NAPFA Fall 2026 National Conference
Meet the Voices Taking the Stage in Atlanta
The NAPFA Fall 2026 National Conference will bring Fee-Only financial advisors together for conversations that challenge how we think about our clients, our profession and the future of fiduciary financial planning.
This year's featured speakers will tackle three very different questions: What really motivates our clients? What comes next for fiduciary financial planning? And how do we stay grounded when the world feels uncertain?
Join us October 14-17 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.
Demystifying the Science of Client Motivation: The Best of Behavioral Finance
Tim Maurer, CFP®, RLP®
Thursday, Oct. 15 | 9-10:30 a.m. ET
What really motivates your clients?
We spend a lot of time telling clients what they should do with their money. But what if we're approaching motivation all wrong?
Drawing on decades of behavioral science and economics, Tim Maurer will bring together some of the field's most influential ideas to explore how people actually make decisions, what drives them to take action, and how advisors can use that understanding to better serve their clients.
Through stories grounded in research, Tim will turn complex behavioral concepts into ideas you can use in your client conversations and your practice.
You'll leave with a fresh perspective on:
- Why traditional approaches to motivation often fall short
- What behavioral science can teach us about client decision-making
- How to better understand the "why" behind a client's financial choices
- Ways to apply these ideas in your work with clients
Meet Tim Maurer
Tim Maurer, CFP®, RLP®, is Chief Advisory Officer at SignatureFD, a Forbes contributor and author of Simple Money. A passionate speaker and educator, he has appeared on NBC's TODAY Show, CNBC, and NPR and has been featured in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Tim believes personal finance is more about personal than finance, helping individuals and advisors align money with purpose.
Keynote Address and Fireside Chat: The Future of Fiduciary Financial Planning
George Kinder
Friday, Oct. 16 | 9-10:30 a.m. ET
What does the future of fiduciary advice look like?
Few people have been thinking about fiduciary financial planning for as long as George Kinder. He'll open the session with a keynote address, followed by a fireside chat with NAPFA Board Chair Natalie Pine, where they'll look at where the fiduciary movement has been, where it is headed and what role today's advisors have in shaping its future.
The fireside chat will explore NAPFA's long-standing advocacy for Fee-Only compensation and the Fiduciary Standard, along with George's vision for a universal fiduciary standard and the future of the financial planning profession.
This is a chance to think bigger about what fiduciary advice can become and what it will take for advisors to help shape its future.
Have a question for George?
Submit a question or comment about fiduciary advice or an issue facing financial advisors today. George may address your question during the fireside chat.
Meet George Kinder
International thought leader and author George Kinder has been at the forefront of financial life planning for decades, training thousands worldwide through his books, workshops, and speaking engagements, with more than 700 earning the Registered Life Planner® designation.
Kinder founded the Kinder Institute of Life Planning in 2003 and is the author of The Three Domains of Freedom. His work now extends to Fiduciary in All Things (FIAT), applying fiduciary principles to how organizations operate and lead.
Moderator: Natalie Pine, CFP®
Natalie Pine is chair of NAPFA's Board of Directors and managing partner at Briaud Financial Advisors, where her work spans estate planning, tax, business valuation, and wealth management. She joined the firm as an investment analyst and became a partner in 2011, later taking over day-to-day management in 2020.
Before Briaud, she worked in New York and London for Davidson Kempner and Goldman Sachs' mergers and acquisitions department.
Thriving in a Crazy World
Dr. Carolyn McClanahan, M.D., CFP®
Friday, Oct. 16 | 4:45-5:45 p.m. ET
When the world feels uncertain, what do we tell our clients, and ourselves?
It's hard to escape the sense that the world is off-kilter. Clients are feeling it, too, and their concerns about the world around them can quickly become financial concerns.
Dr. Carolyn McClanahan will offer a different way to think about uncertainty, drawing from her work with both physicians and financial planning clients. She'll explore how advisors can maintain perspective, protect their own well-being, and help clients navigate financial worries when the world feels anything but predictable.
Expect a practical, grounded conversation about staying steady when the headlines aren't.
You'll take away:
- Practical techniques for managing stress and maintaining perspective
- Ways to help clients work through financial anxiety
- Ideas for incorporating healthy habits into your own life and practice
- A fresh perspective on thriving when uncertainty is part of the job
Meet Dr. Carolyn McClanahan, M.D., CFP®
Dr. Carolyn McClanahan founded Life Planning Partners Inc. in 2004 and serves as its Director of Financial Planning. She speaks and writes nationally to financial planners and physicians on the intersection of health and financial planning.
McClanahan has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Money Magazine, CNBC, and NPR.
And There's More to Come
These featured sessions are just part of what's taking shape for the NAPFA Fall 2026 National Conference. More educational sessions, speakers, and opportunities to connect will be announced as the program comes together.
Check back for the full program.