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CFP Board News - October 2007


ASHA P. WILLIAMS NAMED AS CFP BOARD'S MANAGING DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

CFP Board has named Asha P. Williams as its new Managing Director of Communications and Marketing, effective October 18, 2007. Ms. Williams joins CFP Board with more than 20 years of high-level experience in the marketing field, and has authored numerous research reports on topics closely related to marketing. Prior to joining CFP Board, Ms. Williams served as Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the Society of Financial Service Professionals in Newton Square, PA, where she was a key member of the organization’s leadership team, helping to provide education, professional resources and ethical guidance to over 18,000 financial professionals.

In her new role, Ms. Williams will work to enhance public awareness of the value of financial planning and CFP® certification through integrated communications and marketing strategies. Key to that work will be establishing effective working relationships with organizations whose missions are aligned with CFP Board’s.

“Asha is a high-caliber communications professional whose experience will make her an asset to our organization,” said Kevin R. Keller, CAE, Chief Executive Officer of CFP Board. “We are pleased to have the benefit of her knowledge as CFP Board moves toward the next phase of its evolution.”

Ms. Williams’ career includes serving at MONY Financial Services, where she was responsible for managing marketing research, planning and product development functions for the group insurance division. She also served as a Vice President of Market Development at Beacon Corporate Benefit Services, where she developed the company’s strategic business plan, and led the marketing and communications campaigns. As a marketing and strategy consultant at Consortium Health Plans, Ms. Williams conducted market research and directed the marketing and sales promotional activities for the company. Ms. Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. Xavier’s College in Bombay, a master’s degree in Psychology from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from New York University.

“CFP Board’s long and distinguished history makes me proud to be joining its leadership team at this critical juncture,” said Ms. Williams. “As the organization progresses in its mission to serve consumers and be an effective regulator, I look forward to working with CFP Board’s leadership, financial planning professionals and especially the public.”

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J. BARRON KNIGHT, ESQ. NAMED AS CFP BOARD'S DIRECTOR OF PROFESSIONAL REVIEW

CFP Board has named J. Barron Knight, Esq. to the position of Director of Professional Review, effective immediately. Mr. Knight brings to CFP Board strong experience in handling enforcement actions related to all aspects of the financial services industry, most recently in his role as Special Counsel in the Office of Regulatory Policy at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA, formerly NASD), where his responsibilities included serving as lead counsel for the organization's Liaison Program, drafting policy and procedural guidelines for FINRA's membership application process, and providing advice on litigation strategy for FINRA's membership application disciplinary proceedings.

At CFP Board, Mr. Knight will direct professional review operations, coordinate investigations related to alleged violations of CFP Board’s ethical standards and work with CFP Board’s Disciplinary and Ethics Commission to conduct disciplinary proceedings.

“CFP Board is very pleased to have someone with Jay’s credentials and experience joining our organization,” said Kevin R. Keller, CAE, Chief Executive Officer of CFP Board. “His knowledge of financial markets and regulatory affairs will be instrumental to our leadership team, and his enforcement experience will benefit CFP Board’s ongoing work to uphold strong ethical standards for CFP® professionals.”

Mr. Knight is an attorney admitted to practice in the state of Maryland. He began his legal career as a staff attorney in the Securities Division of the Office of the Attorney General, Maryland, where he acted as a lead attorney on administrative and civil enforcement actions against investment advisers, broker-dealers, issuer agents and unregistered entities. From May 2002 to September 2005, Mr. Knight served as an Assistant Director in the Securities Bureau of the Department of Insurance, Securities & Banking for the District of Columbia, where he developed securities regulatory policies and managed and directed a division of examiners, investigators and attorneys. Mr. Knight also designed, executed and coordinated examination programs and enforcement actions involving broker-dealers, investment advisers, issuer agents and their employees.

“I am delighted to be joining this new team,” said Mr. Knight. “CFP Board has long promoted strong ethical standards for financial planners and maintained an active enforcement process. The recent updates to CFP Board’s ethical standards make them even stronger, with greater benefits for the public, and I look forward to being involved in their implementation.”

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RESULTS FROM JULY 2007 CFP® CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION RELEASED

Score results for the July 2007 CFP® Certification Examination were recently released to exam takers. The 2-day, 10-hour exam was conducted at 50 sites nationwide. 1,180 (51 percent) of the 2,307 individuals who sat for the exam in July received a passing mark.

CFP Board's CFP® Certification Examination requires full integration of knowledge covered in CFP Board's 89-subject financial planning topic list and is designed to evaluate one's ability to apply a comprehensive understanding of financial planning to real-life financial planning situations.

The next exam will be held November 16-17, 2007. The application deadline for the November 2007 exam is October 3, 2007. Read more about the CFP® Certification Examination.

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MARCH 2008 EXAM RESCHEDULED

CFP Board has changed the dates of the March 2008 CFP® Certification Examination to March 28-29, 2008. The original exam dates (March 21-22) fell on Easter weekend. To ensure the availability of proctors and exam facilities, and to accommodate the examinees, CFP Board elected to move the exam dates back one week. All related deadlines for the March 2008 Exam remain the same, including the application deadline (February 6, 2008). Only the exam dates have changed.

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PRIOR YEAR TAX LAW TO BE TESTED ON MARCH CFP® CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION

Effective with the March 2008 CFP® Certification Exam, all exams administered in March will test over prior year tax law. The March exam administrations will provide the prior year tax tables and candidates will be expected to use prior year rates and limits with respect to retirement contributions, phaseouts, estate tax and annual exclusion.

Historically, the March exam administrations provided prior year income tax tables, but candidates were expected to use current year rates and limits with respect to everything else (retirement contributions, phaseouts, estate tax, annual exclusion). CFP Board’s Council on Examinations made the modification at its September 2007 Council meeting in an effort to eliminate confusion for candidates.

Examples of the tables provided to exam takers can be found at: www.CFP.net/become/taxtables.asp.

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT CFP BOARD'S WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS

CFP Board seeks to fill several important positions at CFP Board’s Washington, D.C. headquarters, including Director of Examinations, Director of Education and Director of Public Policy. CFP Board’s new office in the nation’s capital offers employees the unique chance to join an established organization as it moves toward operational excellence and increased influence under new leadership. Interested individuals are encouraged to learn more about available employment opportunities at www.CFP.net/aboutus/jobs.asp.

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