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Now that I have your attention.here's the "fine print."

Americans, by and large, do not manage their financial lives as well as they could. Most Americans could benefit from financial planning. Yet few Americans understand what that is. Many of those who are familiar with financial planning as a term think of it as something only the wealthy need.

One of CFP Board's important purposes is to help all people understand that they can benefit from financial planning. How can CFP Board most effectively do this?

One obvious way is to tap into programs, institutions, networks and companies that already further some portion of this mission and make them larger and/or more robust. CFP Board is therefore looking to give out a substantial number of potentially very generous grants in 2006 to entities that have or are creating sustainable ways to reach non-traditional populations and encourage them to benefit from financial planning.

What might qualify? How good is your imagination? One CFP^® certificant is creating a calculator that helps people recognize the size of their financial shortfalls and the significant impact that planning can have on their future. Some certificants have created websites that allow individuals to purchase small portions of financial planning, to allow them to "start slow." Some educators in registered programs are looking at ways to tap into their land-grant extension programs to reach populations who could benefit. Some certificants run companies that specialize in distinct populations such as former prisoners, single mothers, or people with disabilities. Some certificants are working to convince employers, unions and pension funds to provide financial planning as part of their benefits packages to employees, members and beneficiaries. One certificant created a sitcom-like radio program that showcased a distinct financial issue each week. And on and on.

This particular grant program is not designed to fund studies, papers, or one-time events. It is looking for sustainable operations that will both help people understand that they can benefit from financial planning and create data or similar information for CFP Board to compile to help understand how to refine its efforts to achieve its mission in the future. The operations can be already existing or start-up, but the grant money must fund something distinct. CFP Board will not be involved in the operation of any grant-receiving body but CFP Board will expect to receive reports that help it evaluate the effectiveness of the operation at achieving our mission.

All grant applications must be made online by March 1, 2006. The format is simple. Applicants must describe the project, describe what kind of funding they are requesting, specify what the funding would pay for, describe the operations controls and measures of effectiveness, describe who will be involved and what their credentials are, lay out a time line, describe any special requirements or limitations and spell out what information the applicant expects to be able to supply CFP Board.

CFP Board expects its Board of Governors to announce grant winners at our Annual Meeting the first week of August 2006 in Santa Monica.

If you are interested in applying for a grant or would like additional information on the grant program, visit CFP Board's Web site at www.CFP.net/teamup/grants.asp or send an email to grants@CFPBoard.org.

Sarah Ball Teslik

Annual Meeting Update - General Session Q&A

Q: What do Queen Noor, Senator Bob Kerrey, the NASD's Mary Schapiro and Pfizer's Chairman/CEO Hank McKinnell have in common?

A: They are among the speakers scheduled for the General Session of CFP Board's Annual Meeting, to be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on August 4, 2006.

Q: Who can attend?

A: Anyone. All of CFP Board's certificants, their clients, employers, educators, students, policymakers, retirees, employees-anyone interested in learning about financial planning is welcome to attend the General Session.

Q: What does it cost?

A: General admission is FREE and open to the general public and all of CFP Board's stakeholders. An optional lunch and luncheon presentation by Hank McKinnell, CEO of Pfizer, Inc., is available for only $15.00. With an $80.00 registration fee, CFP^® certificants will be able to sign up for up to 8 hours of continuing education programs, including a program on CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Financial Planning Practice Standards that will satisfy the Code of Ethics/Practice Standards requirement for renewing CFP^® certification.

Some other sections of CFP Board's Annual Meeting are open to General Session attendees and the public without charge, including the public session of CFP Board's Board of Governors meeting the morning of Saturday August 5, 2006 (Santa Monica).

Registration for the Program Directors Conference section of the Annual Meeting (beginning August 3, 2006 in Santa Monica) will require a separate registration fee, and registration for the Firm Meeting section of the Annual Meeting (beginning August 2, 2006 in Santa Monica) will also require a separate fee. Registration for these sections will be available in the near future.

Q: Can I get CE credit for attending?

A: Yes. With an $80.00 registration fee, CFP^® certificants can sign up for a variety of programs at the General Session that will be accepted for CFP Board CE credit, including a program on CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Financial Planning Practice Standards that will satisfy the Code of Ethics/Practice Standards requirement for renewing CFP^® certification.

Q: Where do I stay?

