data. 
• Experience (Years in Industry): The sample is quite experienced. Nearly three-quarters of respondents (around 73%) have been in financial services for 11 years or more. In fact, the single largest experience cohort includes those with 20+ years in the industry (29% of respondents). Another 21% have 16–20 years, and 23% have 11–15 years. About 19% have 6–10 years of experience, and only a small fraction (8%) are relatively new with 1–5 years. The “typical” respondent is a veteran financial professional, often with a decade or two of experience under their belt.
• Conference Attendance Frequency: These respondents are frequent conference-goers. About one-third attend 5 or more conferences per year. (Notably, 31 people chose “5+” and another 6 people indicated “5,” suggesting around 35% attend five or more events annually.) Another third attend 3–4 conferences per year. The remaining third attend 1–2 conferences per year. In short, most respondents go to multiple conferences each year, and a significant subset are very active on the conference circuit. This high frequency aligns with the high experience level – seasoned professionals see value in regularly attending industry events.

The typical survey respondent is an experienced wealth management professional (often 10+ years in the field), likely working at an RIA or as a consultant, who attends several conferences a year. This context is useful to keep in mind, as it influences what they value in conferences. One contrast within this group is that while RIA professionals make up the largest segment, they don’t necessarily attend the most conferences. Consultants—who represent a smaller portion of respondents—are most likely to attend 5+ conferences per year. Given that business growth for consultants typically relies on networking and knowing recent industry insights, though, it’s no surprise that they would prioritize event attendance even more than independent advisors. 

 

Which Events are Drawing the Most Interest? 

Our survey listed numerous industry conferences and asked respondents which ones they are interested in attending in 2025. From this, we identified the most and least popular events among respondents, as well as how event preferences differ across demographic groups. 

Most Popular Events: A few conferences clearly rose to the top in terms of interest. The five events with the highest intended attendance were:

1. Future Proof Festival – By far the most popular event in the list, with about 60% of respondents (64 out of 107) indicating they plan to attend. Future Proof is an outdoor, festival-style wealth management conference, and its high interest suggests a broad appeal across the industry. It appears to be a “must-attend” for many, including a majority of the heavy conference-goers.
2. T3 Conference – Approximately 39% of respondents (42 people) plan to attend the Technology Tools for Today (T3) conference (which, by the time of publishing these survey results, has already passed). This tech-focused event is especially popular among respondents from tech firms and those interested in WealthTech innovations.
3. Nitrogen Fearless Investing Summit – About 38% of those we surveyed intend to attend this summit (hosted by Nitrogen, formerly Riskalyze). We love Fearless, but we were surprised the event ranked this high. Did we manage to find a large swath of terminally-online Nitrogen users who all combined to take this survey? Perhaps! 
4. Wealth Management EDGE – 35 respondents (~33%) selected this event. Wealth Management EDGE is a multi-conference experience (encompassing WealthStack, Inside ETFs, RIA Edge) which attracts a good cross-section of advisors and WealthTech professionals.
5. Schwab IMPACT – 33 respondents (~31%) plan to attend Schwab’s IMPACT conference, a major custodial event and what some might consider to be the flagship event of the entire industry. Though Schwab has had well-documented hiccups through its acquisition of TD Ameritrade, IMPACT remains a popular traditional conference, particularly for RIA firms that use Schwab.

Close behind these top five, Jolt! by Snappy Kraken (the industry’s only entirely marketing-focused event) garnered interest from 26 respondents (~24%). MarketCounsel Summit  and the new Future Proof Citywide event were also notable mentions following close behind.

Cutting-edge and tech-forward events (like Future Proof and T3) are very popular, as are major industry gatherings (Schwab IMPACT, Wealth Management Edge). In contrast, vendor-specific user conferences and traditional association events (those focused on specific software providers) drew less interest from this audience (with Nitrogen being a notable exception).

Differences by Demographic Groups: Interest in certain events varies notably by the respondent’s role or firm type:

• Tech Firm Professionals: Those working at fintech or tech firms are predictably more drawn to technology-centric conferences. For example, 80% of tech-company respondents plan to attend T3, compared to only ~18% of RIA firm respondents. If you have attended T3 in recent years, this split between attendee types isn’t surprising, as the event seems to have primarily become a time for WealthTech firms to connect with each other. Tech professionals also show above-average interest in Future Proof (75% of tech respondents) and Wealth Management EDGE (55%). They are somewhat less interested in practice-management or marketing events like Jolt (only 30% of tech respondents) and in custodial conferences.
• RIA Advisors: Respondents from RIA firms show strong interest in Future Proof (over half of RIA respondents intend to go) and also a decent showing for Schwab IMPACT (26% of RIAs). However, they are less inclined toward some vendor conferences. Given how fragmented the audiences can be for these events, this is perhaps not a surprise. RIAs also made up the bulk of those interested in FPA’s conference, suggesting that when association events appeal, it’s mainly to independent advisors.
• Consultants: Industry consultants appear to be very active across many events. Who would have thought, right? A majority of consultants plan to attend Future Proof (63% of consultant respondents) and nearly half plan to attend Wealth Management EDGE. Consultants also had higher representation at events like Jolt (37% of consultants) and MarketCounsel Summit. This indicates consultants spread their conference attendance broadly, likely for networking and business development opportunities.
• Broker-Dealer Reps: Participants affiliated with broker-dealers showed generally lower interest in conferences outside their firms. About 42% of B/D respondents will attend Future Proof (a strong showing, but slightly lower than independents) and roughly one-third will attend the Nitrogen Summit, which has for years had a strong presence with large B/D firms (like LPL as only one example). For most other events, B/D interest was muted (for instance, only 8% of broker-dealer respondents chose the Jolt conference, and ~17% chose Schwab IMPACT). This could be because many broker-dealer advisors rely on in-house conferences or have less freedom to attend external events, but they do make exceptions for big industry gatherings like Future Proof.
• Other Roles: The small group of “Other” respondents (neither RIA/BD/Consultant/Tech) had very high interest in networking-heavy events: 78% of them plan to attend Future Proof, and the same percentage plan on T3. Their interest in most other events was mixed, but notably over half of these “other” professionals also selected Schwab IMPACT. This category may include people like media, academics, or niche financial professionals who selectively choose high-networking venues.

These patterns suggest that professional role influences which events are prioritized. Tech providers and consultants chase the tech and advisor-centric conferences where they can meet clients (hence high T3 and Future Proof attendance), whereas advisors (RIAs) gravitate toward events that offer broad industry insights and custodial relationships (Future Proof, IMPACT) but are less interested in others’ user conferences. Broker-dealer reps are choosier overall, likely due to alternative options or corporate constraints.

It’s also interesting that those who attend fewer conferences per year tend to pick one of the big events – for instance, among respondents who said they only attend one conference annually, the most common choice was Future Proof Festival (many of the one-and-done attendees chose Future Proof as the conference they won’t miss). Go big or go home, right?

While still in its infancy during this first “test” year, this survey reveals a vibrant conference culture in the wealth management industry driven chiefly by the desire to connect with peers and stay on the cutting edge. Attendees weigh the cost against the networking and content value, and they generally gravitate toward events that offer the richest mix of those benefits. While factors like diversity policies or luxury perks are nice additions, they don’t factor into decision-making for the vast majority. 

So, what does this mean for you? If you’re planning your conference schedule for 2025, focus on events that align with your goals—whether that’s expanding your network, building your brand, or staying ahead of industry trends. And if you’re an event organizer, this data reinforces the importance of creating meaningful networking opportunities while keeping pricing competitive.

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