This is our second 40th anniversary issue-the fall installment-and instead of looking backward, we're turning toward the future. I find it so exciting to think about the growth and change ahead for the industry, powered by population changes, technological development and that human perennial, creativity.

We had all kinds of fun seeking out great ideas to share with you. We turned to a lot of visionaries, including Bob Veres, Michael Kitces, Stephanie Bogan, Don Trone and others. We brought in new voices, such as Carmen Wong Ulrich, an author and television commentator on personal finance. And we asked many of our favorite contributors, such as tech guru Joel Bruckenstein and estate planning expert Martin Shenkman, to tee up what's coming in their respective specialties.

We live in a time of fast-paced, unrelenting change. Some people may find that confusing or even exhausting. For a journalist, though, change is exhilarating. We seek out change, celebrate it, chronicle it-and then struggle to adapt to it in our own lives.

For me, personally, change is a vitamin for the spirit. I don't say this as a Pollyanna. I read a lot of commentary bemoaning changes that are leading to (choose one): broke baby boomers bankrupting the entire country; a new American underclass that's unequipped to compete in the global economy; a dictatorship of marketers who track your every move through your iPhone; a Malthusian nightmare as the world struggles to allocate scarce resources. People are so pessimistic; that usually means something great is starting.

I have been thinking a lot lately about a Thornton Wilder play, The Skin of Our Teeth. It was written in 1942, a very dark time for the West. In it, the human race barely escapes annihilation again and again. The play celebrates humanity's energy, resilience and joy. The characters stumble through time, believing in their future-or not. I choose to believe.

-Marion Asnes, editor in chief

Marion Asnes in 2005 became editor of Financial Planning magazine, the leading publication for independent financial planners with a circulation of 115,000.

Before joining Financial Planning, Asnes was a senior editor at Money, helping cover personal finance, retirement, investment and health care issues. Her areas of expertise included retirement and 401(k) planning, asset allocation, and estate planning. Asnes also co-edited Money for Women, an annual edition featured exclusively on “The Today Show” on NBC.

Asnes has contributed to many national publications and has spoken at conferences and symposia ranging from the National Endowment for Financial Education’s Retirement Summit to the National Football League’s Rookie Symposium. In addition, Asnes has appeared on national television programs as an expert on financial and economic topics.

Asnes graduated with a B.A. from Cornell University.