A: Guests are responsible for making their own lodging arrangements. A list of hotels in the Santa Monica and downtown Los Angeles areas that offer price ranges from around $100 a night on up will be posted on CFP Board's Web site and sent to General Session registrants as soon as it is available. General information about the CFP Board Annual Meeting locations is also available from the Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau (www.santamonica.com) and the Los Angeles Convention Center (www.lacclink.com).

Some hotels have set aside room blocks for attendees of CFP Board's Annual Meeting, including several hotels located on or within walking distance of the beach. As this event is being held in August during the peak beach season, we recommend not waiting too long to make reservations.

Q: How can I learn more?

A: CFP Board will send additional information about CFP Board's Annual Meeting to CFP^® certificants, Program Directors, Firm Representatives and others as it becomes available. To ensure you are first on the list to receive Annual Meeting updates, send an e-mail with "Subscribe" in the subject line to annualmeeting@CFPBoard.org.

Continuing Education Reporting Update

Earlier this year, CFP Board announced several changes to its continuing education (CE) reporting procedures that will take effect January 1, 2006. These changes include the requirement that CE sponsors registered with CFP Board electronically report attendee lists to CFP Board and the requirement that CFP^® certificants complete CFP Board's CE requirement through programs registered with CFP Board (non-registered programs completed on or after January 1, 2006, may still be reported online with a processing fee to cover the cost of review).

In support of these changes, CFP Board's CE Sponsor Relations team has been working overtime to make sure CFP^® certificants have plentiful options for completing CFP Board's CE requirements. Two hundred and forty new CE sponsors have been registered since the announcement was made, bringing the total number of registered sponsors to 1,853. An up-to-date list of CE sponsors registered with CFP Board can be generated on our Web site at www.CFP.net/sponsors, with options for listing the programs registered by each sponsor.

Online processes have recently been introduced that allow CE sponsors to register with CFP Board and to register programs for CE credit with CFP Board. As of December 15, 2005, 72 CE sponsors have registered online with CFP Board, and more than 400 CE programs have been registered online. These new processes give CE sponsors a convenient and paperless way to make their CE programs available to certificants for CFP Board CE credit.

CFP Board also introduced new registration fee schedules for not-for-profit CE sponsors. Not-for-profit CE sponsors that do not charge their members to attend CE programs may register programs with CFP Board at no charge, and not-for-profit CE sponsors that do charge members to attend CE programs may qualify to register programs with CFP Board for a reduced fee. To date, 59 not-for-profit CE sponsors have taken advantage of these reduced fees.

It's not too late to have your favorite CE sponsor register with CFP Board. If you discover your CE providers are not listed among the CE sponsors registered with CFP Board or that a program you completed has not yet been registered, we encourage you to ask the sponsor to visit CFP Board's Web site at www.CFP.net/teamup/ce.asp for details about the registration process. CE programs may be registered with CFP Board after they have been presented but should be registered within six months of the first presentation date.

If you or your CE providers have questions about registering with CFP Board, please contact us at cesponsor@CFPBoard.org.

Two Quick and Easy Ways to Protect the CFP^® Marks

As owner of the CFP^® certification marks, CFP Board works hard to protect the integrity and value of those trademarks. The strength of a trademark is based on how it is used. Proper use of the trademarks preserves the distinctiveness of the marks and prevents others from misleading the public and using them without authorization. If a trademark is not displayed in a consistent and correct manner, it can grow generic, lose its protected status and become available for anyone to use.

Here are two quick ways to help CFP Board protect the CFP^® marks:

1) Give Notice of Trademark Rights:

Providing public notice of trademark rights by using the correct trademark symbols is important. Always remember the registered trademark symbol ® when using the CFP^® mark and the trademark symbol TM when using the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ mark. The failure to display proper notice of registration is a common mistake, yet the easiest to correct.

2) Use the CFP Marks as Adjectives:

Trademarks are adjectives and should be used only as such - the CFP marks should never be used as nouns or verbs. Nor should marks be pluralized or used in the possessive form. Instead, when referring to more than one person certified by CFP Board, the noun following the trademark may be used in plural form, such as "CFP^® professionals" or "CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioners."

Thank you for valuing the high standards of financial planning that the CFP^® certification marks represent. For more information about how you can help protect CFP Board's trademarks, visit our Web site at www.CFP.net/certificants/marksuse.asp.