Working with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional

As an investor, you have short- and long-term goals you would like to achieve – and it’s likely you’ll face some challenges along the way. This is where a CFP® professional can step in to help you make sense of it all with a well-designed strategy that takes into consideration your specific situation.

A Financial Advisor with this CFP® certification has gone through extensive education in analyzing and developing personal, long-term financial strategies for clients. A CFP® professional can develop a strategy tailored to your needs using a variety of products and services.

Developing a flexible investment plan | A CFP® professional 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 planning | Using a team approach to coordinate estate planning strategies with you and your attorney, a CFP® professional at Wells Fargo Advisors can 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

CFP® professionals must develop their theoretical knowledge and practical financial planning knowledge by completing a comprehensive course of study at a college or university offering a financial planning curriculum approved by the CFP® Board. Other options for satisfying the education component include submitting a transcript review or previous financial planning-related coursework to the CFP® Board for review and credit, or showing the attainment of certain professional designations or academic degrees.

Examination

Passing the CFP® 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

CFP® professionals must have three years’ minimum experience in the financial planning process prior to earning the right to use the CFP® certification marks. As a result, CFP® practitioners possess financial counseling skills in addition to financial planning knowledge.

Ethics

As a final step to certification, CFP® practitioners agree to abide by a strict code of professional conduct, known as CFP® Board’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, which sets forth their ethical responsibilities to the public, clients and employers. CFP® Board also performs a background check during this process, and each individual must disclose any investigations or legal proceedings related to their professional or business conduct.

What is the CFP® Board?

The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) establishes and enforces the education, examination, experience, and ethics requirements for CFP® certificants. Founded in 1985 as the International Board of Standards and Practices for Certified Financial Planners, Inc., the CFP Board is a professional regulatory organization that acts in the public interest by fostering professional standards in personal financial planning.