What a CFP® can do for you.
What a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional can do for you. A Financial Advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional at LPL works with you to develop a strategy tailored to your needs using a variety of products and services.
Developing a flexible investment plan. Through an interactive investment planning approach, a CFP® professional at LPL can help you identify your financial priorities in light of current conditions and then make adjustments as your life and the markets change.
Assisting in estate investment planning. Using a team approach to coordinate estate investment planning with you and your attorney, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional at LPL will help you evaluate whether certain techniques are appropriate for your individual circumstances.
Qualifications of a CFP® professional. To earn the CFP® certification from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., a Financial Advisor has met rigorous education, examination, experience and ethics requirements.
Education. Taking a comprehensive approach to meeting clients' financial needs, a Financial Advisor with the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification has completed training on nearly 100 integrated financial topics, including:
- General principles of financial strategies
- Insurance planning and risk management
- Employee benefits planning
- Retirement and estate planning
In addition to finishing the coursework on financial topics, the candidate is required to earn a bachelor's degree (or higher) or its equivalent, in any discipline, from an accredited college or university.
Examination. Passing the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Certification Examination is another requirement for CFP® certification. This comprehensive exam is scheduled to take 10 hours to complete and tests each candidate's knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis and synthesis of financial topics specified by the CFP Board.
Experience. The CFP Board also requires that, to fulfill the CFP® certification, a candidate must have sufficient work experience within one or more of the following six elements of financial services:
- Establishing and defining the relationship with the client
- Gathering client data, including goals
- Analyzing and evaluating the client's financial status
- Developing and presenting financial recommendations and/or alternatives
- Implementing the financial recommendations
- Monitoring the financial recommendations
Ethics. The CFP® certification requires that a candidate agree to adhere to the CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and to Financial Planning Practice Standards. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional must also acknowledge the CFP Board's right to enforce this code of ethics and practice standards.
