Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.
Ethics
The ethics requirement is the final step on your path to certification. It informs the public that you've agreed to act as a fiduciary to your client, putting your client's interests first, and adhering to the highest ethical and professional standards for the practice of financial planning. You'll need to disclose information about your background, and CFP Board will conduct a detailed background check.
Sign the Ethics Declaration
To fulfill the ethics requirement for CFP® certification, candidates must complete the Application for CFP® Certification that contains the Ethics Declaration. Based on this application, we'll conduct a background check, apply the Fitness Standards and inform you of the results.
Understanding Ethics
Learn more about the high standards of ethics and practice required to complete certification and maintain your status as a CFP® professional.
Fitness Standards
We encourage all candidates to review our Fitness Standards, which describe unacceptable conduct that will always bar an individual from becoming certified.
Code and Standards
We require that all CFP® professionals comply with our Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct, which include an expanded scope of the fiduciary standard.
Start your journey to CFP® Certification
- Track your progress with the CFP® Certification Tracker
- Post your resume at the Career Center
- Connect with a mentor who can guide you
- Register and prepare for the exam
- Find career and financial support
- Connect with other candidates at our online forum