Ethics
Guide to CFP® Certification

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 to Financial Planning Practice Standards, and to acknowledge CFP Board's right to enforce them through its Disciplinary Rules and Procedures. By signing the CFP® Certification Application, individuals agree to be bound by CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Practice Standards. This demonstrates to the public that you have agreed to provide personal financial planning in the client's best interest and to act in accordance with the highest ethical and professional standards for the practice of financial planning.

Before being authorized to use the CFP® certification marks, and each time you renew your certification, you must disclose whether you have ever been involved in any criminal, civil, self-regulatory organization or governmental agency inquiry, investigation or proceeding. You must also acknowledge the right of CFP Board to enforce its Code of Ethics and Practice Standards through its Disciplinary Rules and Procedures.

CFP Board has developed character and fitness standards for candidates for certification to ensure an individual's conduct does not reflect adversely on his or her fitness as a candidate for CFP® certification, or upon the profession or the CFP® certification marks. CFP Board determined that such standards would also benefit individuals who are interested in attaining CFP® certification, as many candidates have indicated that if they had known that their prior conduct would bar or delay their certification, they would not have sat for the CFP® Certification Examination. These Candidate Fitness Standards became effective on January 1, 2007.

Please be aware that, if you disclose matters on your CFP® Certification Application, or if CFP Board discovers that you have been involved in matters that may give rise to a violation of the Code of Ethics or Practice Standards, your certification may be delayed pending CFP Board's review of the matters. Additionally, if the matters involve serious misconduct, CFP Board reserves the right to permanently deny you the right to obtain the CFP® certification. All such ethics reviews will be conducted in accordance with CFP Board's Disciplinary Rules and Procedures.

Verification of Data
CFP Board may verify your employment record, qualifications and disciplinary history through FINRA's Central Registration Depository (CRD). All disciplinary information obtained will be reviewed by CFP Board. The length of the review process varies depending on the circumstances being investigated, and may take anywhere from several weeks to one year. In general, you will not be authorized to use the CFP® marks during CFP Board's review process.

If you have questions about the effect of any of your past or pending disciplinary actions, or your authorization to use the CFP® marks, contact CFP Board at 800-487-1497 or initialcert@CFPBoard.org. Because of changing codes or regulations and the fact that every situation contains unique variables, CFP Board cannot provide you with an advance judgment of your situation. However, historical case studies of disciplinary actions taken by CFP Board against those it has certified are available from CFP Board.

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