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The CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP^® and federally registered CFP (with flame design) marks (collectively, the “CFP^® marks”) are professional certification marks granted in the United States by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (“CFP Board”).

The CFP^® certification is a voluntary certification; no federal or state law or regulation requires financial planners to hold CFP^® certification. It is recognized in the United States and a number of other countries for its (1) high standard of professional education; (2) stringent code of conduct and standards of practice; and (3) ethical requirements that govern professional engagements with clients. Currently, more than 62,000 individuals have obtained CFP^® certification in the United States.

To attain the right to use the CFP^® marks, an individual must satisfactorily fulfill the following requirements:

• Education – Complete an advanced college-level course of study addressing the financial planning subject areas that CFP Board’s studies have determined as necessary for the competent and professional delivery of financial planning services, and attain a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited United States college or university (or its equivalent from a foreign university). CFP Board’s financial planning subject areas include insurance planning and risk management, employee benefits planning, investment planning, income tax planning, retirement planning, and estate planning;
• Examination – Pass the comprehensive CFP^® Certification Examination. The examination, administered in 10 hours over a two-day period, includes case studies and client scenarios designed to test one’s ability to correctly diagnose financial planning issues and apply one’s knowledge of financial planning to real world circumstances;
• Experience – Complete at least three years of full-time financial planning-related experience (or the equivalent, measured as 2,000 hours per year); and
• Ethics – Agree to be bound by CFP Board’s Standards of Professional Conduct, a set of documents outlining the ethical and practice standards for CFP®.

The Chartered Financial Consultant^® (ChFC^®) designation is for the advanced financial professional. This course provides an overview of the financial planning process, including communication techniques, behavioral finance, financial planning approaches and applications, financial statement preparation and analysis, time value of money concepts and applications, education planning and funding, economics and understanding of the role and responsibilities of a financial planner, along with some analytical skills to aid in the financial decision-making process. This is a voluntary certification comprised of 8 modules and an extensive final examination must be passed to obtain the designation.

A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification is granted by the State Board of Public Accountancy. The CPA certification is the respected mark of excellence for public accountants.

To attain the right to use the CPA designation, an individual must satisfactorily fulfill the following requirements:

• Education – 120 college credit hours of education earned in a related field of study;
• Examination – Completion of courses focused on financial accounting, auditing, taxation, management accounting and ethics;
• Pass the comprehensive CPA 16-hour Certification; and
• Ethics – Agree to be bound by CPA Board’s Standards of Professional Conduct.

This designation is reserved for those professionals who have successfully completed a rigorous certification and training process established by NACertified Financial Fiduciary and The American Financial Education Alliance (AFEA) which include:

• Exemplified the highest standards of morals, ethics, and fiduciary standards of service
• Passed a certification exam with a score of 75% or better
• Passed full background check and in good standing with regulatory license requirements
• Business office was reviewed for best practices and compliance
• Completed and submitted the signed Certified Financial Fiduciary Application 
• Agreed to the National Association Certified Financial Fiduciary terms of awarding and maintaining certification
• Agreed to abide by and uphold the Certified Financial Fiduciary Code of Conduct

The RICP^® certification is a voluntary certification: no federal or state law or regulation requires Investment Adviser Representatives to hold RICP^® certification.

An RICP^® designee is trained to understand how to structure effective retirement income plans, how to mitigate risks to the plan and how to create a sustainable stream of income to last through a client’s retirement. They are educated in areas including: Social Security claiming, evaluating and addressing risks faced in retirement, choosing distributions from employer-sponsored plans, Medicare and other health insurance choices, planning for long-term care needs, choosing appropriate housing and income tax and legacy planning.

To attain the right to use the RICP^® designation, an individual must satisfactorily fulfill the following requirements:

• Experience – Three plus years of relevant work experience
• Examination – Completion of three courses: retirement income process, strategies, and solutions; sources of retirement income; and managing a retirement income plan and pass a 100-question exam following the completion of each course.
• Ethics – RICPs^® must adhere to a code of ethics and meet continuing education and reporting requirements.

The National Social Security Advisor (NSSA) certificate promotes advanced Social Security education, providing certificate holders with the knowledge to counsel clients on the best way to claim Social Security benefits to optimize lifetime Social Security income. The program is the nation's gold standard in Social Security certification and training.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) oversees all securities licensing procedures and requirements and performs disciplinary and record-keeping functions. This self-regulatory organization administers many exams for representatives and supervisors to become licensed financial professionals.

The Series 6 license is the limited-investment securities license. It allows its holders to sell "packaged" investment products such as mutual funds, variable annuities, and unit investment trusts (UITs). The Series 6 exam is 90 minutes long and covers information regarding packaged investments, securities regulations, and ethics. This license is also required for insurance agents that sell variable investment products.

The Series 7 license is the general securities representative license. Those who carry this license are officially listed as "registered representatives" by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and referred to as stockbrokers. Series 7 authorizes licensees to sell any individual security, including common and preferred stocks, call and put options, bonds, and other fixed-income investments.

The Series 24 is an exam and license entitling the holder to supervise and manage branch activities at a broker-dealer. It is also known as the General Securities Principal Qualification Examination and was designed to test the knowledge and competency of candidates aiming to become entry-level securities principals. Supervisory activities allowed after passing the exam include regulatory compliance over trading and market-making activities, underwriting, and advertising.

The Series 26 is an examination administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Although it is often simply referred to as the Series 26 exam, its full name is the Investment Company and Variable Contracts Products Principal Exam.

As its full name suggests, passing the Series 26 exam entitles candidates to register as a limited principle responsible for supervising personnel who sell redeemable securities, such as mutual funds, variable insurance contracts, and other financial products as outlined in the Investment Company Act of 1940.

The Series 53 exam is a licensing test that permits an individual to supervise the municipal securities activities of a securities firm or bank dealer. The Series 53 exam is administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and is one of many Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) exams. The Series 53 exam is also known as the Municipal Securities Principal Qualification Examination (MP).

The Series 63 license, known as the Uniform Securities Agent license, is required by each state where licensees conduct business. All Series 6 and Series 7 licensees must carry this license. The provisions of the Uniform Securities Act are included in the 75-minute exam.

The Series 65 license is required for individuals providing financial advice on a non-commission basis. Financial planners, advisors, stockbrokers, and other registered representatives that provide investment advice for an hourly fee fall into this category. The exam is a 180-minute test covering the rules and regulations for registered investment advisors and various investment vehicles and disciplines, economics, ethics, and analysis.

Series 66, the North American Securities Administrators Association Uniform Combined State Law Examination, is an exam and license that is meant to qualify individuals as investment advisor representatives or securities agents. The Series 66 covers topics relevant to providing investment advice and effecting securities transactions for clients. Once licensed, investment advisor representatives can legally conduct financial advising and wealth management duties.