The financial advice profession is facing an unprecedented dual transition: the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in American history and a wave of advisor retirements. Over the next two decades, an estimated $124 trillion will pass 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 places decades of client relationships, institutional knowledge, and business ownership in flux, 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.
Industry experts estimate that the U.S. could face a shortage of about 100,000 financial advisors by 2034. This looming gap underscores the critical need for strategic planning and leadership development. To address these challenges, the Association of African American Financial Advisors (Quad-A) will host the 2026 VISION Conference: The Wealth Shift: Ownership, Legacy & the Next Era, in Washington, D.C., from September 10-12. More than 600 financial advisors, wealth management executives, asset managers, RIAs, corporate partners, policymakers, and students will gather to deliberate on who will own, lead, and shape the future of financial advice.
The conference will feature nationally recognized voices, including renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump and sports broadcaster Stephen A. Smith, who will share their perspectives on leadership, ownership, advocacy, and legacy as families build and preserve generational wealth. Their insights are expected to enrich discussions on the broader societal implications of the wealth transfer.
Sheena Gray, CEO of Quad-A, emphasized the significance of the event: "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 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 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 shaping the profession, and recruiting, mentoring, and building the financial advisors of tomorrow. These topics reflect the multifaceted nature of the transitions facing the industry.
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, visit [Quad-A's website](https://www.quad-a.org "Quad-A" rel="nofollow" target="_blank").
