Founded in 1985 as a nonprofit professional regulatory organization, Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. (CFP Board) fosters professional standards in personal financial planning so that the public values, has access to and benefits from competent and ethical financial planning.

CFP Board is an independent certifying organization that owns the certification marks CFP ^®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ^™ and (CFP marks). CFP Board regulates financial planners through trademark law by authorizing individuals who meet its certification requirements to use the CFP marks.

CFP ^® CERTIFICANTS

The majority of CFP ^® certificants are in the practice of personal financial planning and may be listed as such by CFP Board. CFP certificants are found in all 50 states and throughout the world. To check that your planner is authorized to use the CFP certification marks, contact CFP Board at 888-CFP-MARK or go to www.CFP.net/search.

CFP ^® CERTIFICATION

The public's growing need for objective financial planning advice, combined with the rigorous standards demanded of CFP ^® certificants, has placed the CFP certification at the forefront of the financial planning profession. Introduced in 1972, the CFP certification has become the most widely recognized financial planning credential among consumers. In the absence of uniform government regulation of financial planners, this certification reassures the public that those financial planners who are CFP practitioners have voluntarily agreed to adhere to high standards of competence and ethical practice established by CFP Board.

CFP ^® CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

The CFP ^® certification process is based on financial planning job analyses research, which are conducted periodically among practicing CFP professionals.