Chia-Li Chien, Ph.D, CFP®, PMP®, CPBC

About

Chia-Li Chien, Ph.D., CFP®, PMP®, CPBC, bridges academic research and professional practice through evidence-based financial planning education, community engagement, and practitioner development. Her work focuses on retirement planning, retirement spending behavior, financial well-being, advisor development, and preparing future financial planning professionals for an evolving profession.  

Before entering academia, Dr. Chien held senior leadership positions with Fortune 500 organizations, including Diageo, ABB, CIGNA, and RSA Insurance Group. She is a nationally recognized speaker, author of three award-winning books, and active contributor to the financial planning profession through research, education, mentoring, and professional service. 

Dr. Chien earned her Ph.D. in Retirement and Financial Planning from The American College of Financial Services. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® (CFP®) practitioner, Project Management Professional (PMP®), Certified Professional Business Coach (CPBC), and Extended DISC Certified Professional.  

Chia-Li Chien is pronounced Jolly Jan. 

Research Interests

Succession and Retirement 

Select Publications

Karthaus, J. P., Chien, C.-L., Bennetts, C.R., & Evania, Z. (2026, July). A Probability-Based Framework for Life Insurance Evaluation. Journal Of Financial Service Professionals. Vol. 80, No. 4, pp. 35-49.

Karthaus, J. P., Chien, C., Bennetts, C.R., & Evania, Z. (in press). A Probability-Based Framework for Life Insurance Evaluation. Journal Of Financial Service Professionals.  

Karthaus, J. P., & Chien, C. (2026, Feb). Sequence of Return Risk in Variable Universal Life and the Role of Allocated Charges. Journal Of Financial Service Professionals. Vol. 80, No. 2. pp. 28-33. 

 

Nourallah, M., Chan, H.R., Chien, C., Öhman, P. (2025, March 28). Financial Capability and Well-being among Financial Advisors. Financial Planning Review, 8(2), e70002. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cfp2.70002 

Chien, C., & Hiebert, D., (2023). Valuing a privately held firm: the discounted cash flow method. In SAGE Business Cases. SAGE Publications, Ltd., https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781529624786. 

Karakachian, H.J. & Chien, C., (2023). A Case Study of Non-U.S. Person Buying Real Estate Property in the U.S. In SAGE Business Cases. SAGE Publications, Ltd. https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781529619249 

Chien, C. (2022). Accounting for Retirement Asset Distributions during the Decumulation Stage of Life. In J. Grable & S. Chatterjee (Ed.), De Gruyter Handbook of Personal Finance (pp. 383-404). Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110727692-023 

Chien, C., (2022). How should CBC credit union analyze the effectiveness of a pilot financial education course for working adults?. In SAGE Business Cases. SAGE Publications, Ltd., https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781529796445 

Chien, C., Cosentino, S. W., & Salehi, H., (2022). Retirement income: The case of direct investment in short-term rental property compared to a dividend stock. In SAGE Business Cases. SAGE Publications, Ltd., https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781529794274 

Chien, C., Cosentino, S. W., & Thiel, J. F., (2021). Forecasting assessment revenue: The case of Ventura County Lodging Association. In SAGE Business Cases. SAGE Publications, Ltd., https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781529758184  

Chien, C., (2021). Succession planning in ensemble financial planning practice. In SAGE Business Cases. SAGE Publications, Ltd., https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781529735956 

Chien, C. (2019). Enhancing retirement success rates in the United States: Leveraging reverse mortgages, delaying social security, and exploring continuous work. Switzerland, Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33620-2 

Chien, C. (2017). Selling a Planning Practice: The Relationship between Revenue Multiple and Revenue Size. Journal of Financial Planning 30 (3): 52–61. https://www.financialplanningassociation.org/article/journal/MAR17-selling-planning-practice-relationship-between-revenue-multiple-and-revenue-size