Why Work with a CFA^® and CFP^®?

CFA^® – Chartered Financial Analyst^®

Today’s financial markets demonstrate the importance of having reliable evidence of your financial adviser’s integrity, experience and commitment. Among the credentials that financial professionals may hold, none are more highly regarded than or as rigorously focused on investment knowledge as the Chartered Financial Analyst^® designation. Steven Waters is a CFA charterholder and embodies the following core tenets:

Ethics: Ethics are a core component of the curriculum that leads to the CFA designation. Every CFA charterholder is required to annually sign a statement declaring adherence to the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct.

Knowledge and experience: Every CFA charterholder has at least four years of industry experience and has passed 18 hours of rigorous examinations on subjects that include investment tools, asset valuation, portfolio management and the application of ethical and professional standards.

Global relevance: The CFA charter has become the global professional investment credential. There are CFA charterholders in more than 130 countries, with increasing demand worldwide for the CFA program.

Recognition: Respect for the program’s professional standards has made the CFA designation the mark of distinction for investment professionals worldwide.

For more information please visit: https://www.cfainstitute.org/business/hire

CFP^® – Certified Financial Planner^®

Most people think that all financial planners are “certified,” but this isn’t true. Anyone can call themselves a financial planner. Only those who have fulfilled the certification and renewal requirements of CFP Board can display the CFP^® certification marks.

Individuals certified by the CFP Board have taken the extra step to demonstrate their professionalism by voluntarily submitting to the rigorous CFP^® certification process that includes demanding education, examination, experience and ethical requirements. These standards are called “the four E’s,” and they are four important reasons why the financial planning practitioner you select should display the CFP^® certification marks.

When selecting a financial planner, you need to feel confident that the person you choose to help you plan for your future is competent and ethical. The CFP^® certification provides that sense of security by allowing only those who meet the following requirements the right to use the CFP^® certification marks.

CFP^® certification requirements: the four E’s.

Education: CFP^® professionals must develop their theoretical and practical financial planning knowledge by completing a robust 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: CFP^® practitioners must pass a two-day, six-hour CFP^® Certification Examination that tests their ability to apply financial planning knowledge in an integrated format. Based on regular research of what planners do, the exam covers the financial planning process, tax planning, employee benefits and retirement planning, estate planning, investment management and insurance.

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 the CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, that sets forth their ethical responsibilities to the public, clients and employers. The 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.

How does CFP Board’s Code of Ethics benefit me?

Through the Code of Ethics, CFP^® practitioners agree to act fairly and diligently when providing you with financial planning advice and services, putting your interests first. The Code of Ethics states that CFP^® practitioners are to act with integrity, offering you professional services that are objective and based on your needs. They are required to provide you with information about their sources of compensation and conflicts of interest in writing.

Ongoing certification requirements

Once certified, CFP^® practitioners are required to maintain technical competence and fulfill ethical obligations. Every two years, they must complete a minimum 30 hours of continuing education to stay current with developments in the financial planning profession and better serve clients. Two of these hours are spent studying or discussing the CFP Board’s Code of Ethics or Practice Standards. In addition to the biennial continuing education requirement, all CFP^® practitioners voluntarily disclose any public, civil, criminal or disciplinary actions that may have been taken against them during the previous two years as part of the renewal process.