CFP Board Issues New Resources for Firms Offering Financial Planning

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. has released two new resources for firms to help them develop their financial planning capabilities and support their professionals. The first, Designation Policy to Designation Strategy—A Roadmap for Firms, urges firms to be intentional in the designations and certifications they approve. The second, a Resource Guide for Firms, provides firms with ways to engage with CFP Board and its Center for Financial Planning to support and grow their CFP® population.

“CFP Board is committed to helping firms grow their workforce to increase the access Americans have to competent and ethical financial planning,” says CFP Board CEO Kevin R. Keller, CAE. “In creating these resources, CFP Board aims to help firms equip advisors with the skills and education they need to meet clients’ changing needs.”

These guides share helpful information with firms to support their efforts around CFP® certification. More on each resource below:

• Designation Policy to Designation Strategy—A Roadmap for Firms addresses the emerging trend of advisors pursuing credentials simply for the sake of “having letters behind their name.” This roadmap outlines how firms can evolve their financial planning services into a quality offering by moving from a designation policy to an intentional strategy that focuses on the skills and knowledge advisors need to become competent financial planning professionals.
• The Resource Guide for Firms describes the full suite of services firms can expect to receive from CFP Board and the Center for Financial Planning to build out their financial planning programs. The guide offers information ranging from how to best leverage CFP Board’s Corporate Relations team to understand certification within the competitive landscape, to how the Center can help firms attract and retain talent and diversify their workforces.

“It’s important that we maintain an open line of communication with financial services firms and other employers of CFP® professionals,” says Joe Maugeri, CFP®, CFP Board Managing Director of Corporate Relations. “With our ongoing support, we hope these resources can help CFP® professionals and their employers stay relevant in a competitive financial advice market, while upholding CFP Board’s high standards for excellence.”

For more resources to support your efforts to grow your number of CFP® professionals, better understand the requirements for certification and continue to develop the skills of your advisors who are already certified, please visit CFP.net/for-employers