The financial advice profession is navigating two historic transitions simultaneously: an estimated $124 trillion will transfer between generations over the next two decades, the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in American history, while more than one-third of today's financial advisors are expected to retire within the next decade. This convergence places decades of client relationships, institutional knowledge, and business ownership in flux. Industry experts project a shortage of about 100,000 financial advisors by 2034, raising 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 the focus of 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 Washington, DC, the conference will gather over 600 financial advisors, wealth management executives, asset managers, RIAs, corporate partners, policymakers, and students to address who will own, lead, and shape the future of financial advice.
The event will feature nationally recognized voices, including civil rights attorney Ben Crump and sports broadcaster Stephen A. Smith, who will share perspectives on leadership, ownership, advocacy, and legacy as families build and preserve generational wealth.
“The wealth shift happening in American families is also happening inside advisory firms,” said Sheena Gray, CEO of Quad-A. “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 bold vision for the future. 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.
VISION 2026 is designed to address contemporary 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 shaping the profession, and recruiting, mentoring, and building the financial advisors of tomorrow. The conference aims to provide actionable insights and foster collaboration among industry leaders to ensure the profession is prepared for the demographic shifts ahead.
Members of the media are invited to attend conference sessions and interview speakers, industry leaders, and attendees. The event underscores the critical importance of preparing the next generation of advisors and firm owners to sustain the profession and meet the evolving needs of American families.
