Chris Beard, CFP® to Serve as 2012 Chair of CFP Board’s Disciplinary and Ethics Commission

Washington, DC, January 18, 2011 – Chris Beard, CFP® has been appointed to serve as the 2012 Chair of the Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (“DEC”), an independent body charged with upholding the CFP® certification by enforcing CFP Board’s Standards of Professional Conduct (“Standards”).

“CFP Board distinguishes itself from other financial planning designations with our vigorous enforcement of any violations of our ethical standards,” said CFP Board’s Chief Executive Officer Kevin R. Keller, CAE. “Chris Beard will be charged with leading the DEC in ensuring that we are fulfilling our mission to the public by providing a fair, yet rigorous process for those individuals who come before the Disciplinary and Ethics Commission and face the possibility of discipline.”

CFP Board enforces the Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Rules of Conduct and Financial Planning Practice Standards (each of which is included in the Standards), and establishes a process for applying the Standards to allegations of professional misconduct.

The Rules of Conduct establish the high standards and level of professionalism required of CFP® professionals. The Rules of Conduct are binding on all CFP® professionals, regardless of their title, position, type of employment or method of compensation, and they govern all those who have been granted the right to use the CFP® marks.

The DEC is comprised of nine commissioners, seven of whom are CFP® professionals. The remaining two are public representatives. The DEC meets three times a year to hear cases and mete out discipline, which may include the suspension or revocation of an individual’s right to use the CFP® marks. All cases may be appealed to the Appeals Committee of CFP Board’s Board of Directors.

“It is an honor to serve as Chair of CFP Board’s Disciplinary and Ethics Commission. The DEC’s objective is to enhance the value and reputation of competent and ethical financial planning through a deliberative process that is both fair to those whose conduct is under review, and credible to the public,” said Beard. “I take this responsibility very seriously.”

Beard has 17 years of experience in the financial planning industry. He primarily focuses on financial planning, asset management, and qualified retirement plans for business. He has led seminars on ethics for advisors nationally. Beard is a member of the South Carolina chapter of the Financial Planning Association and of the Greenville Estate Planning Council.

Beard received a BS in Financial Management from Clemson University, where he now mentors students in the University’s College of Business and Behavioral Science. He has served on both the Campaign Cabinet and Palmetto Society boards for United Way of Greenville County. Beard is a Vice President with Gateway Wealth Strategies, a division of Bank of Travelers Rest.

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