Frequently Asked Questions

We hope the following information answers your questions about CFP Board's 2007 Financial Planning Clinic. If you have a question not answered here, please feel free to send your question to clinic@CFPBoard.org or call us at 800-487-1497.

• When should I arrive at the Financial Planning Clinic?
• What should I bring to the Financial Planning Clinic?
• When will lunch be served?
• Why am I not allowed to distribute business cards or marketing materials at the clinic?
• What financial planning topics will I be discussing at the clinic?
• How much time will I spend speaking with each attendee?
• How many consumers will I speak with at one time?
• How do I sign up as a candidate for media interviews?

When should I arrive at the Financial Planning Clinic?

You should arrive at the Sheraton Boston Hotel between 7:45 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

The Financial Planning Clinic will open to the public at 10:00 a.m. However, mandatory volunteer registration will take place from 7:30 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. During registration, you will receive your seating assignment, a badge that will grant you access to the clinic room and the refreshments and lunch area.

You will also be required to attend a volunteer briefing from 8:45 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. The volunteer briefing will provide you with an overview of the clinic layout and rules, a schedule for the lunch break, and a chance to ask questions. After the briefing, you will have time to grab refreshments and find your assigned table. CFP Board staff members will be available to help you find your assigned table.

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What should I bring to the Financial Planning Clinic?

You are welcome to bring a battery-powered calculator or laptop to the clinic. CFP Board will provide you with a gift bag containing pen and paper, a brochure with the clinic schedule, mints and bottled water.

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When will lunch be served?

A complimentary lunch will be served at 11:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and refreshments including coffee, tea and water will be available throughout the day. When you register, you will receive information about whether your 30-minute lunch break begins at 11:45 a.m. or 12:30 p.m.

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Why am I not allowed to distribute business cards or marketing materials at the clinic?

CFP Board has organized the Financial Planning Clinic to increase public awareness of the importance of financial planning and to help make competent and ethical financial planning accessible to everyone. The clinic is designed as a no-strings-attached event for the public. We hope to educate consumers that financial planning is more than investment sales, and we hope to educate even those consumers who are intimidated at the thought of committing to an ongoing financial planning engagement. Attempting to form a planner-client relationship or attempting to sell any products or services during the clinic would defeat the very purpose of the clinic.

Although volunteers are not allowed to distribute business cards or marketing materials, each volunteer's name and contact information will be included in the Financial Planning Resource Booklet provided to attendees. Volunteer names will also be posted on CFP Board's Web site.

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What financial planning topics will I be discussing at the clinic?

At the clinic, volunteers will be seated at tables designated for specific financial planning topics, allowing attendees to choose a topic they are interested in and head to the appropriate table. After you apply to volunteer, a CFP Board representative will contact you to ask you what topics you are most interested in discussing with attendees. We understand that certain topics are more popular than others, and we will do our best to assign you with topics that you are most interested in discussing.

Attendees will be informed that all volunteers hold CFP® certification and are well-qualified to discuss a wide variety of financial topics. You are welcome to discuss with attendees any financial planning topics that you are comfortable discussing, even if those topics are not related to your assigned topic.

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How much time will I spend speaking with each attendee?

To make the Financial Planning Clinic experience available to as many attendees as possible, we will ask both attendees and volunteers to limit their conversations to 15 minutes.

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How many consumers will I speak with at one time?

You will assist one individual, one couple or one individual family at a time. You will not be speaking to groups of individuals, families, couples, etc.; rather, you will assist people on a one-on-one basis. You will not need to prepare any presentation materials.

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How do I sign up as a candidate for media interviews?

If you are interested in speaking to the media about financial planning and the Financial Planning Clinic, please mention that to the CFP Board representative who will contact you after your volunteer application has been submitted.

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