A commitment to
professionalism.

Held by Mitch Harris

In life, it's important to find a financial planner you trust to provide sound, unbiased advice and professional services. Being CFP® certified means someone has voluntarily taken the extra steps needed to provide the highest possible standard of financial planning to those they serve. To become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ one must pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Exam, have a minimum of three years' professional experience in financial planning process and must be approved by the CFP Board, which involves an extensive background check — including an ethics, character and criminal check. To maintain certification, CFP® license holders must complete 30 hours of continuing education accepted by the CFP Board every two years.

How does working with a CFP® certified advisor benefit you? CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals are held to the utmost standards of ethics and professional responsibility, which prepares them for a career-long commitment to provide truly personalized services to meet your needs; all while maintaining high levels of financial planning and professionalism. CFP® professionals maintain their professional edge through ongoing education and training in addition to the rigorous requirements to represent a high level of integrity, objectivity, competence, fairness, confidentiality, professionalism and diligence when working with you.

Most people think that all financial planners are “certified” but this isn't true. Anyone can call himself or herself 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 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 can help to provide that sense of security by allowing only those who meet the following requirements the right to use the CFP® certification marks.

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.

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 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.

Held by Kevin Kane

The CRPC® Program focuses on the pre- and post-retirement needs of individuals.

Financial advisors face an increasingly complex onslaught of retirement planning questions as aging baby boomers look for investments to meet their lifestyle needs in 10 years, 20 years, and beyond, as well as determining when they can actually retire. These clients demand a high level of trust from their advisors.

The topics in CRPC® are structured in logical order, examining the entire retirement process — from start to finish — via real client situations and models defining useful retirement techniques. There are 12 topic areas in all.

The course materials define a “road map to retirement,” focusing on clients' pre- and post-retirement needs, as well as issues related to asset management and estate planning.

• Successfully complete the program
• Pass the final examination
• Comply with the Code of Ethics
• Complete 16 hours of continuing education every two years

Held by Kevin Kane and Mitch Harris

The AAMS™ designation is designed to have individuals thinking in a more broad context in terms of investments and financial planning.

The growing emphasis on building lasting client relationships and gathering assets under management is changing the way the investment community conducts business. Many of the country's top investment firms were involved in developing the AAMS™ program, making it uniquely suited to the needs of today's investment professionals.

The course covers a logical progression of topics, enabling advisors to think in terms of clients' total financial situations, not just their investments. The result is an enhanced ability to identify opportunities and employ strategies with regard to investments as well as planning for insurance, tax, retirement, and estate issues.