Guide to Financial Advisor Conferences for 2026

Attending wealth management and investment conferences can be a great opportunity to network and get up to speed on the latest industry trends and news. If you have limited time in your schedule, you may need to pick and choose which ones you attend. Knowing which financial advisor conferences are on the horizon can help you decide where to spend your time.

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Upcoming Investment Conferences 2026

Financial advisor conferences may be theme-specific or cater to certain categories of advisors. Thinking through why you want to attend, whether for networking, education or something else, along with who the conference is designed for, such as independent RIAs, can help you choose the right events for your calendar.

Excell

Excell is a financial advisor conference focused on delivering high-impact education and training for professionals who are ready to grow. The conference features expert-led sessions on the most relevant and timely topics, strategies to help advisors scale, interactive opportunities for networking and engagement and a dedicated space for small-group discussions. Access to the conference is available exclusively to Carson Partners and Carson coaching members. The cost, location and dates for the 2026 conference have yet to be announced.

NAPFA Spring National Conference

Dates: May 6-9, 2026
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cost: TBA

The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) spring conference offers education and networking opportunities for fee-only financial planners who are committed to delivering top-tier services to clients. The spring conference typically draws between 400 to 500 advisors, with 75+ exhibitors in attendance. If you’re currently enrolled in a CFP Board education program, you may apply for a Student Ambassador spot, which includes complimentary registration to the conference and access to all scheduled events.

FinovateSpring

Dates: May 5-7, 2026
Location: San Diego
Cost: $1,299 to $2,898 (when booked by January 23)

FinnovateSpring is a fintech-focused conference for advisors, bankers and other professionals working in the financial services industry. The conference features 50+ live fintech demos as well as keynote addresses and expert-led panels covering a range of tech-related topics. For 2026, the focus is on AI, wealth management, cryptocurrency, regtech, risk management and the economic landscape, among other topics. You may be eligible to attend the conference for free if you qualify for the Finovate Leadership program.

AICPA Engage

Dates: June 8-11, 2026
Location: Las Vegas and live online
Cost: $1,725 to $2,495 (early bird pricing ends February 9)

Scheduled for early June at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, AICPA Engage is the signature event for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. Thousands of attendees come together to learn, network, and explore strategies for career development. This year’s conference agenda includes keynote presentations and panels covering a variety of topics, from advanced estate planning and financial planning to tech innovations in the advisory space.

BNY Mellon INSITE

Dates: June 2-4, 2026
Location: Aurora, Colorado
Cost: TBA

BNY Mellon Pershing’s INSITE is a flagship advisory conference featuring interactive forums, hands-on experiences and chances to network with industry experts, advisors and fintech companies. If you’re especially interested in practice management, this conference could be one worth attending. Note that there has been discussion about this year’s conference being rescheduled, so dates listed above may be subject to change.

FPA GATHER

Dates: Aug. 18-20, 2026
Location: Dallas
Cost: $495 to $795 (early bird pricing applies)

FPA GATHER, formerly the FPA NexGen Gathering is an annual conference that’s designed for financial planners who are in the early stages of their careers. The conference welcomes advisors from all backgrounds to share their expertise and experience, while building new connections. One of the benefits of attendance is the opportunity to earn up to two hours of CFP continuing education credits. Mentor-led cohorts help to elevate the conference experience.

ECHELON Deals & Dealmakers Summit

Dates: Sept. 1-3, 2026
Location: Laguna Niguel, California
Cost: TBA

The ECHELON Deals & Dealmakers Summit is billed as a premier event for wealth management deal makers and focuses primarily on the area of mergers and acquisitions. Attendees can participate in panel sessions with industry experts, while building out valuable network connections. The 2025 conference featured a slate of 50+ subject matter experts, with more than 200 C-suite executives in attendance.

