WealthManagement.com reported on Nov. 13 that the Financial Planning Association has named Jason Kley, MBA, CFP, AIF, as its 2027 president-elect. The item ran in a People Moves roundup, and this article covers only the FPA election. According to the FPA press release, Kley is Vice President and Associate Advisor Group Lead at Sequoia Financial Group in Minneapolis. WealthManagement.com described him as a Sequoia advisor, but the release's title is the one used here.
The FPA board elected Kley for a one-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2027, according to the organization's release. The release is dated Nov. 9 on PR Newswire, while FPA's own website carries it dated Nov. 10. Kley has served on the FPA board for two years. He succeeds D. Crystal Alford-Cooper, CFP, who becomes FPA president for 2027.
The release also reported other board changes for 2027. Juan Hernandez-Ariano was re-elected Treasurer. Three new board members were added: Judith Brown of SC&H Wealth, Matt Goren of the Brett Danko Education Center, and Michael McMeans of Silverling Financial. The 2027 board will have 14 members. Dan Galli, FPA's 2026 president, praised Kley's service to the national board and to FPA of Minnesota, according to FA Magazine.
FPA is a Denver-based membership organization for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professionals, as WealthManagement.com described it. FPA's website lists Dennis J. Moore, CFP, as chief executive officer. A 2023 Financial Planning report put FPA's membership at nearly 22,000 financial planners at that time, an older figure that predates the current board. The succession was previewed in advance: ThinkAdvisor reported the 2026 president-elect in November 2025, and that coverage anticipated the 2027 transition.
Sequoia Financial Group, which says it was founded in 1991, is led by Chairman and CEO Tom Haught, according to the firm's website. Sequoia describes itself as an SEC-registered wealth manager and says its investment advisory services are offered through Sequoia Financial Advisors, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary. The firm reported more than $36 billion in assets under management as of Sept. 30, 2026, up from an earlier figure of $34.9 billion as of June 30, 2026. Barron's ranked Sequoia 20th on its 2026 list of top advisory firms, published in September 2026, and has named it a top RIA for eight consecutive years through 2026. Valeas Capital took a minority investment in Sequoia in October 2022, with follow-on investments in 2024, according to Valeas's portfolio page.
Sequoia has also expanded through acquisitions. According to the firm, it acquired Boulder-based BSW Wealth Partners, which had $2.3 billion in client assets under management as of June 30, 2026. In August 2026 it acquired All Star Financial, a Twin Cities wealth manager with $1.3 billion in client AUM. Sequoia also acquired Boulder-based Quish, which had more than $175 million in client assets as of Sept. 30, 2026. These figures come from Sequoia's own announcements and have not been independently verified.
The FPA release does not describe the organization's 2027 priorities, and none of the sources report on Kley's plans for the presidency. Kley takes office as president-elect for the one-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2027, with Alford-Cooper moving into the FPA presidency at the same time.