Academy of Financial Services

What Academy of Financial Services does

Academy of Financial Services (AFS) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit academic membership organization founded in 1985 and headquartered in DeLand, Florida, with a 40-year track record (celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025). It serves financial planning academics, practitioners, and graduate and undergraduate students through tiered annual memberships priced at $50 for students and $125 for academic and practitioner members, with free membership available to certifying bodies and regulatory authorities. The organization also generates revenue through its annual research conference (held in collaboration with CFP Board as a track within the CFP Connections Conference), tiered sponsorships (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze), and tax-deductible donations directed to initiatives such as Best Paper Awards and student conference grants.

The organization's core product is the Financial Services Review (FSR), the only B-indexed diamond open-access journal in financial planning research, published via the Open Journal System (OJS) platform hosted by the University of Georgia since 2023. FSR transitioned to Diamond Open Access in January 2023, achieved Scopus indexing in 2024, and in 2024 introduced both Continuous Publication and Early Access models that issue DOIs and publish accepted articles individually ahead of issue compilation. AFS complements the journal with a Continuing Education quiz program (12-16 CE hours annually across four issues, with credits automatically updated to CFP Board via FPA's LMS), and a regional chapter system exemplified by the AFS ANZ Chapter in Australia and New Zealand. The technology stack is conventional and lean — Wild Apricot for membership management, OJS for journal publication, and standard conference and email channels — with no proprietary software product.

Go-to-market is community-led, relying on the annual conference, the peer-reviewed journal, regional chapter events, LinkedIn, and email newsletters to reach its three primary segments (academic researchers, financial planning practitioners, and students). Institutional sponsors — FPA, CFP Board, Dalton Education, FP Canada, Morningstar, and University of Georgia — provide recurring sponsorship revenue and ecosystem support. Headcount is in the 11-50 range, the Board comprises up to 21 elected and appointed academic and practitioner directors, and current leadership includes President Michelle Cull (Western Sydney University) and President-Elect Kirsten MacDonald (Griffith University), reflecting the organization's global, university-anchored character.

Name

Academy of Financial Services

Legal name

Academy of Financial Services

Website

https://academyfinancial.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Academy of Financial Services is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit academic membership organization that publishes the B-indexed, Scopus-listed Financial Services Review journal, hosts an annual financial planning research conference with CFP Board, and serves academics, practitioners, students, and certifying bodies worldwide through memberships, regional chapters, and continuing education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Services & Insurance (FINRA, CFP, IAR, Insurance CE) (EDAAALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Credit & Debt Management (Credit Scores, Loans, Repayment) (EDAAAJAC)

Keywords

• Academic membership organization
• Financial planning research
• Peer-reviewed journal publication
• Academic conference services
• Continuing education credits

Headquarters

HQ city

Deland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from Academic, Practitioner, and Student members. Fees are determined by the Board of Directors. Student membership available at $50/year, Academic and Practitioner at $125/year.
2. Conference Revenue: Annual research conference with in-person and virtual attendance. Members receive significant discounts compared to non-members.
3. Sponsorships: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze sponsorship tiers for the annual conference and journal publication. Includes Best Paper Awards sponsorship.
4. Donations: Tax-deductible donations as a 501(C)(6) charitable organization. Donors can direct funds to Best Paper Awards, Financial Services Review editorial costs, International Travel Awards, or Student Conference Registration grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Academy of Financial Services is a global nonprofit academic membership organization that publishes the Financial Services Review, a B-indexed Diamond Open Access peer-reviewed journal in personal financial planning. It complements the journal with an annual research conference (integrated into the CFP Connections Conference), Continuing Education quizzes providing 12-16 CE hours annually, and regional chapters such as AFS ANZ. Membership tiers (Student $50, Academic/Practitioner $125) provide access to journal content, conference discounts, CE credits, the membership directory, and Board eligibility.

Product overview

Academy of Financial Services is a global academic membership organization that operates primarily as a journal publisher and conference organizer. Its core product is the Financial Services Review (FSR), a Diamond Open Access peer-reviewed journal publishing research in personal financial planning and financial services. The organization complements the journal with its Annual Research Conference, Continuing Education quizzes (hosted via FPA's Learning Management System), and regional chapters such as the AFS ANZ Chapter. Membership programs provide access to these resources along with discounts to conferences and eligibility for Board positions. The portfolio is held together by the journal as the primary scholarly output, with conferences and CE programs serving as engagement mechanisms for the academic and practitioner community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Financial Services Review: The B-indexed diamond open-access peer-reviewed journal published by the Academy of Financial Services, allowing free access to researchers for submission and publication and to everyone for access to published research.

