By Andrew Welsch

Financial Planning Association CEO Patrick D. Mahoney died Saturday after a long battle with cancer, the organization said Tuesday.

Mahoney, 62, had led the FPA since 2020, first as interim CEO and then on a permanent basis beginning in December 2020. He took over an organization struggling with sharply declining membership. Mahoney strived to revitalize the planning profession's largest organization and boost membership. His tenure also included bringing back the organization's in-person conferences after the pandemic.

FPA President Paul Brahim described Mahoney as a thoughtful and forward-looking leader. "He stepped into an organization facing internal and external challenges," Brahim said in a statement. "He quickly focused on repairing relationships and revitalizing the association, laying a strong foundation for the future. .... We are now a better and stronger association thanks to his efforts."

The FPA, which has more than 17,000 members, said Mahoney and the association developed a succession plan after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2022. Dennis Moore, the FPA's chief operating officer, will serve as interim CEO while the association begins its search for a successor.

Moore is a certified financial planner who joined the FPA staff in 2024. He has also served as volunteer president of the Texas Tech University Personal Financial Planning Alumni Advisory Board, the FPA of West Texas, and the FPA of Dallas/Fort Worth. He also served on the FPA board of directors for six years, according to the association.

The association said its board of directors will convene an executive search committee in the coming weeks.

Mahoney served as CEO of IEEE, an engineering professional association prior to joining the FPA. Earlier in his career, he worked as a speech writer for the mayor of Philadelphia and at S&P Global Ratings. Mahoney, who was born in 1962 in Philadelphia, is survived by his wife of 34 years and their four children, according to an online obituary.

Condolences and reminisces poured in from across the profession. Michael Kitces posted on X that Mahoney "was doing great work to repair FPA National's relationship w/ its chapters to get FPA growing again." Skip Schweiss, CEO at Sierra Investment Management, described Mahoney as a good man and friend who will be missed.

Daniel Yerger, a financial planner in Longmont, Colo., recalled meeting Mahoney at the XYPN Live conference in 2022 in Denver. "We talked about everything from his marriage of then-30-plus years, his advice for me as someone engaged and getting married the following year, and his perspective on how the industry and the world of CFP professionals had changed even in the time of his career," he wrote on his blog.

"Yet, what stands out most to me is the reverence in which he held his son, who was presently serving in the Navy. You can tell a lot about a person's character by what they cherish and for whom they share unconditional regard and affection."

Write to Andrew Welsch at andrew.welsch@barrons.com

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February 04, 2025 16:58 ET (21:58 GMT)

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