Founder of Sudden Money® Institute & Financial Transitionist® Institute
Susan Bradley, CFP®, CeFT®, is the founder of the Sudden Money® Institute.
Twenty six years ago, Susan founded the Sudden Money® Institute as a community of practice dedicated to helping financial professionals better serve clients navigating life's transitions. Together, we developed practical processes, tools, and a deeper understanding of the personal side of money, recognizing that financial decisions are deeply connected to the human experience.
This collaborative work led to the creation of the Certified Financial Transitionist® (CeFT®) designation and the Financial Transitionist® Institute, the training and certification division that equips financial professionals with the skills to confidently guide clients through change with empathy, clarity, and lasting impact.
Susan has served on the FPA’s National Board of Directors; she currently sits on the National Football League’s Players Association’s Financial Education Advisory Board, and she serves as the Dean of Transitions for the Council of Deans of the Purposeful Planning Institute. She is seen and heard frequently in the national media, including NBC’s Nightly News, CNN, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.
She is the author of Sudden Money: Managing a Financial Windfall (Wiley 2000), and she is also the recipient of the Insiders Forum Iconoclast Award 2017.
FTI Core Faculty & Coaches
Peggy F. Frye, CFP®, CeFT®
Director of Training & Faculty
Peggy Frye is our Lead Trainer & Director of Training.
Peggy is the Principal of Glenayr Family Advisors LLC and an experienced wealth manager, Certified Financial Planner ®, Registered Life Planner®, and Certified Financial Transitionist®. She advises high-net-worth individuals and families using a unique planning and financial advisory approach and counsels clients to achieve life-altering goals using process-specific strategies.
Peggy resides with her husband on Glenayr Farm in central Virginia, where they raise champion Airedale terriers and Angus cattle.
Joan Cox, CFP®,CeFT®, CRPC®
Faculty & Trainer
Joan's testimonial: Have you noticed how sudden and irrevocable life changes influence your thoughts and actions? For years, I’ve seen people struggle to make decisions when their lives are turned upside down. That’s what led me to the CeFT® program.
CeFT® training helps me understand the impact of human transitions or life events. The curriculum uses science-based tools and protocols designed specifically to merge the human and technical sides of financial planning during significant life changes.
Joan had her B.A. from the University of Minnesota in 1976. In 1987, along with the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) designation and in 2001, the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation.
Dr. Moira Somers
Psychologist, Professor
Dr. Moira Somers is a psychologist and professor based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She practices in the areas of financial and business coaching, positive psychology, and neuropsychology. Dr. Somers has a particular interest in the psychological factors that affect people’s financial decisions and actions. Her clients include high-net-worth individuals, business owners, and professional people, all of whom are amid significant life transitions.
Dr. Somers is skilled in helping them address the factors that contribute to procrastination, erraticism, and anxiety around their personal and business finances. Her workshops for financial advisors focus on enhancing communication skills and client retention.
She is the author of Advice That Sticks (Practical Inspiration 2018).
FTI Core Faculty & Coaches
Michael Karwic, CFP® CeFT®
Rick Kahler, MS, CFP®, CFT™, CeFT®
Dr. Ivana Polonijo, PhD, AIF®
Financial Transitionist Specialty Certificates
Christopher Dale, CFP®, CeFT®
Dr. Ivana Polonijo, PhD, AIF®
Nancy Hetrick, CDFA, MAFF
Rose Zealand, CFP®, CeFT®, End of Life Doula
