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CFP Board Mission:

The mission of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. 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. Learn more about CFP Board >

LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT: CFP Board and the Financial Planning Coalition encourage you to express your opposition to HR 4624, which would outsource SEC oversight of investment advisers to one or more self-regulatory organizations. The Financial Planning Coalition strongly supports increased examinations of investment advisers; however, creating a costly new layer of regulation – one that will particularly harm smaller advisory firms – is not the right answer. Tell Congress that you oppose HR 4624 and support funding the SEC to increase adviser examinations.

CFP BOARD'S PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN:  Increasing public awareness is central to CFP Board's mission to benefit the public by granting the CFP® certification and upholding it as the recognized standard of excellence for personal financial planning. In April 2011, CFP Board released its first large-scale public awareness campaign to raise the awareness of CFP® certification featuring advertisements in national print publications, in online resources, and on national cable television channels featuring the public service website for finding CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals.
 
CFP® Professionals: Learn more about the campaign's development and implementation, view and download materials you can use to extend the reach of the campaign, and access new CFP® certification mark artwork through our public awareness campaign toolkit.

Upcoming Events:

CFP® CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION, JULY 20-21: Registration for the July 2012 CFP® Certification Examination is open through June 5, 2012. Apply for the exam >

2012 CFP BOARD REGISTERED PROGRAM CONFERENCE, AUGUST 9-10: CFP Board's annual conference brings together representatives from institutions around the country that provide professional financial planning education and assist individuals in pursuing CFP® certification. This year's conference will take place August 9-10, 2012, in Washington, DC. Registration will be available soon. Learn more >

Announcements:

MARCH 2012 CFP® EXAM UPDATE: Exam results are available online via examinees' online accounts. Exam results will NOT be released over the phone, by fax or by email. CFP Board wishes all examinees the best as they receive their results.

CFP BOARD SEEKS QUALIFIED CANDIDATES FOR 2013 BOARD OF DIRECTORS: CFP Board seeks individuals to serve four-year terms on CFP Board's Board of Directors beginning in January 2013. The deadline for submitting a completed application form is June 15, 2012. Read more and download an application >

REQUEST FOR COMMENTS ON PROPOSED SANCTION GUIDELINES:
CFP Board is accepting comments through May 30, 2012, on proposed Sanction Guidelines for use in hearings before the Disciplinary and Ethics Commission and the Appeals Committee of the Board of Directors. Read the proposal >
Read comments received by CFP Board >

CFP BOARD ADOPTS NEW BANKRUPTCY DISCLOSURE PROCEDURES:
CFP Board's Board of Directors recently adopted a new procedure for addressing CFP® professionals and candidates for certification who have filed a single bankruptcy within the previous five years and are not under investigation by CFP Board for any other conduct. The new procedures, effective July 1, 2012, were adopted following thoughtful consideration of comments received during a public comment period in early 2012.
- Read more about the new bankruptcy disclosure procedures >
- Read more about the public comment period >

CFP BOARD AMENDS DISCIPLINARY RULES AND PROCEDURES:
CFP Board's Board of Directors recently approved a series of amendments to CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules. The amendments, effective June 1, 2012, were adopted following thoughtful consideration of comments received during a public comment period in fall 2011.
- Read more about the amendments to CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules >
- Read more about the public comment period >

CFP BOARD ADOPTS AMENDMENTS TO EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT:
CFP Board's Board of Directors recently approved amendments to the Experience requirement for initial CFP® certification. The amendments, effective September 1, 2012, were adopted following thoughtful consideration of comments received during a public comment period in fall 2011.
- Read more about the amendments to the Experience requirement >
- Read more about the public comment period >

NEW JOB TASK DOMAINS & PRINCIPAL TOPICS FOR 2012: CFP Board's extensive 2009 Job Analysis Study identified new Job Task Domains, which serve as the blueprint for the March 2012 and later administrations of the CFP® Certification Examination, and new Principal Topics, which serve as a curricular framework for CFP Board-Registered Programs. Effective January 1, 2012, CFP Board will accept for CE credit only programs that address subject topics identified in either the lists of Job Task Domains or Principal Topics.
-   Download the list of Job Task Domains >
-   Download the list of Principal Topics >

LEGISLATIVE ACTION CENTER: CFP Board and the Financial Planning Coalition strongly encourage those of you who with representatives on the House Committee on Financial Services to express your opposition to HR 4624, which would create one or more SROs to oversee investment advisers.
- Check to see if your representative is on the Committee
- Contact your representative through CFP Board's Legislative Action Center

CFP BOARD'S POLICY CENTER: CFP Board’s Policy Center allows you to keep-up-to date on CFP Board’s involvement in legislative and regulatory issues affecting the financial planning profession. Read more >

FINANCIAL PLANNING COALITION UPDATE:

The Financial Planning Coalition is engaged with a number of initiatives related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), a historic and comprehensive financial regulatory reform bill. Learn more >

CFP Board News:

BALANCING PERSONAL FINANCIAL RISKS AND REWARDS

May 15, 2012 – Unforeseen, costly emergencies and expenses are often a fact of life. That doesn’t mean there aren’t steps consumers should take to minimize their impact and ensure personal financial security. According to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Consumer Advocate Eleanor Blayney, CFP®, limiting exposure to risk and getting the right insurance is crucial to protecting one’s financial well-being. Full Article >

FINANCIAL PLANNING COALITION ANNOUNCES UNITED OPPOSITION TO LEGISLATION CREATING AN SRO FOR INVESTMENT ADVISERS

April 25, 2012 – The Financial Planning Coalition released the following statement in response to the introduction of the Investment Adviser Act of 2012, sponsored by Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy. Full Article >

USING THIS YEAR’S TAX RETURN TO SAVE MONEY IN 2013

April 9, 2012 – According to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Consumer Advocate Eleanor Blayney, CFP®, Americans can use this year’s tax return as a guide to achieving greater future tax savings. Full Article >

Recent CFP Board Events:

WEBINAR: HOW IS CFP BOARD PROTECTING THE CFP® MARKS? MAY 2, 2012: Christopher Beard, CFP®, 2012 Chair of CFP Board's Disciplinary and Ethics Commission, and Michael P. Shaw, CFP Board's Managing Director, Professional Standards & Legal outlined recent updates to CFP Board's enforcement procedures, including new procedures addressing bankruptcy filings and amendments to CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures. View the recorded webinar >

WEBINAR: SPRING 2012 UPDATES FOR REGISTERED PROGRAMS, APRIL 19, 2012: CFP Board's Dr. Chaffin Dr. Chaffin discussed a number of items relative to CFP Board-registered academic programs. View the recorded webinar >

BUSINESS UPDATE WEBINAR, MARCH 9, 2012: CFP Board's leadership shared the latest updates on CFP Board's activities and accomplishments, including public policy advocacy and CFP Board's public awareness campaign to raise awareness of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals. View the recorded webinar >