This is the story of the slow, painful, exhilarating evolution of the financial planning profession: a small candle of idealism which has, against all odds, defined new standards for financial advice and provided many thousands of consumers with a guided journey from quite financial desperation to prosperity. It is a history that goes beyond the dry facts and dates and milestones, offering the backstories and the personalities that have shaped the profession over more than four decades—and how they have overcome the many obstacles put in their path by the brokerage industry and the regulators under their control.