Ray Ferrara Honored with FPA’s Highest Individual Award

Ray Ferrara, CFP^®, took the stage during the general session on Thursday at the FPA Annual Conference—BE Baltimore, to accept the P. Kemp Fain Jr. Award, with a standing ovation from his financial planning peers.

The annual award is bestowed upon an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the financial planning profession in the areas of service to society, academia, government and professional activities, and upholds FPA’s Core Values of competence, integrity, relationships and stewardship. It is FPA’s highest individual award.

“I’m humbled, I’m honored, and I appreciate FPA’s recognition,” Ferrara said. He thanked his wife of 46 years and told the room of planners, academics, and financial services industry company representatives that there is life after being a fiduciary. “You can prosper and thrive as a fiduciary, regardless of the headlines.”

Ferrara, who is chair and CEO of ProVise Management Group in Clearwater, Fla., has four decades of experience and has served on the board of directors for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc., FPA, and National Advisor’s Trust Company.

For more than a decade, Ferrara hosted radio’s “Talking Money” and authored several articles, videos, and CDs on various financial topics. He was featured as one of America’s best financial planners in the book Secrets of the Wealth Makers and is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award given by the FPA of Tampa Bay Chapter.

While serving as chair of CFP Board’s board of directors, Ferrara was active in the Financial Planning Coalition’s work to advocate for the DOL’s amended definition of “fiduciary” under ERISA. Ferrara has been a strong proponent of a fiduciary standard as well as for making the most of the opportunities that rulemaking provided to raise the visibility and reputation of the profession.