Kinder Institute of Life Planning

What Kinder Institute of Life Planning does

Kinder Institute of Life Planning is a private training and certification organization founded in 2003 by George Kinder, widely known as 'The Father of Life Planning,' and headquartered in Littleton, Massachusetts. The company provides experiential workshops, intensive training, and consulting services to financial advisors, planners, wealth managers, and other client-facing professionals. Its core methodology is the trademarked EVOKE® structured interview process (Exploration, Vision, Obstacles, Knowledge, Execution), paired with The Seven Stages of Money Maturity® framework. Completion of three courses — EVOKE Life Planning Training, Seven Stages of Money Maturity Training, and Life Planning Mentorship — leads to the Registered Life Planner® (RLP®) designation, recognized as the international standard of excellence in life planning, with 8 hours of biennial continuing education required thereafter.

Revenue is generated primarily through course tuition, with the RLP Package sold at a flat fee of $10,725 for all three courses and individual courses priced from approximately $1,169 (Seven Stages) to $5,415 (Mentorship). Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the company's website and Zoom-based live delivery, supplemented by residential training at venues in Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Dorset, UK, and by international training partners in the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, and India. The company maintains a community of 600+ active RLP designees across 14 countries, an internal network of roughly 15 contract trainers, and a small core staff. In 2025 the institute expanded into the UK through a partnership with NextGen Planners and George Kinder's relocation to London on an Innovator Founder Visa, while extending its offering into corporate/organizational culture work via the Three Domains of Freedom Workshop and the FIAT framework delivered through The Moules.

Name

Kinder Institute of Life Planning

Legal name

Kinder Institute of Life Planning

Website

https://kinderinstitute.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kinder Institute of Life Planning trains and certifies financial advisors through experiential courses (EVOKE, Seven Stages of Money Maturity, Mentorship) leading to the Registered Life Planner® designation, serving CFPs, wealth managers, and other client-facing professionals across 14 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisor Training and Certification

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Planning Tools & Financial Coaching (Goal Setting, Apps, Advisors) (EDAAAJAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Life-Stage Financial Planning (Marriage, Kids, Caregiving) (EDAAAJAM), Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA), Financial Coaching & Budgeting Advisory (FSAEAAAH)

Keywords

• Life planning training
• Financial advisor education
• Professional certification programs
• Wealth management training
• Financial planning methodology

Headquarters

HQ city

Littleton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Courses: Revenue from in-person and online training courses including EVOKE Life Planning Training, Seven Stages of Money Maturity, and Life Planning Mentorship. These are sold individually or as bundled packages.
2. RLP Designation Package: Flat upfront fee for the three-course curriculum leading to Registered Life Planner designation, providing recurring enrollment revenue from new professionals.
3. Continuing Education: Ongoing revenue from CE requirements - RLP designees must complete 8 hours of CE every two years through Life Planning Mastery, LPM Shorts, or course repeats at discounted rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kinder Institute of Life Planning provides experiential training and certification programs that teach financial advisors the EVOKE® life planning methodology and the Seven Stages of Money Maturity® framework. The core offering consists of three courses (EVOKE, Seven Stages of Money Maturity, and Life Planning Mentorship) that together lead to the Registered Life Planner® (RLP®) professional designation. Complementary offerings include advanced workshops (Three Domains of Freedom, FIAT in the Workplace), continuing education seminars, published books, and a free DIY life planning tool.

Product overview

Kinder Institute of Life Planning is a training and certification organization offering a portfolio of experiential education programs for financial professionals. The core offering consists of three courses leading to the Registered Life Planner (RLP) designation: EVOKE Life Planning Training (4-5 day structured interview methodology), The Seven Stages of Money Maturity Training (2-day course on money psychology), and a 6-month online Life Planning Mentorship. These are complemented by advanced workshops including the Three Domains of Freedom Workshop and FIAT in the Workplace for business applications. Continuing education is delivered through Life Planning Mastery (8-hour seminars) and LPM Shorts (2-hour monthly sessions). The institute also provides free resources including the Life Planning For You DIY tool, a Life Planner Search directory, information sessions, and published books by George Kinder.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Registered Life Planner (RLP): Professional designation recognized as the international standard of excellence in life planning training, earned upon completion of three courses: EVOKE Life Planning Training, The Seven Stages of Money Maturity Training, and Life Planning Mentorship.
• EVOKE
• The Seven Stages of Money Maturity
• Three Domains of Freedom Workshop (3DW)

Products and services

• EVOKE® Life Planning Training

Quantifiable outcome

• Inspired workforces are 125% more productive than merely satisfied workers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NextGen PlannerscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2025Partnership to bring George Kinder's values-based financial planning approach to a new generation of UK advisers. The collaboration integrates life planning methods into NextGen's training programs, creating a dedicated Kinder Institute UK hub within the NextGen Planners online community.
• The MoulescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorge Kinder's venture for delivering the Three Domains of Freedom Workshop to corporations and businesses. Introduces the power of life planning and value of RLP professionals to organizational audiences seeking culture transformation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• XY Planning Network: Network and community for fee-only financial advisors with Gen Y/Millennial focus. Comparable as an ecosystem player whose advisors are potential RLP candidates, and whose co-founder Michael Kitces publicly endorses the RLP designation.

Direct peers

• Money Quotient: Provides values-based financial life planning tools, training, and a similar advisor certification program (Certified Financial Coach/CFC). Directly comparable as a competing life planning methodology and advisor training provider targeting the same CFP/RIA buyer.
• NextGen Planners: UK-based financial planner training community and now a Kinder Institute partner. Directly comparable in delivering structured training and community to early-career financial planners, particularly in the UK market where Kinder is expanding.
• Money Coaching Institute: Offers financial coaching training and certification for advisors, with a curriculum built around client-centered money conversations. Competes directly for the same advisor training wallet share and emphasizes listening and behavioral finance similar to Kinder's EVOKE methodology.
• Dalton Education: Provides financial certification training including CFP exam prep and continuing education. Competes for the same advisor continuing education budget and uses a similar online + live training delivery model with packaged course offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Kaplan Financial Education: A large incumbent in financial designation prep (CFP, CFA, Series exams) owned by Kaplan. Overlaps with Kinder on the financial professional training side but does not specialize in life planning methodology, offering a broader exam-prep catalog.
• Financial Planning Association (FPA): Industry membership body for financial planners offering education, conferences, and CE. Comparable as a touchpoint for the same advisor audience and a potential channel partner, while operating at much larger scale and broader scope.
• The American College of Financial Services: Established provider of financial planning designations (CFP, ChFC, CLU) and continuing education. Adjacent incumbent that could expand into life planning content, representing a potential competitive threat and institutional benchmark.

Emerging players

• Peak Advisor Alliance: Coaching and consulting firm helping financial advisors grow practices and improve client relationships. Comparable in addressing the same RIA buyer with practice-management and relationship skills, though less focused on a specific life planning methodology.
• Bill Bachrach / Bachrach Group: Personal branding and practice management coaching for financial advisors. Comparable as a founder-led advisor training brand targeting similar advisor pain points (differentiation, client relationships), with a content-heavy marketing motion similar to Kinder's.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1BA9Rydy6xOEE__tgXR3Ww
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kinder-institute-of-life-planning
• Xx.com/kinderinstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kinder Institute of Life Planning