Future Proof Festival

Dates: Sept. 14-17, 2026
Location: Huntington Beach, California
Cost: Registration is not yet open, but advisors can join the waitlist to be notified when tickets go on sale

Future Proof is not your typical advisor conference. Instead, it’s an outdoor festival featuring live music, food trucks and exhibitors from different financial services industry backgrounds. Future Proof brings together thousands of advisors, asset managers and other experts to share ideas about the future of wealth. The estimated total firm AUM in attendance is around $20 trillion, making it one of the largest spots for those in the wealth management space.

Finovate Fall

Dates: Sept. 9-11, 2026
Location: New York
Cost: TBA

If you can’t make it to the spring conference, you can get a second chance at meeting with industry leaders at Finovate Fall. Roughly half of attendees come from the banking and financial services industry, while a quarter represent the fintech space. The fall conference will feature interactive demos as well as panels and keynotes, along with plenty of opportunities to connect with senior-level experts.

FPA Summit

Dates: Nov. 9-11, 2026
Location: National Harbor, Maryland
Cost: TBA

The FPA Summit is one of the largest financial advisor conferences in the world and it attracts a wide variety of industry leaders and financial professionals. This event is geared toward advisors of all different backgrounds and experience levels who are interested in networking and learning. You don’t need to be an FPA member to attend the conference, however, membership can help you unlock certain perks like registration fee discounts that can significantly reduce costs.

Women In Insurance & Financial Services (WIFS) National Conference

The Women In Insurance & Financial Services National Conference is a fall event that brings together women in the insurance industry, as well as those who specialize in financial planning and financial advisory services. Each day of the conference features numerous breakout sessions that target specific areas of interest along with guest speakers and evening meetups. The details of the 2026 conference had not yet been published as of January 2026. You can check the WIFS website calendar for more details about when registration for the 2026 event will open, registration fees and conference agenda.

NAPFA Fall National Conference

Dates: Oct. 14-17, 2026
Location: Atlanta
Cost: TBA

NAPFA’s Fall National Conference is designed for fee-only financial advisors who are interested in growing their knowledge base. Typically, areas of focus include estate planning, practice management and tax planning, among others. You might choose to attend the fall conference if you are unable to make it to the spring event, or if you’d like more opportunities to meet with other fee-only planners in your niche.

NAEPC Advanced Estate Planning Strategies Conference

Dates: May 12 and Oct. 21, 2026
Location: Virtual
Cost: TBA

The NAEPC Advanced Estate Planning Strategies Conference caters to estate planning professionals and estate planning council members who want to expand their technical knowledge, grow their network or move toward a leadership role in their local council. The conference features educational sessions on various estate planning topics, as well as the opportunity for accredited advisors to fulfill their continuing education requirements. For 2026, the conference will be held entirely virtually and advisors can choose from a May or October date to attend.

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Is Attending a Financial Advisor Conference Worth It?

A CFA and her boss prepare to attend a conference

Conferences can bring together financial professionals from different backgrounds, which can be a great chance to make new connections. Networking can be time well spent if the connections that you’re making are able to contribute to your business growth in some way, such as generating new leads through referrals.

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Aside from networking, conferences can help you to expand your knowledge as an advisor if you’re attending workshops, seminars or lectures. You can then take what you’ve learned and implement it in your business, which can help fuel new growth.

When deciding which conferences to attend, it helps to consider their purpose. A simple way to whittle down the list of conferences you might attend is to look at who they’re for. If you’re a fee-based financial advisor, for instance, it probably wouldn’t make sense to go to a conference that’s marketed specifically to fee-only advisors.

Second to that, you may want to think about the cost of attending and what you hope to glean from the experience. If there’s no obvious potential for a return on your investment of time and money associated with a particular conference, then you may want to skip it in favor of a different one.

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Bottom Line

Two CFPs talk over what they learned at a recent conference

Attending investment conferences can yield some significant benefits, regardless of where you are in your financial advisor career. If you’re new to the conference scene, talking to other advisors who have some experience in that area can give you a better idea of what to expect and how to make the most of your time while you’re there.

Tips for Growing Your Advisory Business

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In addition to conferences, there are other possibilities you might explore for growing your network. Joining professional associations, attending local events for financial advisors and leveraging social media are just some of the options for gaining new connections.