Please join me in congratulating Dawson on earning his CFP® designation! This major accomplishment demonstrates his commitment to financial planning and dedication to our clients.
Our industry is tricky because anyone can call themselves a financial planner (whether they are qualified to do so or not!). When you choose a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, you know that you are working with a financial advisor who has demonstrated competency and is committed to ethics. CFP®professionals must complete a multi-year, multi-step process to obtain the skills and real-life experience needed to serve your best interests and must act as a fiduciary to do so.
I am particularly proud that all four of us: Dawson, Stephanie, Virginia, and myself, are all CFP® certified. We have all met and continue to adhere to the following requirements:
Education
We all hold at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, have completed a comprehensive financial planning curriculum approved by CFP® Board, and must uphold our continuing education requirements every two years.
The curriculum includes these major personal financial planning areas:
- professional conduct and regulation
- general principles of financial planning
- risk management and insurance planning
- investment planning
- tax planning
- retirement savings and income planning
- estate planning
- psychology of financial planning
- financial plan development
Exam
The most daunting of the requirements is the 6-hour, comprehensive exam that tests knowledge of financial planning principles and how to apply those principles to real-world client scenarios.
Ethics
As mentioned before, perhaps the most important of the requirements is that we are committed to acting as fiduciaries, which means working in our clients’ best interests at all times when providing financial advice. Each of us had to submit a detailed background check to meet this requirement.
Experience
The final requirement for certification is that each of us must have completed at least 2 years of real-life experience providing financial planning services.
Clearly, we are dedicated to this profession and each member of the team having the CFP® designation demonstrates that we are all prepared to meet your needs as you work towards your financial and life goals! If you or someone you know is interested in pursuing a career in financial planning, please have them reach out to us. We are passionate about what we do and happy to share our experiences!