The Journal of Financial Planning awarded two researchers for their work as presented at FPA Annual Conference 2025 in Las Vegas.
DENVER (November 18, 2025) – The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) and the Journal of Financial Planning excitedly announce that K. Jeremy Ko, Ph.D., founder of ShoreUp Retirement Solutions, and Harry Mamaysky, Ph.D., professor of professional practice at Columbia Business School, have garnered the Journal of Financial Planning’s 2025 Best Research Award.
“This year, the Journal of Financial Planning featured many invaluable pieces of research that could take financial planners’ practices to the next level in the areas of client service and technical knowledge,” said 2025 FPA President Paul Brahim, CFP®, CEPA®. “Jeremy and Harry’s views on retirement income planning and modern portfolio theory, respectively, when deployed within the profession, can potentially save investors thousands of dollars and endear clients to their planners.”
Following a Call for Papers in the spring, the researchers were invited to present their work at FPA Annual Conference 2025 in Las Vegas, which took place from November 3-5. After evaluating the presentations, the award-winning research topics were:
- How the use of personalized lifespan estimates for investors could improve Social Security claiming strategies to the tune of $9,000 for women and $12,000 for men, compared to non-tailored approaches. Dr. Ko’s research demonstrates that personalized longevity assessments can not only improve retirement income planning but also enhance investor security and, therefore, the planner-client relationship.
- What Dr. Mamaysky has called “‘really’ modern portfolio theory” shows that the best portfolios at different risk levels are constructed by investing in low-cost, liquid, and transparent exchange-traded funds (ETFs) while avoiding extreme positions and being responsive to changing market conditions. Visualizations of this portfolio curation can help planners build trust with their clients. After all, Nitrogen’s 2025 Firm Growth Study found that about 90 percent of investors want to see the rationale for advisers’ recommendations.
“As inflation continues to rise and some American investors are feeling the pinch in their wallets, clients are looking for certainty wherever they can find it. Planners who can help answer pressing questions bring extraordinary relief for their clients,” said Danielle Andrus, editor of the Journal of Financial Planning. “We deeply appreciate the work from Dr. Ko and Dr. Mamaysky to help our planners reshape their thinking and bring the best results to their clients.”
For more information about how to contribute or subscribe to the Journal of Financial Planning, go to fpajournal.org
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About the Financial Planning Association
For 25 years, the Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) has been the leading membership organization and trade association for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professionals and those engaged in the financial planning process. FPA is the CFP® professional’s partner in planning by helping them realize their vision of professional fulfillment through practice support, learning, advocacy, and networking. Learn more about FPA at financialplanningassociation.org.
About the Journal of Financial Planning
First published in 1979, the mission of the Journal of Financial Planning is to expand the body of knowledge in the financial planning profession. With monthly feature articles, interviews, columns, and peer-reviewed technical contributions, the Journal's content is dynamic, innovative, thought-provoking, and directly beneficial to financial planners in their work. Learn more at www.fpajournal.org.