Certified Financial Planner^®

1. What is CFP Board's Mission?

   The mission of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) is to benefit the public by granting the CFP^® certification and upholding it as the recognized standard of excellence for competent and ethical personal financial planning.

2. What are CFP Board's Core Objectives?

   CFP Board has established five core objectives that support CFP Board's mission.

   • Competency: Establish and uphold rigorous competency standards for CFP^® certification.
   • Professional Standards & Enforcement: Protect the public's interest through the establishment and enforcement of rigorous financial planning ethical and practice standards.
   • Public Advocacy: Influence policy to benefit the public and increase access for all to competent and ethical financial planning.
   • Communications & Outreach: Increase public and stakeholder awareness of and preference for CFP^® certification as the standard for financial planning.
   • Sustainability: Strengthen CFP Board's capacity to achieve its mission.
      
3. What are the CFP^® certification requirements?

   CFP Board's primary operational areas focus on establishing and upholding rigorous competency standards for the CFP^® certification, as administered through the "four E's" of Education, Examination, Experience, and Ethics.

   1. Education: Candidates for certification must meet CFP Board's core financial planning knowledge requirements and have a bachelor's degree (or higher), or its equivalent, in any discipline, from an accredited college or university in order to obtain CFP^® certification.
   2. Examination: The CFP^® Certification Examination is a comprehensive 285-question exam that assesses your ability to apply your knowledge to financial planning situations.
   3. Experience: Three years of full-time relevant personal financial planning experience is required.
   4. Ethics: The final component of the initial CFP^® certification process is the ethics requirement. CFP^® certification requires you to agree to adhere to CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Financial Planning Practice Standards, and to acknowledge CFP Board's right to enforce them through its Disciplinary Rules and Procedures.

   Once you have been authorized to use the CFP^® mark, you must meet CFP Board's renewal standards to continue to use them.

4. How do I register for the CFP^® exam?

   Candidates can register for the CFP^® exam online.

5. CFP Board's contact information:

   Website: www.cfp.net
   Email: examinatons@cfpboard.org
   Phone: 800. 487.1497 (Toll-Free)

Please visit CFP Board's website for more information about CFP^® certification. Kaplan Schweser is an independent educational training firm assisting candidates in preparing for the CFP^® exam, and is not affiliated with CFP Board.