Journalist Matt Taibbi Will Speak at College for Financial Planning's 2013 National Conference

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO--(Marketwire - Mar 14, 2013) - The College for Financial Planning (CFFP), the nation's premier provider of financial services education, recently announced it will welcome Matt Taibbi as a speaker at the school's annual National Conference in Las Vegas on May 6 and 7, 2013.

Taibbi is a well-known and, at times, controversial journalist who covers finance and politics for Rolling Stone Magazine. He is also the co-founder of the Buffalo-based newspaper and website, The Beast, as well as a recurring panelist on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher." Taibbi won the 2008 National Magazine Award for Columns and Commentary for three Rolling Stone columns. His New York Press column on George Bush's prewar press conference, "Cleaning the Pool," was included in the Best Political Writing 2003 anthology, and a year later the New York Observer named him one of the 35 most influential New Yorkers under 35.

Taibbi's May 6 presentation, "What caused the 2008 Crash? Origins of the subprime debacle and other financial schemes through history," will lead attendees through the decisions and events that led to the stock market crash and the current recession, as well as other questionable events in America's financial timeline.

"About 95 percent of my sources work in the finance industry, so my reporting reflects a point of view of a certain segment of that professional community -- mainly, a group of people who are trying to do their jobs ethically but are having a difficult time doing so, or feel that the financial services industry in general is headed down a dangerous path," Taibbi said. "Many of their complaints are too complicated or esoteric for me to talk about in a rock magazine, so it's always fun for me to meet with financial professionals and exchange stories with them. It's for that reason that I'm so excited to be doing this event; it's a rare opportunity for me."

"We pride ourselves on attracting the financial industry's best minds to engage with the professionals who attend our annual conferences," said Jim Pasztor, Vice President of Academic Affairs at the College. "Matt Taibbi's immense success as a journalist who is not afraid to speak his mind conveys the type of critical thinking that we encourage our students to practice in their professional careers."

In addition to Taibbi's presentation, the College's 2013 National Conference will focus on the increasing role of diversity in the financial planning world. Session topics include financial planning for the Hispanic population, same-sex couples and financial planning across generations, and uncovering wealth in a client's executive compensation plan. The conference will also feature a CFP Board Code of Ethics presentation, which is a requirement for those who hold the CFP^® certification. A complete list of speakers and sessions is available on the College's website at http://www.cffpinfo.com/conference.html.

To learn more about the College's 2013 Annual Conference or the certifications and graduate degrees the College offers, visit www.cffpinfo.com.

About the College for Financial Planning
Founded in 1972, the College for Financial Planning provides accessible and flexible degree, non-degree, and continuing professional education programs to students nationwide. Shortly after its founding, the College introduced the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification, which has evolved into the world's most recognized and respected financial planning credential, with more than 50,000 professionals in the U.S. having earned the designation.

In addition to its CFP Certification Professional Education Program, the College offers three graduate degree programs for more in-depth knowledge of the finance industry. Professional designation programs are also available, with specializations from asset management to retirement planning. More than 135,000 students have graduated from the College's programs. The College for Financial Planning is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association. For more information, visit www.cffpinfo.com.