Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.
To attain the right to use the CFP® marks, an individual must satisfactorily fulfill the following requirements:
Education – Complete an advanced college-level course of study addressing the financial planning subject areas that CFP Board’s studies have determined as necessary for the competent and professional delivery of financial planning services, and attain a Bachelor’s Degree from a regionally accredited United States college or university (or its equivalent from a foreign university). CFP Board’s financial planning subject areas include insurance planning and risk management, employee benefits planning, investment planning, income tax planning, retirement planning, and estate planning;
Examination – Pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Examination. The examination, administered in 10 hours over a two-day period, includes case studies and client scenarios designed to test one’s ability to correctly diagnose financial planning issues and apply one’s knowledge of financial planning to real world circumstances;
Experience – Complete at least three years of full-time financial planning-related experience (or the equivalent, measured as 2,000 hours per year); and
Ethics – Agree to be bound by CFP Board’s Standards of Professional Conduct, a set of documents outlining the ethical and practice standards for CFP® professionals.
Candidates for the RICP® designation must complete a minimum of three college-level courses and are required to pass a series of two-hour proctored exams. They must also have three years of experience, meet stringent ethics requirements, and participate in The College's continuing education program.
The RICP® educational curricula is the most complete and comprehensive program available to professional finacial advisors looking to help their clients create sustainable retirement income. The rigorous three-course credential helps advisors master retirement income planning, a key focus area not fully covered in other professional designation programs.
