A Journal by John D. Anderson, CFP®
From Here
Forward.
"Wherever you are right now that's where we start."
40 Years in Financial Services
·
CFP®
·
Pro Bono Financial Planning
Welcome
This is a journal. And maybe an invitation to a community.
If you’ve ever wondered how your experience, your skills, or your next chapter might be used to help people who’ve never had access to real financial guidance, you may feel at home here.
I’ve spent more than 40 years in financial services helping advisors grow, differentiate, and build better businesses. Along the way I wrote, spoke, taught, and had a front-row seat to how this profession has evolved. Somewhere in there, people started calling me a thought leader. I appreciated it, but titles can become finish lines.
Lately, I’ve been more interested in what comes after the first mountain.
In May of 2025, an idea took hold: what if I redirected everything I’d learned over four decades toward people who’ve never had access to financial guidance? Not theory or content. Real pro bono financial planning. Conversations for people too that are too often left outside the room.
Before I asked anyone else to believe in it, I challenged myself first. I sat for the CFP® exam. Not because credentials create purpose, but because I wanted to meet this next chapter with the same seriousness I’d asked of others throughout my career.
This site is where I’m documenting what comes next. The choices and missteps. The moments that change my thinking. The small wins that matter more than expected.
But this isn’t only about me.
Maybe you’re a planner who wants to do pro bono work but you need a nudge to get started.
Maybe you’ve sold your business and still have something left to give.
Maybe you work “adjacent” to planning, have your CFP® and wonder what a meaningful second act could look like.
Maybe you run a firm and sense that giving back can shape culture and attract the right people.
Or maybe you just want to watch someone try to build something worthwhile from scratch.
All are welcome here.
This is a journal, not a product. There’s nothing to buy. No sales funnel or marketing campaign. Just an honest look at what it takes to turn experience into service and good intentions into actual work.
My hope is that this becomes more than a place to read. I hope it becomes a place to share ideas, lessons learned, and encouragement. A community.
Doing good work can get lonely. Doing it together is better.
Three things this is about.
Not a firm. Not a pitch. A direction and an open invitation to come along.
01
The Journey
A public record of building something from scratch including the naïve assumptions, the pivots, and the moments that change how I think about our business and myself.
02
Pro Bono Planning
Advocating for a simple idea: everyone deserves access to good financial advice. Not charity, access. Not a product, a plan and a path forward
03
A Path for Others
Our path. Knowing that this is something we should do is not enough. Facilitating conversations for advisors and industry professionals. Just because we are in our second half, it doesn’t mean we can’t build something meaningful.
The Journal
Sharing the road, not just the destination.
All 3 entries →
April 13, 2026
· Entry No.3
Saying It Out Loud: And What About Diversified?
In my last post, I explored the idea behind pro bono financial advice and how that idea of a “Second Mountain” has started to resonate with me in a way it probably wouldn’t have a few years ago. At some point, though, those thoughts have to move beyond reflection. You can only carry an idea around in your head for so long before you have to say it out loud and see what happens. For me, that took a little longer than it probably should have. As I’ve said, the idea itself had been forming for a while....
April 6, 2026
· Entry No.2
Digging Deeper: Why Pro Bono Financial Planning Is My Next Mountain
The response to my first post about pro bono financial planning in this new direction was overwhelming to...
March 30, 2026
· Entry No.1
Why I Earned My CFP® After 40 Years And What Comes Next
After more than 40 years in financial services, I sat down and did the work. Not because I...
jda
About
John D. Anderson, CFP®
CFP® · Financial Services · 40 Years
I've spent most of my career in financial services, selling products, building business solutions, and eventually helping independent advisors build better practices. Along the way I've written and co-written industry white papers, hosted webinars, spoken at more conferences than I can count, and met face-to-face with more advisors than I can remember. I've been called a thought leader more times than felt comfortable.
Now I'm building something different. This site is where I think out loud about what that looks like for me, for the people who have never had access to real financial advice, and for the financial professionals who want their work to mean more. No judgment. No looking back. Just the next part of the journey. It's going to be fun, rewarding, and probably frustrating. Why not do it together?
40 Years in Financial Services
Industry Thought Leader
CFP®
Pro Bono Advocate
Start where you are.
Whether you're an advisor wondering what's next, someone thinking about your own financial picture, or just curious about what this becomes, leave your email. I'll be in touch when it matters.
No pitch. No noise. Just the journey as it unfolds.