Professional credentials that help us serve you

A Chartered Financial Analyst^® is one of the world’s most respected and recognized investment designations. Successful candidates take an average of four years to earn their CFA charter. They have the skills needed for high-level, specialized asset-management responsibilities, including security analysis, portfolio management and business reporting.

Members of CFA Institute, including charterholders and candidates for the CFA designation, must:

• Act with integrity, competence, diligence, respect, and in an ethical manner with the public, clients, prospective clients, employers, employees, colleagues in the investment profession, and other participants in the global capital markets.
• Place the integrity of the investment profession and the interests of clients above their own personal interests.
• Use reasonable care and exercise independent professional judgment when conducting investment analysis, making investment recommendations, taking investment actions, and engaging in other professional activities.
• Practice and encourage others to practice in a professional and ethical manner that will reflect credit on ourselves and the profession.
• Promote the integrity of, and uphold the rules governing, capital markets.
• Maintain and improve their professional competence and strive to maintain and improve the competence of other investment professionals.

CFA^® and Chartered Financial Analyst^® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

A Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist™ is a professional financial planning designation awarded by the College for Financial Planning to those who create, implement and maintain retirement plans for businesses. Unlike most other professional financial planning and advisory professional designations, the CRPS focuses on wholesale and business clients. Every two years, CRPS professionals must complete 16 hours of continuing education.

A Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ (CRPC™) is someone with a professional financial planning designation awarded by the College for Financial Planning. Individuals may earn the CRPC™ designation by completing a study program and passing a final multiple-choice examination. Successful applicants earn the right to use the CRPC™ designation with their names for two years, which can improve job opportunities, professional reputation and pay. Every two years, CRPC™ professionals must complete 16 hours of continuing education and pay a small fee to continue using the designation.

The study program to become a CRPC™ covers the entire retirement planning process, including meeting multiple financial objectives, sources of retirement income, personal savings, employer-sponsored retirement plans, income taxes, retirement cash flow, asset management, estate planning, and more.

Most people think that all financial planners are “certified,” but this isn’t true. Anyone can call themselves a “financial planner.” Only those who have fulfilled the certification and renewal requirements of CFP Board can display the CFP^® certification marks.

Individuals certified by the CFP Board have taken the extra step to demonstrate their professionalism by voluntarily submitting to the rigorous CFP^® certification process that includes demanding education, examination, experience and ethical requirements. These standards are called “the four E’s,” and they are four important reasons why the financial planning practitioner you select should display the CFP^® certification marks.

When selecting a financial planner, you need to feel confident that the person you choose to help you plan for your future is competent and ethical. The CFP^® certification provides that sense of security by allowing only those who meet the following requirements the right to use the CFP^® certification marks.

CFP^® certification requirements: the four E’s

Education: CFP^® professionals must develop their theoretical and practical financial planning knowledge by completing a robust course of study at a college or university offering a financial planning curriculum approved by the CFP Board. Other options for satisfying the education component include submitting a transcript review or previous financial planning-related coursework to the CFP Board for review and credit, or showing the attainment of certain professional designations or academic degrees.

Examination: CFP^® practitioners must pass a two-day, six-hour CFP^® Certification Examination that tests their ability to apply financial planning knowledge in an integrated format. Based on regular research of what planners do, the exam covers the financial planning process, tax planning, employee benefits and retirement planning, estate planning, investment management and insurance.

Experience: CFP^® professionals must have three years’ minimum experience in the financial planning process prior to earning the right to use the CFP^® certification marks. As a result, CFP^® practitioners possess financial counseling skills in addition to financial planning knowledge.

Ethics: As a final step to certification, CFP^® practitioners agree to abide by a strict code of professional conduct, known as the CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, that sets forth their ethical responsibilities to the public, clients and employers. The CFP Board also performs a background check during this process, and each individual must disclose any investigations or legal proceedings related to their professional or business conduct.

How does CFP Board’s Code of Ethics benefit me?

Through the Code of Ethics, CFP^® practitioners agree to act fairly and diligently when providing you with financial planning advice and services, putting your interests first. The Code of Ethics states that CFP^® practitioners are to act with integrity, offering you professional services that are objective and based on your needs. They are required to provide you with information about their sources of compensation and conflicts of interest in writing.

Ongoing certification requirements

Once certified, CFP^® practitioners are required to maintain technical competence and fulfill ethical obligations. Every two years, they must complete a minimum 30 hours of continuing education to stay current with developments in the financial planning profession and better serve clients. Two of these hours are spent studying or discussing the CFP Board’s Code of Ethics or Practice Standards. In addition to the biennial continuing education requirement, all CFP^® practitioners voluntarily disclose any public, civil, criminal or disciplinary actions that may have been taken against them during the previous two years as part of the renewal process.