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Sample Disclosure Forms

Following are two sample disclosure forms for use by CFP® certificants in complying with CFP Board's Code Of Ethics and Professional Responsibility disclosure requirements. The first form (Form FPE) may be used when providing personal financial planning services. The second form (Form OPS) is for use when providing other professional services.

These forms provide for certain disclosures to clients (or potential clients) as required by CFP Board's Code of Ethics, with corresponding Rules in the Code of Ethics referrenced in parantheses. The client acknowledgments at the end of each disclosure form are not required by CFP Board's Code of Ethics, but CFP® certificants may wish to use them for their own purposes. Please note in Part II, section E of Form FPE, a CFP® certificant shall not hold out as a fee-only financial planning practitioner if the CFP® certificant receives commissions or other forms of economic benefit from related parties. (Refer also to Advisory Opinion 2003-1.) Also note that the disclosure of Part II, section B of Form OPS, is not required if the services contemplated by the client relationship have been completed. CFP® certificants may use these forms, SEC Form ADV Part II, or a form of their own design or choosing as long as the required Code of Ethics disclosures are included in whatever form is used by the CFP® certificant.

Compliance with the client disclosure requirements of the Code of Ethics is accomplished only when all material information relevant to the professional relationship (which includes everything required, pertinent and appropriate to the given client relationship) has been disclosed to the client or prospective client. Such disclosure should include, if material, (1) information about the financial condition of the CFP® certificant and/or his or her firm which is reasonably likely to impair the ability of the CFP® certificant to meet contractual commitments to the client and (2) any legal or disciplinary event relative to the CFP® certificant that is material to a client's or potential client's evaluation of the CFP® certificant's integrity or ability to meet contractual commitments to the client. Mere completion of a suggested disclosure form does not, in and of itself, constitute full compliance with the Code of Ethics disclosure requirements.