Why Choose a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®?

Working with a CFP® professional can help you find the path to achieving your financial goals. Your goals may evolve over the years as a result of shifts in your lifestyle or circumstances such as an inheritance, career change, marriage, house purchase or a growing family. As you begin to consider how best to manage your financial future, you should feel confident knowing that with a CFP® professional, you’re working with someone who has committed to CFP Board, as part of their certification, that they will act in their client’s best interests, at all times when providing financial advice to a client. CFP Board doesn’t guarantee a CFP® professional’s services, but CFP Board may sanction a CFP® professional who does not abide by this commitment.

Why you should choose a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) professional:
Most people think all financial advisors are “certified,” but this isn’t true. Only those who have fulfilled the certification and renewal requirements of CFP Board can display the CFP® certification trademarks which represent a high level of competency, ethics, and professionalism. And because they are held to a fiduciary standard of care when providing financial advising services, a CFP® professional is required to act in your best interest.

Experience

CFP® professionals complete several years of experience prior to earning the right to use the CFP® certification trademarks. This hands-on experience guarantees that CFP® professionals have practical financial advising knowledge, so you can count on them to help you create a realistic plan that fits your individual needs.

Education

Unlike many financial advisors, CFP professionals must develop their theoretical and practical knowledge by completing a comprehensive course of study at a college or university offering a financial planning curriculum approved by the CFP Board.  

Examination

CFP professionals must pass the comprehensive CFP Certification Exam, which tests their abilities to apply financial advising knowledge to real-life situations.  The exam covers the planning process, tax planning, employee benefits and retirement planning, estate planning, investment management and insurance.  This comprehensive exam ensures that a CFP professional is highly qualified to develop a plan for your finances.  

Ethics

When it comes to ethics and professional responsibility, CFP® professionals are held to the highest of standards. They are obliged to uphold the principles of integrity, objectivity, competence, fairness, confidentiality, professionalism and diligence as outlined in CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Standard of Conduct.   The Rules of Conduct require CFP® professionals to put your interests ahead of their own at all times and to act in the best interest of their clients. CFP® professionals are subject to CFP Board sanctions if they violate these standards.

Enforcement

CFP Board’s rigorous enforcement of its Standards of Professional Conduct— including releasing disciplinary information to the public—distinguishes the CFP® certification from the many other designations in the financial services industry. Everyone who seeks CFP® certification is subject to a background check, and those whose past conduct falls short of CFP Board’s ethical and practice standards can be barred from becoming certified. After attaining certification, a CFP® professional who violates CFP Board’s ethical and practice standards becomes subject to disciplinary action up to the permanent revocation of certification. Through diligent enforcement of its ethical and practice standards, CFP Board provides you with the confidence that your CFP® professional is both competent and ethical.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the CFP® certification mark, the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification mark, and the CFP® certification mark (with plaque design) logo in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.