Financial advisor Sheryl Garrett, founder and long-time owner of the Garrett Planning Network, LLC, completed the sale of her 24-year-old network to a member-owned organization, the GPN Alliance Inc., on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.
“The GPN Alliance was founded in 2022 with the goal of building on Sheryl Garrett’s original, groundbreaking legacy, growing the Network membership and increasing public awareness of the Network’s vision to deliver competent, objective, advice-only financial planning services to the public,” GPN Alliance said in a press release. “Going forward, the Alliance, (a not-for-profit 501(c)6 corporation) will serve as the parent organization of the Network.”
Garrett, who pioneered hourly planning and the advice-only model, didn’t want the public to have to incur sales commissions or commit to ongoing investment management.
“A member buy-out was the perfect way for me to move on to the next chapter in my life while preserving the values of the Network and the community we worked so hard to build. I’m looking forward to seeing the Alliance build on what we started,” she said in the release.
Sheryl testified as an expert witness before Congress on financial literacy and Social Security reform and served on the House Subcommittee for Financial Services to shape regulations targeting predatory lending practices. She received industry awards and was an honorary guest at White House receptions for supporting proposals on the fiduciary standard and the retirement security rule.
“Sheryl built a unique, dedicated community of financial planners with a passion for delivering as-needed financial advice. But the need for competent, objective, advice-only financial planning is greater than ever. It’s our hope the Alliance will continue to grow Network membership and carry Sheryl’s vision forward,” Chuck Clifton, GPN Alliance board president, said in the release.
Eileen Freiburger, GPN’s managing director and formerly a long-time member of the network, is also excited about building on Sheryl’s legacy and continuing to support and grow the network’s membership.
Membership in the GPN Alliance is open to Garrett Planning Network members and others who meet the requirements. For information, visit the Alliance website.