Products and services

• Financial Services Review (FSR) A B-indexed Diamond Open Access peer-reviewed academic journal publishing research in personal financial planning and financial services. The journal allows free submission and publication for researchers and free access for all readers. Published through the Open Journal System (OJS) platform managed by the University of Georgia, indexed in Scopus since 2024, and offering Continuous Publication and Early Access models since 2024.
• AFS Annual Research Conference Annual academic conference bringing together financial planning researchers to share unpublished research, with a dedicated research track integrated into the CFP Connections Conference in partnership with CFP Board. Held both in-person and virtually. AFS member registration fee is $200. Best Paper Awards sponsored by CFP Board, FP Canada, Morningstar, and Dalton Education.
• CE Quizzes for Financial Services Review

Quantifiable outcome

• FSR content provides 12-16 hours of CE credits per annum through 4 issues

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Dalton EducationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Dalton Education was the sponsor of the Research Poster Reception in 2023, which included an award for the best research as voted on by attendees. In 2024, Dalton served as Gold Poster Session sponsor.
• FP CanadaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024FP Canada is a 2024 sponsor of a Best Paper Award at the AFS Annual Conference, supporting recognition of outstanding research in financial planning.
• MorningstarminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Morningstar is a 2024 sponsor of a Best Paper Award at the AFS Annual Conference. Additionally, Morningstar representatives participate in AFS Board governance as VP-Marketing and Public Relations.
• University of GeorgiacoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Starting in summer 2023, University of Georgia provided free access and use of the Open Journal System (OJS) for managing the open access publication of Financial Services Review, in addition to ongoing technical support. This platform enables the diamond open access model.
• FPA (Financial Planning Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFPA has been a longtime supporter of AFS and provides value to the profession through research in the Journal of Financial Planning. In 2023, FPA acted as co-publisher of Financial Services Review and supported the AFS Annual Research Conference with financial and logistical support. In 2024, FPA served as Platinum conference sponsor.
• CFP BoardcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCFP Board has been a longtime sponsor of Best Paper Awards at the AFS Annual Conference. In 2024, CFP Board was Gold Awards Dinner Sponsor. CFP Board collaborates with AFS to integrate a dedicated research track into the CFP Connections Conference.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• FP Canada: FP Canada is the certification and standards body for Canadian financial planners. It is a 2024 sponsor of AFS Best Paper Awards and shares the practitioner audience, but operates regionally rather than globally like AFS.

Direct peers

• Financial Planning Association (FPA): FPA is the largest practitioner association for financial planners in the US and publishes the Journal of Financial Planning. It shares AFS's audience (financial planning professionals), co-publishes FSR, and is a Platinum conference sponsor, making it the most directly comparable peer organization.
• American Academy of Financial Management (AAFM): AAFM is a professional designation body offering financial management certifications. It targets a similar audience of financial planning and wealth management professionals and competes for members, continuing education enrollment, and event sponsorship dollars.
• National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA): NAPFA is a US professional association for fee-only financial advisors, offering education and practice resources. It overlaps with AFS in serving financial planning practitioners and competes for member engagement, continuing education partnerships, and event sponsorship.

Broad incumbents

• CFP Board: CFP Board is the certifying body for CFP professionals in the US and a core AFS partner (Gold sponsor, co-host of CFP Connections research track). It is a much larger and more established incumbent operating broadly across certification, standards, and public policy.
• Investment Company Institute (ICI): ICI is the leading association representing regulated investment companies globally. It is a much larger industry body with overlapping membership interests among financial planning practitioners and shares sponsorship overlap with AFS.

Others

• Financial Management Association International (FMA): FMA is a global academic finance association that publishes the Journal of Applied Finance and hosts major research conferences. It serves a similar academic finance audience and competes for the same researcher submissions and sponsorships, though with broader scope beyond personal financial planning.
• American Finance Association (AFA): AFA is the premier academic finance association and publishes the Journal of Finance. It serves the broader academic finance community from which AFS draws its researcher base and competes for high-quality submissions on personal finance topics.

Emerging players

• Dalton Education: Dalton Education is a financial planning education provider and 2024 Gold Poster Session sponsor of AFS. It serves an overlapping practitioner audience through CFP Board-approved coursework and competes for continuing education and conference engagement dollars.
• Personal Finance and Investment (PFI) Symposium: The AFS-ANZ PFI Symposium is an annual research-focused event on personal finance and investment organized by the AFS ANZ Chapter. It represents an emerging academic venue that overlaps AFS's conference franchise in the Australia–New Zealand region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/academy-of-financial-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Academy of Financial Services